Sorcery of Change

When I was a kid, I loved rainy days.?Part of that had to do with growing up in sunny California, where the cool rain was at times a welcome change.?But the real reason was because at school we got to stay indoors at recess and play games or watch movies.?The two movies I loved the most were from Disney.?The first was Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land , a fun romp through the magic of math using music and pool tables (worth a watch!!).?But my favorite was The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia.?I don’t know why it always had a magic grip on me.?It’s as if it were trying to tell me something.?Even to this day, I have a Mickey Sorcerer’s Apprentice stuffed figure in my office.?The other day, in a fit of nostalgia, I decided to hearken back to my childhood and my dear friend to see if it still had something to say to me some 50 or so years later. Interestingly, this story is repeated in many cultures (with the one that we know most Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling), so Jungians may call it archetypal – deeply embedded in our collective unconscious with something important and universal to say. And boy did it.?As I watched, I couldn’t help but think about the change management work I had done over the years and magically out came some important lessons.?If you don’t remember the story, click below and watch it!

I now know why I was so entranced by that story.?The obvious cautionary tale here is to not play with fire if you don’t know what you’re doing.?When I look at in relation to change, though, I see more:

1. It is not enough to apprehend, you must comprehend.?This echoes the cautionary tale above somewhat.?In our constant efforts to simplify, organize, codify, and identify the one answer, we rely on checklists, step-by-step recipes, and mnemonic acronyms to feel assured that we are managing change. Mickey thinks that by putting a spell on the broom his work is done-- he no longer needs to engage and can let everything deterministically unfold on its own.?But much like the brooms in the film, change is not something controlled, predictable or determined.?We must comprehend the depth of what we must do and its full complexity. And we must not separate ourselves from the hard work of continuing to facilitate the winding path of change as it unfolds.
2. We can’t rely on conventional approaches to get us out of jams.?When Mickey loses control of his spell, he reaches for an axe, thinking that by splintering the broom, his problem will be solved.?But he is not working in the natural world anymore. Instead of stopping the brooms, Mickey has exponentially increased his problem with more brooms collecting water and flooding the cistern.?Einstein is quoted as saying, “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind (sic) is to survive and move toward higher levels.” The reason for many needed changes is that the conventional solutions that worked in the past are no longer viable.?We must look beyond the conventional, challenge the current assumptions, and dive into the unknown frightening and uncertain as it may be.
3. You must stay engaged in the “fray.”?When the broom is doing its work, Mickey disengages. Some leaders do the same thing (as Kotter says, “declare victory too early”).?They get the change started, provide some words of encouragement, delegate the tasks to the change teams, and move on to the next task at hand.?Unfortunately, as in Mickey's case, this can lead to disaster.?Without the leader involved chaos can ensue, the change can veer way off track or can be lost altogether.?Leaders must “get their hands dirty,” pick up buckets themselves and stand side-by-side with their staff through the change.?
4. Show humility in the face of awesomeness – Mickey is so proud of his accomplishment that during his sleep, his ego runs away with him, convincing him that he can control the stars above, the waters below, the clouds and the storms.?He fails to see the tremendous power (and therefore responsibility) he now holds.?I once consulted with a leadership team on changing a large 4000 person organization. ?To me, it felt immense, and I wanted them to see this as well.?I asked them, “What do you think the chances of changing all 4000 people would be?”?One VP stated, “Asymptotic to zero.”?Next to impossible!?If that immensity of change does not humble you, very little will.?But there was a way to bring this to a reasonable size and effort – carve off small pieces and build the change from the ground up.?Change efforts deserve our respect and our humility.?We must also realize the immense responsibility that these types of projects bring with them for we are tinkering with people's individual and collective identities.?They are complex, challenging, unpredictable, and even unruly and if we try to control them, they will fight back … and win.
5. Finally, know when to call a sorcerer.?While workshops and classes and weekend certifications are good and helpful to get a grasp of change, they cannot replace years of engaging in change initiatives and learning from experience, both good and bad.?Leading change is not scientific, nor is it an engineering project – it involves social alchemy, some magic and spells, some conjuring and a lot of craft.?You need to try out all the possibilities available and stumble on the right action or word to say at that moment.?It emerges mysteriously like the demon and butterfly spirits of the sorcerer, taking shape, morphing and then even disappearing into thin air. ?As with any “magical art,” it is often dangerous to try this on your own.?A good sorcerer can show you the way and help you know when to cast a spell and when to pick up the buckets yourself.

So, thank you Mickey many years later for the life lessons. ??#Change #MickeyMouse ??