The angelic gift you ’ ll bring will be to help shift conversations and mindsets towards solution thinking . What ’ s more , you ’ ll also leverage a couple of subtle traits .
You ’ ll use open and leading questions that will help them break down their problems . Then , with effortless skill , you ’ ll continue using this strategy to help flip their internal switch and pry their minds wide open , transforming into a healthier mindset .
The Path of Change We know on the other side of this lockdown some things will shift permanently . Even in its simplest form , businesses will serendipitously stumble on light bulb moments .
Some things previously thought not possible , or through reluctance or resistance , can actually be done . This may include more remote aspects of roles and projects that are ones you ’ ll have an impact on .
Some doors have been nudged open and will remain so . This means we ’ re all going to have to adapt in some ways . Perhaps even routines and process you ’ re intimately involved with will require a fresh approach .
You will use the same divine skills of active listening and probing questions to help simplify this journey and the path of change .
STAGE 1 : Resistance / Resignation We ’ re creatures of habit . If our world was constantly in a state of extreme flux we ’ d never find time to relax our minds or consolidate essential aspects of business and life .
Yet habits can become fixed . We love them so much that when faced with change we wish to linger and hold on rather than accept , adapt , act , and move on . At the point of disruptive change our initial contemplation might cling longer than necessary to either resistance or a negative resignation of the challenge at hand .
The longer we resist , the slower and more difficult the change path will be . Carl Jung , a founding father of analytical psychology , said it simply : “ What we resist persists !”
Things , including feelings and behaviors , don ’ t just disappear or go away because we pretend they ’ re not there . Having our heads buried deep in the sand will only serve to further sabotage growth or slow us down : personally , and professionally .
STAGE 2 : Acceptance The sooner we move towards acceptance the easier change will be . Options and opportunities will rise like a new horizon coming into view . It ’ s like being treated to your favorite ice cream .
We ’ re so used to peering over a counter , spoilt for choice — we believe our options are always plentiful .
The wondrous arrays of rainbow colors of gelato are all fantastic . Yet among them we still find our favourite : be it chocolate , vanilla , strawberry , or something creative . The day you peer over a counter to find merely one small tub of vanilla is the day you ponder , “ What about my other choices ? Where ’ s the chocolate ?”
We resist or reject the option in front of us . We perhaps negate to see this resistance is still a choice . Even in this scenario there remains a better option . You can accept the ice cream with gratitude and find a way to love vanilla .
Forced business shutdown , cancelled events , closure in travel , isolation , and even a lack of toilet paper have all been vanilla moments of late . Even on the ramp up you can expect a few more . Help those around you find a way to love vanilla .
STAGE 3 : Commitments and new actions Repeat the process of problem-solution thinking to help determine the best , most progressive and innovative course of action at hand . Then be a constant mirror of self-accountability . As a divine being who suspends judgement you already know that no one , not even the Dalai Lama , has enough words or wisdom to tell people what they should think or do .
You do , however , appreciate a continued use of skills in active listening , being fully present , and masterful questioning that enables you to help others navigate a smoother path through change — all while respecting their choices and their commitments .
Be a stalwart , gracious pillar of calm and serenity . In a typical world you ’ ve no doubt already experienced this lesson in the gist of an excerpt from the poem ‘ If ’ by Rudyard Kipling :
‘ If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs or blaming it on you , If you can trust yourself when all around doubt you , But make allowance for their doubting too !’
In the past few years the path to senior leadership and roles of significant influence have opened to EAs and PAs . Now , more than ever , the ethereal nature of your positions , along with your ability to influence or make things happen , will prove invaluable .
It ’ s a good time for all to see the blazing paths of possibility or achievement created by your divine light . S
www . markcarter . com . au
THE EXPERT
Mark Carter is a director , author , international speaker and regular media contributor . He ’ s also custom built a unique academy from experience as a learning and development leader with over 20 years experience in more than 40 countries
Issue 2 2020 | Chief of Staff 59