The Power of Re

"If you keep asking questions, you'll keep getting answers." 

Miss Frizzle of the Magic School Bus.

If there's one word to define the Change Leadership Course, it would be "Re".

According to dictonary.com, Re is a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backwards” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion.

Through the Change Leadership Course (CLC), I was able to discover new processes and experiences to experiment with the different tools shared.

When I first joined the East-West Center (EWC) Change Leadership Course (CLC) program, I came in subconsciously with one intention.

To re-experience EWC's learning experience and align that experience with the process of my current projects.

In a way, I was looking for a certain comfort in exploring concepts to navigate through my new projects. It was a nice invitation to re-experience something familiar with all the volatile changes happening around.

The famous EWC experience effect

If I could put my EWC experiences into a word, it would be the word "re". Whenever I experience an EWC program, it never fails to add in a re into my actions.

Relearn. Rediscover. Re Immerse. Redefine. Rethink. "RE".

It's amazing to see the infinite ideas and possibilities branching out from an existing thought or concept that we have known it to be. The ability to inculcate a "re" in our actions, is extremely rare but yet vital in today's context. 

Especially during such vulnerable periods, where things that have once made sense to us, might not anymore. Values that we cling-ed closely to might have lost their significance over time.

Sometimes, it's amusing and amazing to see the different perspectives and narratives of the same things we have taken granted for. I was glad to re-understand the power of "Re" in this program.

Re: The sessions

In this program, we explored 4 main points in a cycle: Goal, Map, Act and Reflect. Each practising along with a set of different tools and the GOOD model to expand our understanding in every phase of the cycle.

In the first session, we explored the concept of goals. I was able to reflect on my experience of change and define the exact feeling that I wanted to recreate. That helped me define the experience I wanted to recreate with my project. After, we proceed to breakdown our goals and the definition of our goals with whys and explore the Bridges Transition Model along with the Kubler Ross Curve.

Through these exercises in the first session, it has made me realise that perhaps the goal I wanted to achieve isn't the goal I've been chasing towards. I learned how to notice the depth of our goal and to widen my map. 

Often, I notice we tend to refrain setting goals in fear of not being able to achieve them. But what we often forget is our goal isn't just a point on the map, it could be an area, it could be the route we've taken. At the end of the day, a goal doesn't have to be rigid, it can transform, and can be malleable as time does. What matters most is that we need to know which direction the goal is towards.

"If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable."

The second session explored the mapping phase. Out of the 4 tools (Which I subconsciously went to explore all), I chose the appreciative scan and resistance wall to dive deep into. Mainly because both projects that I am focused on are still in the phase of building and forming. The exercise helped me to view my projects as my relationship map with the people I work with. This allowed me to internalise the different relationships before I moved towards it.

The third session focused on taking action. Specifically creating systems, behavioural change and vision communication. The activity reminded us not to only carry out our actions but be empowered to do so.

For a flow to work, is behaviour change needed? Most habits require behavioural change. 

We explored the 3 ingredients in creating a behavioural change habit: Cue, Reward and Stick.

One personal example of the reward technique that came into my thought was my experience in learning to celebrate.

I have been practising how to celebrate as I realised it is very easy to forget That we have put in the effort and do reflect on it. So I realised whenever I celebrate it acts as a cue to reflect and draw a closing line to my projects so I don’t feel overwhelmed.

We explored the nudge theory and the 4P concept as well. It's interesting how individuals react differently to different communicators and nudge towards the same goal.

During practice, I realised people tend to need different points of nudging and the 4Ps at different points of time.

Surprisingly when Christina was sharing each part of the 4P (Part, Plan, Picture, Purpose), I subconsciously got reminded of how a conversation goes with each team member. Where their questions tend to lean towards in finding out which part they are interested in. If a team member is inclined towards knowing their purpose in the project, constant communication of the plan wouldn't help make them feel safe or heard.

I realise my thoughts and doubts can be in the forms of the 4P at times.

Curious question for all: Do you use 4Ps as a communication or planning tool more?

For the final session, we reflected on our experience thus far and I realised it's the process that matters and not just the end goal that we are reaching. Our goals may or not be still the same or where we expected them to be but one constant thing is the experience of the process.

In this process, I was able to see the power of Re and use that power to see the branches of thoughts and ideas to what we already hold onto. As the world continues to change, let us all be reminded that the only thing constant is change. We need to be constantly bouncing back, creating the energy to bounce along with Change. We need to stay resilient.

Mahalo.

Ps: This article is dedicated to Christina, Gretchen, Killi, Cheryl and all the EWC team and Alumni who made this incredible process possible. And to that friend whose name sounds like the title of this article.

#EWC_LPChangeLeadership