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Image from erusyako.wordpress.com 10.8.2011

Usually when I am working with leaders - the tomorrow we are working on is long term.  "How can we transform this organization over the next 2 years?"  "How do we create a high performing team?"  "How can we be more competitive, add more value to ensure our viability?"

Together we build long term plans to move the people and the organization to that vision via change plans, strategic roadmaps, organization and individual development. 

But given the conversations I have had recently with leaders, and the crazy business environment we have been in for 2011, it strikes me that it is a good time to focus on tomorrow - literally.  We are a week into 4th quarter as I write this.  What is it that you have committed to getting done by the end of the year?  Where are you with that?  

I was working with one of my customers this week, and he made an observation about the change readiness of his group. It triggered me to reflect - It has been years since I used a change readiness assessment!  There was a time when it was one of my standard practices, I would work with clients on the assessment, and we would actually have a conversation about whether to go/no-go with the change.  That was back in the day when change was more episodic, and it was realistic to postpone change or not do it at all. 

Not so any more!  Change is continuous in today's competitive marketplace.  Whether your organization is change ready or not is probably irrelevant, since most change is a mandate not a choice at this point.  My approach has evolved from asking the question of whether the organization is ready to change, to getting right to the work of building agile, change ready teams.  

Like many of the best things in life, trust really is free. Doing without it, however, will cost you dearly, especially in business. What’s at stake is productivity, innovation, and ultimately, profits.

One of my favorite things to do when waiting for a customer in their office is browse their book shelves.  It gives me a great sense for the models and theories that they already have in their head, which gives us a good foundation for shared understanding. It's also a great opportunity for my own learning!

Change is continuous these days. The environment is changing, the market is changing, how work gets done is changing, our customers are changing, and so on.  To be successful we must all make time to reflect on what we need to do differently to be successful in our new situation.