What Needs to Change?
Dr. David Rafeedie
Bill was puzzled. He had just come from a very inspirational conference. It was a beautiful tropical location. Dynamite speaker; first-class food; incredible networking opportunities; and a big price tag. It was an investment in the future. Bill felt the conference would take his business to the next level. When he left, he felt good about who he was, what he was doing, and most importantly, about where he was heading. Bill also came away with some good ideas that he intended to implement. That was two days ago.
Now it is Wednesday, and nothing looks or feels different than it did before the conference. He doesn’t feel different than he did before the conference. What happened?!
What Bill experienced is reality. The reality is things don’t change if things don’t change. The conference was terrific, but it wasn’t Bill’s environment. Everything in Bill’s environment was the same; including Bill. We have all been there. Conferences can be a great, and expensive, break. But mostly, that is all they are. You meet great people, you hear good stuff, and then you come back to reality. The reality you left to go to the conference hasn’t changed. You are the same too. You felt different when you left. More determined, excited even. You gleaned some helpful information too. But what do you do with it? How do you make it fit?
I don’t have anything against conferences, per se. I don’t attend them anymore. It would have to be something that would directly impact me and what I do in a significant way for me to go to a conference. I have discovered that I have within me all that I need to succeed. So do you, even if you don’t’ realize it. Everyone does. No one knows your organization better than you do. You have a handle on its culture, and specifically, its leadership culture.
Looking at what you have freshly; thinking new thoughts with the knowledge you have, and seeing your environment through a new paradigm is the key to positive change and taking your organization to the next level. To see, to think, and to do things differently the first thing that needs to change is you. You need to be challenged and stretched. And you need accountability. We all need those things if we want to experience personal and organizational growth.
One day, one of my senior team members walked into my office. Something was bothering her. She felt like she was in a rut. Her department was running smoothly, but she wasn’t satisfied with where things were. She didn’t know why or what to do about it. She wondered if her feelings were legitimate.
The first thing I did was assure her that her feelings are legitimate. They are her feelings. The question she needed to explore is why she was experiencing those feelings. Were they grounded in the environment? Was it her team that was causing her dissatisfaction? Was it their work? Or was it something in her? I helped her explore. She came up with the answers she needed. She had those answers in her all along. But she needed help to see and think in new ways. I coached her, and she came up with the answers she needed.
For most people, seeing things with fresh eyes or thinking new thoughts with what you already know is not natural. Most people do not challenge themselves in that way on a regular basis. It requires a catalyst. A person who can cause us to think more deeply or view things from a different perspective.
I find the biggest challenge isn’t finding new information, although I love to learn. My biggest challenge is thinking new thoughts about what I know already. I also realize, that I can do all the right things and sometimes things don’t change anyway. I don’t change! I take me into every situation I encounter. I am there for every strategy session and every decision. My coach helps me dig deeper in a very intentional way.
What needs to change? Usually, you do. You need to change to see things freshly. I need to change if I want to discover the next personal and professional level. Things don’t change if things don’t change—it starts with you.
My senior team member did two things that helped her, and her department reach the next level:
She recognized something needed to change. That meant she was focused on the mission and in giving good leadership to her team. She is not one to rest on her laurels but is someone who wants the best from herself and her team.
She took action and sought outside input. That requires courage and trust. Courage comes from within. Trust on the other hand requires a special working relationship. The current relationships you have in your workplace may not be structured to foster trust. But outside input, someone who can ask the right questions to cause you to think more deeply and see things in a new way is extremely important.
A coaching relationship is just that—an intentional relationship that will cause you to think and see in fresh ways. Coaching is an intentional relationship designed specifically for you. To help you get to where you want to go and to get there faster than you thought possible.
I would love to explore a coaching relationship with you. Contact me at info@davidthecoach.com and let’s have a conversation. If you want to know more about coaching, see my website at www.davidthecoach.com.