Leading through turbulent change

2016 has been a year of many unforeseen and turbulent changes in the global political landscape, recently highlighted by the US election results yesterday.

Today I will talk about what it means to lead through turbulent change and the gaps I often observe globally in organisations.

So many businesses and organisations invest huge amounts in business strategies to grow, reinvent, restructure, transform. However, in my experience, few truly understand the integration necessary between process and people, between strategy and human dynamics. Instead, they often relegate the behavioural elements of what it takes to successfully deliver on strategic transformation to "initiatives" and "projects" separate and distinct their "core" strategies.

At Shirlaws, as far as I have seen, we are the only global firm truly expert both in supporting organisations around business strategy AND the integration of strategy with human dynamics elements. Our people are both commercially expert and come to market with world class IP to share with clients, they are also deeply trained and skilled in understanding people. As we say, "business is simple, people are complex", so surely any adviser, coach or consultant can only add maximum value to clients through deep understanding of human dynamics so as to simplify leading change ?

So, do you have a strategy being implemented this year that you felt was perfectly designed and ready to roll at speed ? Have you instead seen friction or even a freeze in progress due to shock from "what if?" thinking around the geo-political landscape, even though such changes often have no direct impact on them or their work ? I'm sure many of you are nodding.

Is this behaviour rational ? No. Is is predictable and something we can build strategies and plan for if we understand the predictability of human nature ? If you have deep understanding of human dynamics, absolutely !

So, what are YOUR strategies for leading your people through turbulent change ?

How well can you predict (and so have forward thinking strategies in place to address) behavioural impacts of internal and external change ?

Have you integrated those human dynamics strategies with your business growth strategies so as to accelerate change rather than see friction, pushback, "freezing" ?

Assuming you have high levels of capability and understanding around the value in integrating these key elements for success, you have likely already communicated widely and often with your whole organisation in the roughly one day (at the time of writing) since Donald Trump won the election ? If you have, what did you say ?

Today I communicated with our Shirlaws team, with the intention of grounding them and removing any potential for "frozen" anxious energy. After all, the tides still go in and out, the sun still rises and sets, and business goes on.

The story I shared (with pre-amble and a note after it to enhance specific relevance to our organisation) follows below. Oh, and a tip. I encourage you to incorporate story-telling prolifically in your internal communications.

The Story Of King Solomon’s Ring

This is a popular Jewish wisdom folktale as told by David Franko from Turkey. It contains a very important lesson that relates to the Buddhist concept of “impermanence.”

“One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it.”

“If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty,” replied Benaiah,

“I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?” “It has magic powers,” answered the king. “If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby carpet. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?” asked Benaiah.

He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity.

“Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!” As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words “Gam zeh ya’avor” — “This too shall pass.” 

At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.”