Introduce Change Gracefully
Mike Ferguson, Fresh Ground Consulting
In 2004, inspired (yet again) by the work of David Allen, I created a list of operating principles, touchstones for how I would work. It’s not a simple list. It is quite a challenging set of ideals and I revisit them often, not only as a tool for navigating my business, but as coaching cues for clients.
One of these principles came to mind recently while I was meeting with a potential client. As is often the case, especially as a consulting relationship is just beginning, both the relationship and the work that needed to be done remained somewhat undefined.
When you hire a consultant it should be because you have a real need. Sometimes the need is very clearly felt but not very clearly seen. This can be a delicate moment, when the independent needs of the client and the independent needs of the consultant must fuse into the much sought after “mutually beneficial relationship.”
As I listened to my potential client outline the work ahead, I began to discern some significant gaps in his approach, gaps that would work against the success of his project. This was not a matter of style, it was a matter of substance. I needed to help him reframe the project, to change his focus.
One of our principles at Fresh Ground Consulting is to “Initiate change with grace, and accept change gracefully.” This is the most recent addition to the list. The idea behind it was suggested to me by a barista at a coffee company who was tired of being the last person to find out about significant changes that affected how he did his job. It was worse than that. He often found out about the changes via their implementation, meaning there was no communication before the changes simply happened right in front of him. He said this made him feel like a piece of furniture.
Although arbitrary and abrupt changes inside a company inspired the principle, I often keep it in mind when I am attempting to change someone’s mind, or when they are trying to change mine.
As his potential consultant, I felt my client’s success was dependent on a change of mind and so I had a responsibility to change his mind. I had do so gracefully.
The dictionary definition of “grace” speaks of seemingly effortless beauty, a sense that things are pleasing and proper in proportion, form, and movement. I find this definition helpful and I believe that even in times of crisis, when change is racing against the clock, it can be done with great grace, as speed and grace are not exclusive of one another.
Every leader and manager has to initiate difficult and unpopular change from time to time, and there are times when the responsibility must rest on her shoulders alone, and implementation is not negotiable. I believe that acting gracefully is always an option. Grace does not mean a lack of fervor or urgency. It means the fervor and urgency are in proper proportion to the circumstances. From this perspective, even the sergeant initiating a change of plan and barking out orders on the battlefield can do so gracefully.
I believe that my ability to suggest a re-framing of the project and suggest some changes with grace is what turned my potential client into a new client. I gathered all of the scattered elements of the work he had outlined, reflecting back what I understood them to be so he would know I had listened and to ensure I knew his intention. Then I put all the pieces together so he could see what was missing. But before we talked about what was missing, we talked about the strength of what wasn’t missing. Finally, I backed the project up to a starting place he had not considered, moved it back in time so we could gather the missing pieces.
Change is never ending, from changing our mind to changes in our corporate culture, and much of it is inevitable. Indira Gandhi, in recognizing the inevitability of change, added that “it is up to us to control its content and direction.” Form and movement? Sounds like the definition of grace to me.