Head Tilt #86: Adventure is out there

I broke up with Disneyland.

 

The Last Ride

After nine years of being an annual pass holder, I let my pass expire today.

 

When things were good between Disney and me, they were so good!

 

For years I have loved Disney’s commitment to excellence. It was apparent everywhere. I studied their leadership, took their classes, and visited the California parks an almost embarrassing number of times.

Cliché as it was, Disneyland was my happy place. In my eyes, Disney provided manufactured perfection. It was clean and safe. The cast members were always kind.

 

Then slowly, gradually, we both changed.

 

Disney changed their ticketing, pricing, crowd-control, attractions, customer service, and processes. All changes were strategic and well-intended, but not favored by me. Where before I saw magic, I now see dollar signs.

 

But I changed too. While playfulness is still a priority, my patience has waned. I long for Disneyland as I knew it, and I don’t have an interest in learning to love Disneyland as it is now.

 

A few weeks ago, my son and I took one last visit while I still had my pass. (I mean, if I was breaking up with Disney, I wanted to do it in person.) We had so much fun. We experienced several Disney magic moments. Twice, I got the giggles so hard -- I thought my face would break. We made great memories.

 

We noticed all the things that bugged us, too, but still, we focused on the good.

 

For our last ride, we chose King Arthur’s Carousel, one of the attractions from opening day in 1955. Since watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round at Griffith Park in LA inspired Walt’s vision of Disneyland, this carousel seemed like a perfect selection to end not only our visit but also our era as pass holders.  

 

Late at night, the crowds were light. We were at the tail-end of the line, and most of the outside carousel horses were taken. Since there was no one behind us, I kindly asked the attending cast member if we could wait until the next ride.

 

“It would make my job easier if you didn’t,” she grumped.

 

Oof! Further evidence of change, this was not quite the Disney service standard we knew and loved.

 

I guess I was feeling a bit rebellious; this was my last ride for a while. We stepped to the side and quietly waited anyway. We chose the horses we wanted and enjoyed the ride. We slowly meandered down Main Street and exited the park when it was over.

 

Thank you, Disneyland. I am grateful for all the memories my family and I have made on your properties. I love the Disney lessons I’ve worked into my career. I’ll still visit every now and then, it’s just not a priority anymore. As Charles Muntz said in the Disney/Pixar movie, Up, “Adventure is out there.” I am off to find my next one.

 

Head Tilt #62: I got a bad haircut

Hiding in my hoodie

Recently I got a bad haircut.

It happens. 

In the scheme of things, it was nothing to be upset about.

But I was upset. 

Here's why:

• It wasn't what I asked for.
• It took twice as long to style.
• Even when I put in the time and effort, it just didn't look right. 

I got discouraged and hid in hats, hoods, and headbands.

Oddly, my little bad-haircut experience parallels what many feel as they traverse big corporate change: negative emotions, resistance and frustration. 

Changes such as implementing a new software system, navigating the on/off cycle of working from home, or adapting to new leadership can increase employee angst while reducing employee engagement. Neither of which is good for the employee nor the business. 

And similar to my bad haircut reaction, employees can struggle because:

• They didn't ask for the change.
• The learning curve involved with the change makes things harder.
• With as much effort as they put in, the results aren't immediately visible.

And still, thriving individuals, departments and organizations rely on managing change successfully.

If you are leading corporate change, help your employees embrace it. 

• Let them know change is coming. No surprises! Give them a long runway so they can ask questions, make adjustments and shift their mindset. This is particularly important for people who are motivated by stability and security.

• Get them involved. Query them about their concerns. Ask for their input. 

• Acknowledge the learning curve. Turn up the empathy. Allow them to be comfortable with discomfort. Explore the stages of change and highlight milestones and deliverables. Pair them with a peer learning partner— someone they can lean on and learn from. 

• Define and determine what's in it for them (WIIFT). Clearly explain how they will benefit from the change and how the organization will. Better yet, ask them how they think they will benefit.

Back to the bad haircut...

I guess it's not as bad as I thought. I don't love it, but I am used to it. I've learned how to make it not-so-awful, and I even got a compliment the other day. 

Now I can be upset about things that really matter. 😳

 

Head Tilt #48: Ch-ch-ch-changes

We often get more change than we'd like.

Continually

Having

A

New

Growth

Experience

That's C.H.A.N.G.E. 

At least that's how one of my fellow acronym-loving friends sees it. She's such an optimist and I love that. 

Full disclosure: I don't love change. 

Nonetheless, I've studied it extensively and, much like the gym teacher who eats donuts on the sidelines while telling students to run laps, I teach others about it often. 

Here's some of what I know about change:

1. We are hard-wired to resist change. Thank you, reptilian brain, for always looking out for danger. We appreciate you. 🦖  🙏

2. We only resist change we didn't choose, don't want, or can't understand. Think about it: You get the promotion you always wanted- BIG CHANGE! Do you resist it? Heck no. All in!

3. We can navigate any change a bit better when we stop and take a good look at it. We fear the unknown. Invite change in, pour some tea, and get to know it. 🫖

Last week I helped leaders from my favorite municipality (you know who you are!) navigate their own resistance to change, as well as empathize with their team members' push-back. Here are the questions I asked them to consider. 

• RATE: How fast is the change? Do you (or your team) have time to ramp-up gradually, or is immediate compliance expected? 
• DESIRABILITY: Do you and/or your team desire the change? Can you see the positive impact? If so, can you champion that to others who might not see it?
• DEGREE: Is this a big change or a minor one? This matters! Bigger changes (like a new software system) are often more stressful than little ones (like a notice that proclaims food left longer than three days in the company fridge will be thrown out).
• CONTROL: How much control (or input) do you have regarding this change? Were you consulted? Regardless, do you have any autonomy for implementation? 
• JUGGLE: Is this a singular change, one of many, or does it affect a series of changes?

To be clear, a few of the leaders in my class were dealing with huge changes. They represented the Fire, Police and Water departments in my  oops, I mean, their community. 😉  

The changes they've dealt with over the past year are monumental!These are frontline workers who were required to show up. Fires tore through the mountains-- over 86,000 acres were scorched. Justified protests popped up all over the community. Oh, and water —our lifeblood—is ALWAYS an issue in California. 

The first step to handling change is having a framework for understanding change. Stay tuned for how to help your team manage change. 

Photo by Stephanie Bayer https://pixabay.com/users/stephenbayer-17941/

Head Tilt #7: Mourn, mine and move on

A few months ago I coached a client who was transitioning into a new career. 

She started the call close to tears. 

She was being forced out of her current job (COVID, restructuring, etc.) and needed to search for a new one. The business of her soon-to-be former employer was what she knew. The processes were familiar. She was comfortable with her co-workers. A peek at her office would likely find the company logo on a hat, jacket, and travel mug. And even though it wasn't always perfect, her job defined her professionally for over a decade. She thought she'd retire there, to be honest.

No wonder she was emotional about leaving. 

We sat in silence for a while before proceeding with our session. 

I told her it was okay to mourn this loss, and I think she was grateful for the safe space. 

This was only the first step of our coaching session, though. Often when clients are facing work transitions, I walk them through my 3 M's for change.

Mourn.

Mine.

Move on. 

We can apply these 3 M's to any major professional transition, particularly when the change isn't our choice.

1. MOURN

We mourn loss by allowing ourselves to feel discomfort, defensiveness, disappointment, grief, sadness, anger, or whatever other feelings might arise when we traverse loss. (They won't just go away because we ignore them.) 

Talk it out with a trusted friend, counselor, or coach. Get it out by writing in a journal.  Work it out with physical exertion. (I'm a fan of hitting stuff). We can even dance it out-- One of my sisters, for example, swears that moving to any track by Nine Inch Nails is great for releasing anger. She's right, of course. ;) Likely our morning period is a combination of many things. 

The point is that we need to acknowledge the emotional difficulty of change instead of ignoring it, and only then we can find our path through it. 

2. MINE

Next, we put on our metaphorical yellow hard hats and mine the experience for lessons we can carry forward. We search for diamonds, gold, or any other treasures: positive and negative. What did we learn from the place, period, or person we are leaving? What are our strengths? Where can we grow? Don a cloak of humility and seek feedback before leaving, or thoughtfully review feedback that has accumulated over time. Mine with a learner's mindset instead of defense. Examone data with a flashlight, not a hammer. Yes, we can do this. Because we want to get better and it's just like us to do so. 

3. MOVE ON

Once we have acknowledged our discomfort with change and collected valuable lessons, we move on. We don't burn bridges. Not us! We move on with gratitude, professionalism, realistic optimism, and the belief that everything happens for a reason-- even if we aren't sure of that reason just yet. 

So. Much. Easier. Said.Than. Done. 

But as my favorite Peloton instructor, Robin Arzon, says:

No challenge, no change.

Change is inevitable. Let's change for the better.  

Me, working through something!