Mini-Experimenting is a superpower!
More than once, I have decided to stop coaching a leadership team. Why? Because I’d spent a long time building trust with and between them and listening to them talking about what needs to change. And every time we got to the brink of them trying a significantly different approach in their leadership, they pulled back, saying they weren’t ready for that level of discomfort. I realised they’ve been “not quite ready” to change for a long time. When they’re ready, I will be here to support them. But their “achieving readiness” can only go on for so long before it becomes avoidance.
Over many years, I’ve discovered that waiting to feel “ready”, “safe”, “fully prepared” or “confident enough” before trying new ways of behaving, interacting and leading can be paralysing. It can also subconsciously be a way of staying in our comfort zone, or a displacement activity to avoid the discomfort of changing our ways.
I developed the H.U.M.A.N. approach to help alleviate the anxiety of: “I/we don’t feel quite ready”. It’s a practical, doable, actionable range of mini-experiments you can make – one interaction at a time. When I work with leaders, I invite them into a simple experimental approach called N.A.M.E. it to Change it.
Leaders and teams who integrate this approach into their work make a choice to learn, discover and experiment with new habits in their interactions every day. Some days, things go better than others! A Team Leader who worked with me recently said:
“Practising these skills and taking an experimental approach is helping it become second nature
and I have built so much more confidence”
So, do I use this N.A.M.E It to Change It mini-experimenting approach in my work, you might be wondering? I do - and I talked about why and how I do this in a recent interview. A 2- minute excerpt is below, and you can watch/ listen to the full conversation (11 mins) here.
If you’re ready to try some mini-experimenting to improve relationships or the culture in your teams, here are some options:
Download free resources from my website - including some starter activities you can use as mini-experiments
The Culture Trap book is packed full of suggested mini-experiments for you and your teams to try. It’s a practical, relatable guide - available now in paperback or e-book.
Discover how your teams can jointly participate in a tailored team development programme from BeTheCultureChange™ with mini-experimenting at the heart of the approach
Get video inspiration from the BeTheCultureChange™ YouTube channel here
For a confidential conversation - without obligation - about what you wish could be better where you work, contact me here
Together, let’s BeTheCultureChange™ !