When I first meet a new CEO or leader whose team is need of revenue generating teamwork, engagement, and alignment of values and strategy, the first thing I share, change is a personal choice! I never take on the responsibility of changing anyone else's mind, but I am responsible for understanding their business model, the needs of the company, the leaders, and their members.
It never fails, I always get a call from the leader two weeks into my team transformation process professing, “I do not hear any progress.” I always have to assure them, "Trust me, it's a process, and it takes time." Inspiring the human spirit for people, processes, and performance is not a task for the light-hearted. It's a personal commitment of each person to see how to personally be accountable to change.
Inspiration may come quicker in some teams others caused by “conflicting values” as stated in the book, “Deep Change," by Bob Quinn. Most of the time, both leader and their team can not articulate what is so conflicting and paralyzing. The process of understanding the needs of each member takes time as does the formation of a shared mental model of what success looks like from an individual point of view.
As an Organizational Change Management Consultant, my experience has shown me that the world today moves faster than it did 55 years ago when Tuckman first coined the transforming process and as he stated, team transformation is very slow! Solutions given too quickly have disastrous outcomes. It’s a personal process for me as well. I am an “all in” coach/consultant for the human spirit. It’s hard heart work for everyone!