Like the destination of a journey, any change will require a goal. And therefore, the Barajas Airport serves well as a decor.

Where do we want to go to or what do we want to achieve? And “you” is in this case the organization. The Airport.

This checklist is for your organization. What does it mean to add a new terminal to an existing Airport?

If you try to define WHAT will change within the organization, you can think about the business process, specific functions or fundamental (base) requirements. In this example, the business process remains the same. So do the functions that are offered to the public. Yet some basic requirements will be enhanced; this is most of all (in the airport example) about scalability and capacity.

Once the goal is clear and the functional impact is sketched, than you should check whether the resources will be impacted. In this example they will. The changes are at the supporting level, and the new infrastructure will be integrated with an existing one. The challenge is to hide disturbance from the travelers. But during the inauguration-days that will be nearly impossible.

The environment is often a source of alterations. Many triggers come from outside the company, but in this example, the change is from within. The impact on the environment however is, again in this Airport case, very big.

In the last place, the most profound changes are those that drive the organizational behavior. The inauguration of the new terminal interfered with the normal organization and provided a lot of delays. Yet, the change as such was not really profound.

The most profound changes are those where the fundamentals of the organization are no longer valid. That was not the case in Madrid. In fact, after a few days, it is business as usual.

So any change is about (filled in for the Barajas airport):

• Functions – no change; a new terminal is more of the same
• Goals – more capacity, scalability
• Resources – That is where this change is all about
• Environment – Very high impact. Think only of suburbs that are effected.
• Principles – The main principles in the airport organization are not effected. Planes take-off as before

Whether you are dealing with an improvement or a real change depends on a combination of these five factors.

© 2006 Hans Bool

For more information about the subject, have a look at the change checklist

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.

My Links : Twstore Greyanatomy http://cookwaresblog.co.cc/

Wendy’s is an example of how a brand lost its way with the sudden death of its founder, Dave Thomas, in 2002. The company continues to struggle to find its brand voice without Dave leading the way. This is often a problem when the owner/founder of a company is also part of the brand.

The biggest dilemma facing many brands is internal boredom. The desire to change the look and feel of a brand. The need to make it new and modern. The aspiration for brand managers to put their own mark onto the brand. Make sure the purpose for making changes to your brand is clearly understood and doesn’t attempt to change the brand’s DNA.

Pizza Hut has been struggling trying to find its brand positioning (a very costly way of understanding how the brand is connecting with its customers). Unfortunately, they keep changing the messaging and executions in the hope of connecting to their customers. They should spend more time and money on understanding their relationship with their customers than continually changing their advertising direction.

Brand line extensions are another brand folly. There are some natural and obvious line extensions and there are some ambitious attempts to get customers further embracing the brand. Virgin Group Ltd., the parent company’s to the over 200 Virgin branded company under the control of its billionaire founder, Sir Richard Branson, has shown that a relevant brand position can extend beyond many business sectors ranging from mobile telephones, to transportation, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays, publishing and the list goes on. If you visit the Virgin Group website they state that “Virgin stands for value for money, quality, innovation, fun and a sense of competitive challenge.” It is through these brand values that allow the Virgin brand to transcend across a multitude of businesses as a unique and distinct brand. While BIC pens brand promise didn’t allow them to extend their brand into pantyhose (what where they thinking!). They did successfully extend the BIC brand to water sports equipment (go figure!). Whoever heard of disposal surf boards?

The more unique, relevant and credible the brand promise is, the greater the chance its brand extension will be successful. That’s why Paul Newman’s food products succeed and Willie Nelson Biodiesel Fuel and Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong mutual funds failed. Consumers may love Nelson’s music and respect Armstrong for his many “Tour de France” cycling races; their brand promise has no connection with consumers concerning car engines and finance.

The moral of this story is don’t mess around with a successful brand unless you truly understand the brand connection with its consumers. The Virgin Group’s example shows how a brand promise is bigger than a product (a plane, cell phone etc) but is intricately linked to the core values that drive the entire Virgin group of products. This brand promise connects each product strongly to the brand and to the consumer. A Virgin medical centre may not succeed.

Derrick Rozdeba – I am a connoisseur of fine brands. Using my brand appreciation and insights, like a sommeliers, I will impart my knowledge and opinion in savoring the many brands that identify our lives. Visit my blog http://derrickrozdeba.blogspot.com/

See Also : International-Business.Macpress.Org Irritable Bowel Syndrome Franchise Opportunity http://bibssblog.co.cc/ Joaquin Tubaugh

There are six layers at which resistance can occur.

We Do Not Agree on the Problem

Go into any poorly performing organisation and ask people from various functions what the issues are. In all likelihood, within each function you will find different opinions as to what the problem is. The situation is not unlike the six blind men in the rhyme, who went to see the elephant. Each honestly describes his experience, but none of them captures the essence of the whole.

This is why different initiatives are launched in each department to try and solve the different problems. But if we remember that organisation are systems and departments/functions are interacting parts of a whole, we then realise a more holistic approach is needed. This is where the method outlined in the last article is useful. Through a combination of rigorous logic and experience based intuition, we build tight cause effect relationships that lead us to the core problem.

Usually disagreements as to the problem disappear once this approach is used.

We Do Not Agree on the Direction of the Solution

If a problem is long standing, its persistence indicates that there are conflicts preventing its successful resolution. An example of such a conflict is where management proclaims quality as number one and generally supports actions that guarantee quality until sales volumes are threatened. Then the quality mantra is quickly abandoned – especially if we are talking about the last quarter of the year. When the pressure eases early in the new year, quality becomes important again.

Another case is the conflict between delegation – to improve speed of operations and customer service on one hand, and control – to contain costs on the other hand.

By questioning the assumptions behind each of the conflicting positions, erroneous paradigms can be unearthed and thus the basis of the conflict eliminated. Thus a particular direction for solving agreed problems can be pursued. A powerful tool for resolving conflicts is the Evaporating Cloud which is part of the TOC logical tool set.

We Do Not Agree that the Proposed Solution Resolves the Problem

Even with the problem and the general direction of the solution agreed, it may be difficult to convince stakeholders that a particular solution completely solves the problem. In this case just as logical cause effect relationships can be used to construct a diagram to represent the problem (as described in the last article) so also can they be used to construct a diagram logically relating the proposed solution to the new desired states.

Thus such a logical description can be used to convince stakeholders that all the original problems are eliminated when the solution is implemented. Yes But… the Proposed Solution Will Create Other Problems

It is not unusual that the designer of the solution is blind to the shortcomings. So even though stakeholders now agree that the solution solves the stated problem, they may claim that it creates other problems in their place (like the case where eliminating a pest causes a proliferation of other undesirable creatures that it preyed upon).

The solution here is to acknowledge the concern and then work with those affected to eliminate it by the same logical process already described. Involvement of affected stakeholders creates even stronger buy-in. At this point every one is ready and willing to go ahead, but…

Yes But… there are Huge Obstacles to Implementing the Proposed Solution

The solutions proposed may require skills, resources, technologies, approvals that are currently unavailable. The obstacles are attacked in a step by step manner. The outcome of the process is a sequence of prerequisites needed to overcome the obstacle and thus implement the solution.

At this point there is complete buy-in along with a plan for executing the required changes.

Unverbalised Fear

At the end of the day, any residual resistance is most likely due to unverbalised fear – a vague feeling of unease arising from the fact that we will be doing something entirely new. Leadership is what is needed here to provide the inspiration and confidence to go forth and just do it!

Samuel Okoro is the CEO of Leapfrog Alliance Ltd, a management training and consulting firm that helps organisations to reduce costs and improve quality through better business processes. His personal passion is to help move Third World business to world-class levels. For further details please visit [http://leapfrogalliance.com/resources.html]

Visit : Weihnachtsstern Everlasting.Ladywatches.Us Globalindustrial.Ipacapao.Com http://cancermblog.co.cc/ Fossil http://suntrustsblogs.co.cc/

As an entrepreneur you may need to wear the many hats of CEO, receptionist, sales manager, marketing director and janitor all rolled into one, so you can quickly lose focus and become snowed under. It’s easy to get caught up with the busyness and just do what we’ve always done. But in order to maintain our sanity, increase our efficiency and live balanced lives while growing our businesses we need to step back, take an objective look at our situation, and make some needed changes.

To stay competitive and grow requires innovation and that inevitably means change. As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Change is vital for our survival and growth, but often presents our greatest challenge. Developing new habits isn’t easy-old habits, however unproductive, are comfortable and usually demand little thought or effort. Staying in the status quo may be easy, but it probably won’t get you where you want to go.

Easy Keys to Make Positive Changes

Below are three keys that have helped me to make needed changes.

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Take some time to clearly define where you ultimately want to take your life and your business and why. Ask yourself what you want your life and your business to look like in the future. Conceptualize it-see it, feel it, smell it. Think about what you want to be remembered for.

In order to achieve this, note down the changes you’ll need to make.

2. Consider the Price

Weigh the costs and the rewards. Reflect on what these needed changes will cost you personally. You may have to reach beyond your comfort zone-perhaps learn new technology, work in unfamiliar markets, brush up on skills you haven’t used lately or do things you don’t especially enjoy. Be realistic and understand the price you’ll have to pay to change. Also consider the possible consequences of failing to make these changes.

3. Commit to the Process

Write a step-by-step plan to reach your goal. It needn’t be complicated, but it needs to be documented. Now, commit to work your plan.

It helps to share your plan with someone else and ask him or her to hold you accountable to make the changes and do what you’ve committed to do. It’s also encouraging to celebrate your successes, even the small ones, together.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Recognizing and remembering the potential payback to you and your business of making these changes is key-the What’s in it for me? factor. Focusing on these benefits often provides the motivation and self-discipline we need to make the effort and stick with our new habits. I encourage you to take your time, your business and your life seriously-take responsibility for your own success by making necessary changes.

Victoria K. Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,” at: http://www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

Friends Link : Canoncommentaires http://anxietyblogs.co.cc/ http://predatorysblogs.co.cc/ http://musik.fernstudiumde.com/

Most amateur golfers never change the grips on their clubs. They play for years with a set of clubs without ever changing the grips!

Whereas, some professionals have been known to re-grip their clubs at the end of every competitive round. They do this so their clubs feel exactly the same. Chances are that they don’t need them re-gripping that often, but in today’s tour competitions there is so much money at stake that they do not want to leave anything to chance.

How often should you re-grip your clubs?

A good general rule is:

if you play once a week, then you should change the grips on your clubs once a year. Play twice a week, change twice a year etc.

Of course, if you do a lot of practice on the range you should consider changing your grips even more frequently. You could easily hit 30 shots with your driver in a range session. In a round of golf you may not use your driver more than 10 times. So one range session a week hitting 30 drives, would equate to 3 rounds a week, implying re-gripping 3 times a year.

You will also find you have certain clubs that are used far more often than others, especially if you only play your home course the majority of the time. This is because you play the course in a certain way – same clubs for same shots, mostly governed by the length of the course. So after some months the grips on certain clubs become more worn than others.

What happens when a grip is worn?

Grips are fundamentally just pieces of rubber to enable us to hold the golf club securely. The grips have various type of a textured surface to provide more grip security and feel. As a grip is used over and over the surface rubber begins to wear. The natural oils in our hands also start to affect the grips. You will notice this as it will start to look shiny.

If you look at old used set of golf clubs that have never been re-gripped you will see that the grips are often very shiny.

Shiny grips are a problem. You have to grip the club harder when the grip is shiny so that it does not slip and turn in your hands as you take a swing. You may not even be aware you are doing it! The problem with gripping the club too hard is that it adversely affects the way you strike the ball. Your hands are simply not relaxed, and therefore, because the muscles in your hands and forearms are tense, they will slow down. In the golf swing, relaxed hands are fast hands. You need fast hands to get good distance.

It is worth checking your golf clubs at least once a month. Compare grips across the entire set. If any are beginning to wear, consider getting them renewed.

New grips feel good. They can almost feel “sticky” by comparison to the old worn grips. This can give you real sense of confidence.

Confidence builds success.

MARK PEARSON has been playing golf for over 25 years, and teaches and plays golf professionally in the UK. Mark is the author of “How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro – a guide to golf’s game within a game”

http://www.masterputting.com

Recommend : Bargainnews Three.Diggyblog.Com Apple Frohe Weihnachten http://healthregulationsmblog.co.cc/

If we go by current statistics, it can be said that Medicare Part D has made some improvements in the lives of seniors, but there have been no revolutionary changes thus far. Over 50% of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Part D. And since the program began, the number of Medicare beneficiaries who do not have drug coverage decreased, from 38% to 10%.

However, even with Medicare Part D coverage, there are still seniors who are skipping on medicines because of their high costs. In 2006, after the Medicare Part D program was set up, 11.5% of Medicare beneficiaries still skipped medicines because of the high cost. But this was a minimal decrease from 2005, when 14.1% of Medicare beneficiaries skipped on medicines. In 2006, 7.6% of Medicare beneficiaries scrimped on their basic needs so they could buy medicines. This is a slight decrease in 2005, when 11.1% of seniors also scrimped on basic necessities to pay for medicine. The sickest Medicare recipients skipped pills but did not forego their basic needs. Their numbers were the same prior to and after the enactment of Medicare Part D.

Studies also show that many Medicare beneficiaries do not understand the Medicare Part D program.

CMS Guidelines On Marketing

On May 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule requiring Medicare Part D plan providers to intensify their marketing efforts on their Part D plans: stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The proposed new ruling also targets the tightening of MA Special Needs Plans (SNPs). Hopefully, this new rule takes effect in time for the marketing period of Medicare Part D 2009

With the new ruling, the CMS would be more flexible at determining the penalties against prescription drug plans that violate Medicare rules, which adversely affect Medicare beneficiaries. The new rule gives the CMS the author to impose a penalty of $25,000 for every enrollee who is adversely affected by the violation.

The proposed new rule also set a limit to the sales and marketing activities of plan providers, including:

* Prohibition of cold calls and expanding the existing prohibition on door-to-door marketing. Part D plan providers would have to set an appointment with Medicare beneficiaries in advance.

* Prohibition of cross-selling products unrelated to healthcare to a Part D enrollee.

* Prohibition of active sales activities at information fairs, community meetings and waiting rooms of health clinics.

* Medicare Advantage organizations using independent agents for their marketing must employ only state-licensed agents.

* Medicare Advantage organizations should set up level commission structures for their brokers and sales agents across all Medicare advantage products.

* Medicare Advantage organizations need to make sure that 90% of all new SNPs enrollees must be individuals with special needs. The proposed new rule of CMS will also outline the standards for delivery of services.

Friends Link : Pr.Macpress.Org http://gameboycolorgamesunshine.co.cc/ http://mellisamelie.jaideespace.com/

Confusion is an opportunity to stop and refocus. It is a warning signal our mind sends us saying “HELP! Do something different!” So what does our brain want and how can we refocus?

Here are 7 steps to assist this process.

1. STOP The definition of insanity of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So STOP the insanity!

2. WRITE Put all the scrambled thoughts onto paper. Would you rather be swept up in the churn of the tornado or safely watch the event from the next town? By writing your thoughts, you remove yourself from the “churn” and can look at the confusion from a safe distance.

3. IDENTIFY Now you can safely look at your thoughts and begin to identify categories that are creating the confusion. Often it is not as undaunting a list as we think it is when we stop the “churn”.

4. RATE Take each area and rate it based on your ability to impact the outcome. In other words, by taking action are you in charge of creating the results you desire or does someone else hold the power? You will find that some areas are in your control and some are not.

5. CHOOSE Choose an area you can control and then develop a plan of action.

6. DO Implement your plan. By taking steps in one area you may find that results happen in other areas. It is almost magical!

7. EVALUATE Once you are on your way, you can go back and chose another area OR recognize the success you achieved and what you have learned to make the process better next time.

Cheryl Leitschuh, Ed.D. is a coach and consultant creating environments of success for individuals, teams and organizatons.

Practice services include:
*Career Development assessment, retreats and coaching.
*Professional Practice Development coaching and assessment.
*Key leader development and assessment.
*Executive Coaching.
*Team Coaching.
*Performance Improvement Coaching and Assessment
*Speaking and training on key aspects of workplace development.
*Succession Planning.

You may email Cheryl at cheryl@career-future.com or visit her website at http://www.career-future.com

Recommend : Welcometothebeautifulsouth.Macpress.Org Lg.Girokontostudenten.Org http://furmac.co.cc/ http://nationwidesblogs.co.cc/ http://bookcaseseblog.co.cc/

The Stages of Change Model was originally developed in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente at the University of Rhode Island when they were studying how smokers were able to give up their habits or addiction.

The SCM model has been applied to a broad range of behaviors including weight loss, injury prevention, overcoming alcohol, and drug problems among others.

The idea behind the SCM is that behavior change does not happen in one step. Rather, people tend to progress through different stages on their way to successful change. Also, each of us progresses through the stages at our own rate.

So expecting behavior change by simply telling someone, for example, who is still in the “pre-contemplation” stage that he or she must go to a certain number of AA meetings in a certain time period is rather naive (and perhaps counterproductive) because they are not ready to change.

Each person must decide for himself or herself when a stage is completed and when it is time to move on to the next stage. Moreover, this decision must come from the inside you (see developing an internal locus of control) — stable, long term change cannot be externally imposed.

In each of the stages, a person has to grapple with a different set of issues and tasks that relate to changing behavior. Thus, for each for each stage of change, tools are available to you through this website in The Toolbox of Change. [The Self Management Tool Box section]

The Stages of Change

The stages of change are:

* Precontemplation (Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem behavior that needs to be changed)

* Contemplation (Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready or sure of wanting to make a change)

* Preparation/Determination (Getting ready to change)

* Action/Willpower (Changing behavior)

* Maintenance (Maintaining the behavior change) and

* Relapse (Returning to older behaviors and abandoning the new changes)

Stage One: Precontemplation

In the precontemplation stage, people are not thinking seriously about changing and are not interested in any kind of help. People in this stage tend to defend their current bad habit(s) and do not feel it is a problem. They may be defensive in the face of other people’s efforts to pressure them to quit.

They do not focus their attention on quitting and tend not to discuss their bad habit with others. In AA, this stage is called “denial,” but at Addiction Alternatives, we do not like to use that term. Rather, we like to think that in this stage people just do not yet see themselves as having a problem.

Are you in the precontemplation stage? No, because the fact that you are reading this shows that you are already ready to consider that you may have a problem with one or more bad habits.

(Of course, you may be reading this because you have a loved one who is still in the pre-contemplation stage. If this is the case, keep reading for suggestions about how you can help others progress through their stages of change)

Stage Two: Contemplation

In the contemplation stage people are more aware of the personal consequences of their bad habit and they spend time thinking about their problem. Although they are able to consider the possibility of changing, they tend to be ambivalent about it.

In this stage, people are on a teeter-totter, weighing the pros and cons of quitting or modifying their behavior. Although they think about the negative aspects of their bad habit and the positives associated with giving it up (or reducing), they may doubt that the long-term benefits associated with quitting will outweigh the short-term costs.

It might take as little as a couple weeks or as long as a lifetime to get through the contemplation stage. (In fact, some people think and think and think about giving up their bad habit and may die never having gotten beyond this stage)

On the plus side, people are more open to receiving information about their bad habit, and more likely to actually use educational interventions and reflect on their own feelings and thoughts concerning their bad habit.

Stage Three: Preparation/Determination

In the preparation/determination stage, people have made a commitment to make a change. Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as: “I’ve got to do something about this – this is serious. Something has to change. What can I do?”

This is sort of a research phase: people are now taking small steps toward cessation. They are trying to gather information (sometimes by reading things like this) about what they will need to do to change their behavior.

Or they will call a lot of clinics, trying to find out what strategies and resources are available to help them in their attempt. Too often, people skip this stage: they try to move directly from contemplation into action and fall flat on their faces because they haven’t adequately researched or accepted what it is going to take to make this major lifestyle change.

Stage Four: Action/Willpower

This is the stage where people believe they have the ability to change their behavior and are actively involved in taking steps to change their bad behavior by using a variety of different techniques.

This is the shortest of all the stages. The amount of time people spend in action varies. It generally lasts about 6 months, but it can literally be as short as one hour! This is a stage when people most depend on their own willpower. They are making overt efforts to quit or change the behavior and are at greatest risk for relapse.

Mentally, they review their commitment to themselves and develop plans to deal with both personal and external pressures that may lead to slips. They may use short-term rewards to sustain their motivation, and analyze their behavior change efforts in a way that enhances their self-confidence. People in this stage also tend to be open to receiving help and are also likely to seek support from others (a very important element).

Hopefully, people will then move to:

Stage Five: Maintenance

Maintenance involves being able to successfully avoid any temptations to return to the bad habit. The goal of the maintenance stage is to maintain the new status quo. People in this stage tend to remind themselves of how much progress they have made.

People in maintenance constantly reformulate the rules of their lives and are acquiring new skills to deal with life and avoid relapse. They are able to anticipate the situations in which a relapse could occur and prepare coping strategies in advance.

They remain aware that what they are striving for is personally worthwhile and meaningful. They are patient with themselves and recognize that it often takes a while to let go of old behavior patterns and practice new ones until they are second nature to them. Even though they may have thoughts of returning to their old bad habits, they resist the temptation and stay on track.

As you progress through your own stages of change, it can be helpful to re-evaluate your progress in moving up and down through these stages.

(Even in the course of one day, you may go through several different stages of change).

And remember: it is normal and natural to regress, to attain one stage only to fall back to a previous stage. This is just a normal part of making changes in your behavior.

Relapse

Along the way to permanent cessation or stable reduction of a bad habit, most people experience relapse. In fact, it is much more common to have at least one relapse than not. Relapse is often accompanied by feelings of discouragement and seeing oneself as a failure.

While relapse can be discouraging, the majority of people who successfully quit do not follow a straight path to a life time free of self-destructive bad habits. Rather, they cycle through the five stages several times before achieving a stable life style change. Consequently, the Stages of Change Model considers relapse to be normal.

There is a real risk that people who relapse will experience an immediate sense of failure that can seriously undermine their self-confidence. The important thing is that if they do slip and say, have a cigarette or a drink, they shouldn’t see themselves as having failed.

Rather, they should analyze how the slip happened and use it as an opportunity to learn how to cope differently. In fact, relapses can be important opportunities for learning and becoming stronger.

Relapsing is like falling off a horse – the best thing you can do is get right back on again. However, if you do “fall off the horse” and relapse, it is important that you do not fall back to the precontemplation or contemplation stages. Rather, restart the process again at preparation, action or even the maintenance stages.

People who have relapsed may need to learn to anticipate high-risk situations (such as being with their family) more effectively, control environmental cues that tempt them to engage in their bad habits (such as being around drinking buddies), and learn how to handle unexpected episodes of stress without returning to the bad habit. This gives them a stronger sense of self control and the ability to get back on track.

In addition, there is one more stage I have added which is not part of the Prochaska-DiClemente Stages of Change model:

Transcendence

Eventually, if you “maintain maintenance” long enough, you will reach a point where you will be able to work with your emotions and understand your own behavior and view it in a new light. This is the stage of “transcendence,” a transcendence to a new life. In this stage, not only is your bad habit no longer an integral part of your life but to return to it would seem atypical, abnormal, even weird to you.

When you reach this point in your process of change, you will know that you have transcended the old bad habits and that you are truly becoming a new “you”, who no longer needs the old behaviors to sustain yourself.

Related books:

Substance Abuse Treatment and the Stages of Change: Selecting and Planning Interventions by Gerard J. Connors, Dennis M. Donovan, Carlo C. DiClemente

Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward, by James O. Prochaska, John Norcross, Carlo DiClemente

Marc F. Kern, Ph.D., has over 30 years of clinical psychotherapy experience helping people overcome their self-defeating habits and acquire the insights and skills to live happier lives. He has a deep personal understanding of the addictive process and continues his lifelong research of contemporary treatments for addiction and other destructive behaviors. http://www.habitdoc.com

My Links : Bulova.Ladywatches.Us Pastoral Counseling Blog http://harddrivestotelmyer.co.cc/ http://floorinsblog.co.cc/

How can you effectively make a change? You know how to set goals. You even have a framework for this: SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Tangible. So you set up your goals using this framework. You get specific and say that you want to become better at participating in team meetings so you can have more influence in decisions. You set up a measurable outcome by saying that you will have your ideas adopted in an upcoming meeting. You see this as attainable; you know your ideas are good. It is a realistic goal and there will be tangible benefits for you and your team when it happens.

So where is the problem? Why is this the third time you have set this goal? It could be that you have no plan for accomplishing this change. No idea how to become more effective in meetings. No idea how to influence others in a group setting. And no ways to determine if you are even doing the things you are trying to do effectively. So how can you expect to accomplish this without a new approach? You can’t.

You can’t that is without a plan. Just like you need a plan or framework to be able to set goals, you need a framework for accomplishing those goals. Just setting a goal never accomplishes anything. You have to take action. Yet that action needs a direction and its own plan to become reality.

Making Change Happen: A Plan for Change

The steps are easy.

First you need to discover what you need to know. Do you need a book or a course? Do you need a mentor or coach? Do you need to talk with peers? Are there tools available that would help? What ever is needed must be identified and found. In the case above you might need a coach to help identify effective ways to interact in groups and it may be helpful to read about communication skills. (There may be other things needed depending upon the particular circumstances, these are offered only as an illustration.)

The second step is to put the information, tools or learning into action. You need to test the new ideas. This step is all about practice. It is now time to take your new game on the road. In this case you become more interactive in the meeting; you present your ideas and propose solutions.

The third step is all about feedback. Without feedback you will not know how your performance went. Feedback is your measurement of results. Part of the feedback will be a self assessment of the results. You will review the actual result of the practice – the action taken. In this case you will assess your results in terms of ideas presented, ideas accepted and implemented. Another part of the feedback can include a discussion with a coach that reviews the actions taken and the results obtained. In the case we are following, a possibility is to talk with a colleague prior to the meeting and ask that person to pay attention to what you will be doing differently in the meeting and then debrief with them at the end of the meeting.

The fourth step is to use the feedback information to determine if you need to go back to steps one or two or if the desired results have been obtained and you can check the completed box next to this goal. If you need more practice, go back to step two and practice until you get the desired result. If more information or tools are needed, go back to step one and start there again.

The Steps

1) Get the needed information or tools.

2) Put this in to action – Practice the new techniques.

3) Get feedback about results.

4) Make corrections, get new information, practice more, or obtain the desired results and call the goal complete!

Use these steps for any kind of change. The example was of a behavioral change; however this same framework or set of steps will work with any kind of personal change. If you wanted to become more strategic you could first find a mentor, and then start practicing the advice obtained from that person. You would then assess the results yourself and consult with your mentor for their feedback. Based on these assessments you would wither get more mentoring, practice the advice more or declare your self a strategy guru.

So pick a goal and getting going. One, Two, Three, Four – Finished!

© Fritz M. Brunner, Ph.D. 2006

Fritz M. Brunner, Ph.D. is a coach and consultant engaged in working with people wanting to excel in life and business. Please visit his web site at http://www.fmbrunner.com or contact him at fritz@fmbrunner.com.

My Links : Tw France Android Fossil

An editorial in the Atlantic Journal offers the following observation:

“The world is too big for us. Too much going on, too many crimes, too much violence and excitement. Try as you will, you get behind in the race, in spite of yourself. It’s an incessant strain, to keep pace. . . . And still, you lose ground. Science empties its discoveries on you so fast that you stagger beneath them in hopeless bewilderment. The political world is news seen so rapidly you’re out of breath trying to keep pace with who’s in and who’s out. Everything is high pressure. Human nature can’t endure much more!”

These words state well what many people are thinking today. However, they appeared in the Atlantic Journal on June 16, 1833. Much has changed in the world since then yet our reaction to change has remained unchanged: we don’t like it, we’re easily confused and overwhelmed by it and we resist it!

Change by Consent or Coercion?

We seek to situate ourselves within the world in a manner that maintains physical, emotional and psychological equilibrium. Change challenges that equilibrium. In 1833 change was happening at what was thought to be an astonishing rate. It’s faster now. It can knock us off-balance and leave us down for the count – if we let it.

When external change occurs it forces us to change something about ourselves. And the toughest thing to change is our attitude toward change. We may not resist the idea of change but we do resist having to change anything about ourselves even if we know it’s in our best interest to do so. Perhaps this is what John Steinbeck meant when he said: “It is the nature of man as he grows older to protest against change, particularly change for the better.”

As the adage goes, change is inevitable but growth from change is optional. If we are to make change work for us instead of against us, we must choose to change our attitude toward change. And this will require that we alter our thinking about ourselves and our world.

Security and Stability

The psychological reason why change elicits such a strong aversion in human beings is that we possess a strong need and craving for security and stability. This is manifested in the most basic human instinct: self-preservation. This primal instinct should actually be divided into two parts, each with equal strength of influence on the individual:

• preservation of one’s self

• preservation of one’s self-image

The fact that life exists at all can be a source of hope for the future. I can say to myself in times of discouragement, “at least I’m alive and have a chance to continue living; and I will fight with everything I have to preserve and expand my life into the future.” This sentiment is captured well at the end of “Gone With the Wind” when a forlorn yet defiant Scarlet O’Hara, hungry and having lost everything she valued in life, loudly proclaims to herself, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” Even in the midst of the uncertainty and distress that change often brings we can still solemnly pledge to reestablish the stability and security we once possessed, perhaps even on a grander scale, because we are yet alive.

When challenged by external circumstances to change ourselves we can choose either to give up, give in and “give out” (a colloquial expression meaning to be completely exhausted and/or overwhelmed) or to learn, adapt and transform into something different than before. Unfortunately, as Steinbeck observed, until we reach a point like this in life we will rarely consent to change anything about ourselves, largely because we don’t really have to. However, as Dr. W. Edwards Deming, founder of the quality management movement, quipped, “it is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”

The second aspect of the human instinct toward self-preservation, the preservation of one’s self-image, speaks to the resistance we have to any idea, behavior, or process that threatens our existing beliefs. Our self-image is the composite of our strongly held beliefs about ourselves and the world. We prefer to continue believing what we believe at any given moment. It’s like Newton’s First Law of Motion: “a body at rest tends to remain at rest or a body in motion tends to remain in motion at a constant speed in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.” Our thinking and believing tend to travel along the same route within the myriad of mental connections within our brains. This is why changing from the inside is such a difficult endeavor and why our attitude toward change (being against it) is so hard to modify.

Since we see the world not as it is but as we are, whenever the world changes around us it no longer remains a comforting reflection of the way we see ourselves. External change challenges us to adjust the way we see ourselves. This is the path of change most of us experience. We will change only when coerced rather than taking a proactive approach to crafting the change we want to effect. Until forced, we don’t much see the need to change. We prefer to react to change from the outside rather than create the kind of change we want from the inside.

The Truth Sets You Free, But Not Before It Hurts

Our innate predilection to react to rather than create change is partly because it is painful to change. The research of a Canadian neurosurgeon discovered some dramatic facts about the human mind’s reaction to change. He conducted various experiments that demonstrated that when a person is forced to change a fundamental belief or opinion, the brain undergoes a series of nervous sensations equivalent to distressing torture.

Change frequently involves facing the truth about yourself and your fundamental beliefs and admitting that you haven’t become or accomplished what you really wanted. An honest and thorough self-examination leads to freedom of the soul from self-doubts and deceits. But the truth that sets you free first hurts to see. And the prospect of pain, let alone the actual experience of it, is enough for most of us to avoid seeing what we must change about ourselves in order to experience the joy, wholeness and abundance that are the fruits of freedom. Sadly, the numbness of enslavement to conformity is preferred to the passing pain of change that leads to true and lasting inner freedom.

The psychological spot in our lives that “contains” our existing beliefs is commonly called a comfort zone – a place of perceived stability and security. It is the place to which we retreat when change is thrust upon us, within which we wish not to be disturbed and out of which we desire not to be drawn.

When change needs to occur because things would be better if they did, the comfort zone becomes a rut; and a rut, as the famous motivator, Earl Nightingale, once said is nothing more than a grave with the ends kicked out. Many of us can be found hiding in our comfort zones shielding ourselves from a future we perceive as being filled with insecurity and instability. One day we wake up to find ourselves in a grave we dug ourselves. From that point on we either change the view we have of ourselves or life simply passes us by.

As Sydney Harris says, “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we want is for things to remain the same but get better.” If this attitude occurs, we suffer the effects of insanity that Albert Einstein defined as: “doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.” Change can drive us insane or it can be the means of tremendous growth far greater than we can imagine from the constricted confines of our comfort zones.

Another reason we resist change is that there are so few people actually engaged in making it happen. Machiavelli wrote in “The Prince,” “there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.”

Being at the forefront of anything that is perceived to be significantly different from that with which the prevailing culture has grown comfortable is to put yourself in an uncomfortable place. Since we are mainly reactive and operate primarily out of our comfort zones, we find ourselves being enemies of change or merely lukewarm defenders of those who work to make it happen. This is another way of saying that we seek equilibrium within our lives that makes us feel secure and stable as we look into the future. We don’t want to feel the insecurity and instability that often accompany stepping into the vanguard of change. It frightens us even to think about it.

Hurt Your Hurt, Frighten Your Fear

Change is not something to be feared. Rather, it is something we should welcome, for without change nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom and no one would ever move forward to become the person they want to be.

How do we get to the point where we’re actually welcoming change instead of resisting it? You must first learn to manage fear, especially your fear of change.

Years ago, when my children would hurt themselves, I’d tell them to “hurt your hurt” and have them pretend to grab a hold of the place where it hurt, throw it on the ground and then stomp on it. This activity objectified their pain and gave them a semblance of control over it as well as an awareness of a future that did not contain the pain. It provided them with an understanding that they were greater than their pain because they were not equal to their pain. They could see that pain was something that occasionally happened to them but that it should never define or limit their self-image or the possibilities for their future.

This same approach applies to fear. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Another way of saying this is that you must frighten your fear instead of fearing your fear, as Eleanor’s husband, Franklin, instructed Americans on the eve of World War II not to do. Look your fear in the face and confidently go through it instead of shrinking from it. When you do this, your fear will do the shrinking. Otherwise, you will wind up fitting the description of an empty and pitiful person offered by Eleanor’s Uncle Teddy: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Fear stops us from achieving much of what we’re capable of achieving because we’re afraid of our fear. We’re scared that our fear will take over when we attempt great things and cause us to fail. Elbert Hubbard was right when he said, “the greatest mistake you can make is to be continually fearing you will make one.” Frighten your fear by facing it with the willingness to fail in doing so. When fear realizes it has a strong adversary facing it, one who is prepared for failure in the passionate pursuit of freedom from spiritual and psychological enslavement, it always backs down and quickly loses strength.

Fear cowers in the presence of confidence and courage. As with my children’s activity of “hurting their hurt” this way of managing fear objectifies it and gives you inner control over it resulting in an awareness of a future that is not ruled by it. You realize that you are greater than your fear because you are not equal to it. Fear is something that happens to you from time to time but it is never something that should define and limit your self-image and potential for future greatness and abundance.

Leon Martel, in “Mastering Change, the Key to Business Success,” describes three common traps that keep us from recognizing and using change:

1. Believing that yesterday’s solutions will solve today’s problems

2. Assuming present trends will continue

3. Neglecting the opportunities offered by future change

You must plan to change with a plan for change. Otherwise, you will be forced to change without a means to fashion its character and dimensions. What you have to plan for is how you’re going to grow both from the change that you choose to create and the change that will happen without your consent. Growth can occur both from what you make happen and what you make of what happens.

Read Part Two of this article for effective ideas on how to implement your personal plan for growth from change.

Ken Wallace, M. Div., CSL has been in the organizational development field since 1973. He is a seasoned consultant, speaker and executive coach with extensive business experience in multiple industries who provides practical organizational direction and support for business leaders. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, he is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and holds the Certified Seminar Leader (CSL) professional designation awarded by the American Seminar Leaders Association.

Ken is one of only eight certified Business Systems Coaches worldwide for General Motors.

His topics include ethics, leadership, change, communication & his unique Optimal Process Design® program.

Tel:(800)235-5690 Claim your free Leadership Self-Evaluation Checklist by visiting the Better Than Your Best website.

See Also : Albuquerque http://dong-trueluck.co.cc/