How far are you willing to go to make change effective?

The headline Thursday could not be blunter: “Shanahan’s scorched earth plan to overhaul Maple Leafs wins support of MLSE board.” Of course this was the caption to the article by Cathal Kelly in the Globe and Mail referencing the need for a total rebuild of the Leafs. We have been reminded recently that several times in the past a new regime takes over at MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) and promised change, but never goes the distance. This time, we are told, it’s going to be different. We will see.

How about you? How far are you willing to go in the changes you are needing to make?

• Are you willing to downsize?
• Are you willing to relocate?
• Are you willing to reframe your mission, and clarify vague objectives?
• Are you willing to tear it down and rebuild a la our friends mentioned above?

What we find in transitional work is the ease of announcing change, often followed by the discovery of how truly painful real change can be. It can be costly, as some leave us, not wanting to endure this pain. Others may criticize us, saying we are foolish to think this will help. And some may ridicule us. That always bites, doesn’t it?

The question is, will we stay the course? Will we do what it takes to change? I reflect on the story of Noah as inspiration for change. He persevered for many years in the face of the things we mentioned; the ridicule, the sarcasm, the criticism. Yes, he had the last laugh, but that was not his purpose. He was leading in change. Others just didn’t get it.

In change management, our goal is not to say, “See, I told you so!” However, we need to bear down and think about how far we are willing to go to be effective. Real transformation is far beyond a cosmetic wash. How far are you willing to go?

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2015

 

When change does not work.

 

Yesterday I wrote about the epic fail of Target Canada as they announced they are pulling out after less than two years.The focus there was how Target mismanaged their expectations, as well as those of their customers.You can read that blogpost at my whatdotyouexpect.ca site: (http://whatdoyouexpect.ca/2015/01/15/target-canada-closing/.)

Today we look at this from a different perspective. What happens when your change does not work?

Target entered Canada expecting to become part of the retail scene, carving out their share of this market. They essentially replaced Zellers, taking over many of their locations. Their key competition was WalMart, along with Canadian Tire, Costco and Shoppers Drug Mart. They were successful in the United States, and enjoyed cross-border traffic (my family included), so they assumed they could move into Canada and replicate the success. As we saw yesterday, this is not the result the expected.

So, what do you do when you make the change and it just does not work?

Some observations from Target:

• Admit you were wrong. No sense trying to hide, everyone else knows it, so you might as well ‘fess up.
• Make a fresh transition. The first one did not work, so, as painful as it seems, you have to make a new transition. Yes it is brutal to shut down and lay off thousands of workers, a real shame. But with forecast of debt stretching all the way till 2021, any hope of financial stability was simply unrealistic. The only answer, a fresh transition, and not a half measure either. They pulled the plug!
• Face the consequences. The one bright note reported yesterday was that they do plan to provide their workers severance for a period of about four months. Sure, this may be cold comfort, but at least they are facing the reality that they cost so many their livelihood by their errors that they owe something. Oh that all companies had this kind of protection built in, just in case.

Have you made changes and transitions that did not work? I have. In one place I was part of starting up two programs at the same time. Both promised to bring growth, so rather than pick one, get it ramped up, then launch number two, we started both together. You can probably guess the result. Both failed, and not for want of trying. The analysis for the failure of each program was painful, yet instructive. I, along with other leaders, had to admit our poor decisions, face the consequences, and make the hard transitions. It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and a pain in my heart, but I moved on.

Do you have a change that isn’t working? What do you plan to do?

If you feel free to share that with me, I’d love to hear your story.

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2015

 

On the passing of my mentors.

This past month has been a sad season for me as I have observed the passing of two of my mentors. These are men who had a strong impact on my life in my twenties and thirties, a highly formative stage in my life. I have not had much recent contact with them. Nevertheless, their passing has hit me hard, as I reflect on how they helped me transition from my career in graphic arts to the ministry. I will simply refer to these gentlemen by their first names, as I’m not trying to draw attention to them, but to how their relationship to me was of immense help in my transition.

The first person, Wayne, impacted me by sharing books with me. He did this first by loaning them to me, then subsequently by selling them to me (at reduced rates) when he opened a bookstore. When I first met Wayne I never failed to leave his home without carting an armload of books with me. I would read them in that week, and come back for more the following week. To clarify, Wayne and I did not agree on many things, and I’m sure we still didn’t when he passed. That was not the point. Wayne influenced me by getting me to read widely, to think deeply and to discuss openly. Doing so helped me to develop and move into a career that desperately needs leaders who do those things. Thank you, Wayne, I am indebted to you for that.

My second mentor was Ross, my first pastor. He was my pastor for only a few years, but we maintained a friendship beyond that. I consider him my spiritual father. Once again, I would be quick to say he did not have this great effect on me because I agreed with him on everything. Instead, Ross impacted me through how he led and worked with people. He modeled wise and mature leadership for me. As I sat and listened to the stories of others at his recent memorial service, it is obvious he had that effect on many others as well. Thank you, Ross, for modelling leadership and helping me move forward in my transitions.

I transitioned from one career to another in my late twenties and early thirties. I count the gracious and loving help of these mentors as crucial to my development. My great hope has been to help others as they helped me. As I told Ross’s daughter at her father’s memorial, one of the compliments I treasured most was being told I reminded them of Ross in my work.

Do you have mentors that helped you in your transitions? How did they help you?

Are you mentoring others as they transition forward? Will they someday be recognizing how you impacted them, even in simple way of loaning a book or modeling good leadership?

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2015

 

 

Why hire an interim leader?

Following the firing of head coach Randy Carlyle, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced this morning that assistant coach Peter Horachek has been named their interim coach. Why is this a good move? (http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=747519) 

Hiring an interim gives the team an opportunity to assess their situation. It allows them to survey the landscape in search of a suitable long term replacement. And it gives everyone an opportunity to breathe, instead of sending in someone expecting that person to give them a quick fix.

For the past several years I have worked as an interim pastor in Ontario churches. In a similar manner, this allowed those churches to take their time in their search process. It also allowed them to do their evaluation with my involvement, a third party with no investment in the organization. I was not worried about keeping my job. I was intentionally interim, and served them from a position of helping them do their analysis so they had clarity in moving forward. The fruit of each of those interim positions has been finding a great person to come in and lead, and a church ready to be led again.

There are obvious similarities and differences between my role and the role of an interim coach. But I believe the Maple Leafs have acted wisely in choosing to place an interim in that role for the time being.

In business, in sports and in churches and charitable organizations, unless the next leader has been groomed under the present leader and has the backing of the organization, each one would be wise to bring in an interim leader.

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2015

 

2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 410 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

When others decide you are moving on.

The breaking news this morning – the Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Randy Carlyle. He joins a list of several other coaches recently relieved of their duties as their teams failed to fulfill management’s expectations. He woke to face a change, the loss of his job. What follows will be transitions for him (looking for a new coaching position) and for the Leafs (the search for a new head coach).

How do you handle change and transition when others decide you are moving on?

We may prefer to be the one choosing to leave. It is not pleasant to be told you are no longer needed or wanted. A forced termination can affect our career, our financial situation, and perhaps hardest of all, our psyche.

I have been on both sides of this equation. I have been the one letting people go, and I have been the one let go. I cannot say I enjoyed either role. But let’s be frank, there is greater security in being the person letting another go. Being relieved of your duties or position, or terminated and escorted out the door is one of the hardest changes we will ever face.

Nevertheless, we face changes that are not of our own choosing at times in our lives. The question is not whether we will face it, but how we will handle it when it comes.

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2015

 

 

Check out my new blogpost at www.whatdoyouexpect.ca

http://whatdoyouexpect.ca/?p=844&preview=true

And stay tuned for a new post here in the next day….

Are you ready for a new year?

Okay, here I am nearing the end of 2014, and I’m doing all my usual things:

• Finishing my Christmas shopping.
• Completing projects due for this year.
• Watching the stop-animation “Rudolph” and a “Charlie Brown Christmas” for about the 50^th year in a row (they never get old, like I do.)
• Changing my Daytimer over to 2015 material.

2015! Holy moly, how did we get there?

Yes, the transition to a new calendar year comes right along after our Christmas celebration, doesn’t it? How are you transitioning into 2015?   I know some of you make resolutions, and see how long you can keep them. Others take their new calendars and pencil in all the significant dates (birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions), then figure out when a trip or an event might work best.

Funny how the simple change from one year to the next causes us to react in so many ways of transition.

This year end, join me in a proactive transition, one that helps us both move forward in 2015. Take some time to plan ahead for the year. Do we know what’s coming? Put that down, so we plan with that in mind. There will surely be unanticipated surprises in 2015 (things we do not expect), so let’s make sure we get a handle on the things we are anticipating in the days to come.

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward in 2015.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2014

 

What does it take to lead a transition?

Can you lead a transition?

Perhaps you feel challenged in simply maintaining the status quo. The thought of leading a transition? Wow, now that is a much bigger deal.

What does it take to lead a transition?

• It take the ability to see where you are going. You have a goal, an endgame, a vision, a destination.
• It takes the ability to clearly communicate that to those going with you so they can come along and be part of the journey.
• It takes character that is trustworthy so that others want to join you. They believe you want their best and you will help them get there.
• It takes the determination to keep going when the transition looks difficult, and it would be easier to simply stop and perhaps just go back.

Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, into the wilderness, and ultimately to the Promised Land, though he was excluded from entering. He had the abilities and qualities I have mentioned above. He faced ongoing opposition, a myriad of difficulties and some serious personal weaknesses. Yet he persevered and led a whole nation to a new land.

I’m guessing you are not being asked to lead a whole nation anywhere, but you may be expected to lead a transition. Can you do it?

Question: Are you leading a transition, or contemplating it? Let us know what it is, and what you are doing to make sure you can handle the task before you.

REMEMBER: If you are in need of help in moving forward in your business, your personal life or your faith community, I am here to help you. Simply contact me at bfreynolds21@gmail.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you move forward.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2014

 

Are you living in transition?

Earlier this year my wife Sandy and I made a major move from one city to another here in southern Ontario. We had talked about the move for a few years, but never felt the urgency to take that step. Then, in the span of a week, Sandy found an excellent real estate agent here in Hamilton who showed her some terrific possibilities, culminating in locating the ideal place we now call “home”.

Sandy actually bought this house without me. I was involved in an all-day meeting in Toronto and could not get away, so when she texted me with the news of finding what she thought was “perfect for us”, I said sure, go ahead. My friends in the meeting were surprised at how easily I agreed. I assured them that we had bought and rented several places across this great country, so by now I trusted my wife to know what we both need. I believe she would afford me the same opinion.

Since that move – our change – we have been “living in transition”. We have been acclimatizing ourselves to this neighbourhood and city after 19 years (and three homes) in our last city.

Living in transition is not easy or comfortable. We search for new stores, places of service and connections. In his excellent book, “The Way of Transition”, expert William Bridges writes:

It is common to stick with the old reality until some kind of change comes along and jars our whole inner world out of its old alignment. At times we are plunged into transition.

 

I love that term – “we are plunged into transition.” I have experienced that effect numerous times in my life. Have you? Are you living in transition now? How are you coping?

Take a moment and send me a note to share your transition and how you are handling it.

I look forward to hearing your story.

© Brian Reynolds – Helping you move forward with confidence 2014