To Reflect: Artificial Time Hierarchy
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been making my way through the absolutely fantastic How to Be Animal: A New History of What it Means to Be Human by Melanie Challenger. While the book is absolutely filled with great perspectives - there’s one in particular that I want to focus on this week.
You see, we humans have an inherent tendency to determine and artificially rank things, when we have no real place to be doing so. Melanie calls this our human ‘weakness for hierarchy’… And this had me thinking - what areas in my own life do I artificially rank?
The one big one that stood out was the way I choose to spend my time. Or, more specifically, the ongoing ‘productivity guilt’ I feel when resting (and I suspect I’m not the only one…) - as if rest, pause and reflection are somehow ranked lower than the busy work we fill our days with.
Because it’s not.
Despite living in one of the most prosperous and luxurious times in all of human history, so many of us are still captive to ‘hustle culture’. …And that’s to our own detriment.
So this week, I encourage you to Reflect: what is one area that you are unfairly ranking?
To Action: Personal R & D
Through many of my conversations with clients lately, I’m hearing a consistent theme: Burnout.
For many of these clients, change momentum is falling backwards.
Not only are we nearing the end of this calendar year (I swear Christmas decorations are getting put up earlier each year!), but the shift to WFH, along with lockdowns has meant less personal time off, a lack of needed escape, and a greater blur between work and personal life.
It’s been a tough year.
Now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned across my career, it’s that there is always work to be done. Always another deadline. Always another deliverable.
But here’s the funny thing. It’s only through creating intentional time and space that we are able to make the more meaningful moves. When I tell people about my book, so often they ask “How did you find the time to write it?!”. The truth is, I created the first cut of the book plan at a consulting workshop in Miami almost 3 years ago. It took me all of 20 mins to pull the frame together. That 20 minute investment shaped what later grew into the book that we all know as Valuable Change today.
What I’m talking about here is time dedicated to what I call ‘Personal Research & Development’. Finding that time in your week to put aside the everyday grind and invest in you.
It’s how you become a better leader.
Action: Allocate some time this week for ‘Personal R&D’. Read a book. Make a strategy. Or just stare out the window and let your brain cement in the many new neural connections that you have created over the last week.
Bonus Points: Install Personal R & D into your teams too.
To Ponder: A Quiet Christmas?
I’ll keep this one short.
After getting all the way to Mid-November, in our second year of this pandemic - if you’re finding that your own energy and enthusiasm is waning, I want you to ponder something for me.
What would it look like if, this year, you didn’t race towards Christmas?
What things realistically can wait till January?
Because, the Christmas work squeeze is all too real. ..And often doesn’t need to be.
Extreme Early-Bird Special: Leading Valuable Change
You are hearing this first. I’m offering recipients of The Change Leader Weekly an extreme early-bird special for my early-2022 workshops.
If you’re a change leader looking to drive even greater value from your efforts (and strip out unnecessary complexity in the process) - Join me for one and a half days on Leading Valuable Change. You will learn how to:
Create and protect organisational momentum
Unlock meaningful continuous improvement through story-driven learning
Lead the deep complex areas of project, change and benefits management - with needing to be an expert in any of them
Rescue those teams and staff stuck in Despair
Level up your high performers into Fanatics
Find the hidden Internal-Influencers© across your organisation
Answer the 3 most important questions that underpin every successful change
Stack the Value-Equation© in your favour to minimise resistance and maximise adoption.
These sessions are not yet advertised anywhere, and the price will increase when they are. The extreme early-bird special price for the one and a half days is $1,599 per person. The locations and times are still TBC, but the planned schedule is looking as follows:
Canberra - Feb 2022
Sydney - Mar 2022
Melbourne - Apr 2022
To make use of this extreme early-bird offer, just hit reply to this email and we will get you booked in.
2022 is going to continue to be a year of immense opportunity and change.
Make sure you’re optimally placed to make it valuable.
The Difference Between Change That Sticks, and Change That Doesn’t
...Here's what Jonathan H. Westover, PhD, the Professor of Organizational Leadership at the Woodbury School of Business had to say after our chat today.
"I really appreciated your insights and the simplicity of your approach. Very actionable and practical."
We discussed the three ripples of #ChangeLeadership and how to ensure your #ValuableChange really sticks.
Check it out below, or catch the audio on your favourite podcast player.
It’s looking like another wet weekend here in Canberra. But no matter your weather forecast, I hope you get out there an enjoy it.
Take a moment for you.
You probably deserve it.
See you next week.
Brendon