Companies tend to adopt similar change models at the same time – like a wave overtaking ships one by one. Many times you wonder if this new model is really the best for this particular company – is it going to help this company become a new and more effective entity? Are the people in the company better off? Are the clients better serviced?
It is a bit like plastic surgery, or buying a new suit – once you get one thing changed, something else does not fit anymore so you have to change that too – and then the next and the next – and that goes on and on until you have everything sorted but then circumstances and demands change and you have to start all over again.
Living under the Adagium that “Change is Constant” would it not be great if we could make that work in a natural flow – driven from within – rather than merely responding to pain drivers from the outside?
In my spinning classes I teach people to cycle from the core. Cycling is all about core muscles. It looks like it is all about the legs – but in fact it all starts from the core. You have to tighten your belly, sit still on the saddle and relax your upper body in order to breathe normally – which is only possible if you use your core muscles to stabilize your posture. Then you can use the power of your legs and bottom to speed up, climb, work against strong wind, sprint, compete etcetera. Then you have the flexibility to react to external conditions without losing balance. And breathe.
Core strength as a source of power and agility is the fundament of a lot of sports – like karate, taekwondo and other so called fighting sports. It is about fluently reacting to external impact based on inner strength. Using “go with the flow” reaction as a defense mechanism, stepping aside rather than confronting as a mature way of effective interaction.
And what about team sports? Exactly the same I would say. When you see the team as the “body” – you can say that the power of the team stands or falls with the inner strength of it. The commitment towards each other, the concentration towards the same goal, the mutual responsibility and responsiveness – that makes a strong and unbeatable unit.
A chain is as strong as its weakest link. Which similarly goes for organizations, teams and individuals. Therefore it is essential to maximize the strength by making all links as strong and connected as possible. You cannot make a chain strong by only making isolated links strong. You need to both work on the individual elements as well as on the connections of the elements and secure an environment in which the elements and its connectors are constantly nurtured in order to cope with external factors.
If you want to win as an organization you need to let your people play the game: Engage, Empower, Perform, Enjoy together in order to establish best results and performance.
Marja van Soest has been working as a director, trainer, consultant and coach in international Sales, Service and Leadership for over 25 years for a diversity of companies and audiences. Parallel to her business career Marja is a sports trainer specializing in In and Outdoor Cycling. Combining her passion for sports, groups, individual and organizational performance Marja developed a highly effective model on Motivation and Engagement underlying coaching, training and leadership interventions in organizational and personal change and development initiatives: Engage, Empower, Perform, Enjoy. Using this model to empower leaders to build a culture of trust is her inspiration for both business and sports practices.
