what to do if you find resistances in adopting new methodologies, approaches or simply accepting new knowledge?
When presenting a new concept or knowledge, it happens, really often indeed, that your interlocutors strive to accept it.
This because it’s actually and objectively difficult to transform any new knowledge into actions, moreover when such a new knowledge challange consolidated old habits.
The interlocutors (attendees to a course? team members? management?), infact, find an unlikely number of problems and alibis to avoid any change, telling you that such kind of things will not work with them, their situation or context don’t allow such a change, they do not have time for that, or any other excuse.
When facing this situation I use some coaching techniques to help the interlocutor to explore that minefield, in order to find alternatives, fresh ideas or solutions.
This, primarily, helps me to understand the underlying rationale, trying to find some fresh and detailed information in order to address and guide the communication with my interlocutor to overtake and avoid any barricade, barrier or impediment.
There are many techniques, in this post I’m going to talk about the ” Magic Wand” technique.
It happens that your interlocutor doesn’t want to change because he thinks that problems are only refferred to other factors: his boss, a colleague, the company, the environment, the aliens, etc.
Sometimes it’s true (the aliens), sometimes not (the remaining individuals).
In these cases I take a marker and launching it to that person, I say that such a marker is indeed a potent magic wand, which will help him to realize any wishes.
Then, I ask him to make wishes and tell to the wand HOW to change the problematic situation just expressed.
Most of the times, the person, asks for something impossible to realize due to lack of power: change the boss’s or colleague’s or management’s mindsets, behavior or approach, change any organization’s policies, culture and so on. But, even in these cases, it happens that some good material to work on, arises: worthwhile suggestions, ideas or considerations.
To help the person be more practical, effective and pragmatic, I introduce the concept of sphere of direct influence: the network of your direct peers/nodes or even indirect peers/nodes (only one level further) with which you are able to operate, communicate and act that is, actually, the only way you can really pursuit any change or goal.
Actually this network starts with the first level (you), goes through your direct peers (second level) and finishes with people connected through your direct peers (third level).
The closer are the peers of your network you have to influence, the better the chance of attaining the objectives.
So the rule in these case is: start from yourself, from where your are, now! And only then, try to influence your peers (directly or indirectly).
Infact, any change coming from the bottom side of an organization pyramid, can be globally instantiated only if working accordingly through such a sphere or network.
This can be accomplished only if we, as individuals, are the first that accept such a change, demonstrating publicly that such a change is in progress and witnessing it by expressing not instrumentally, new behaviors, approaches, methodologies, mindsets.
At this point, the benefits coming from the process of change are visible to everyone, they are under the sun.
Curiously, it happens that the other peers of your network, will start to become interested in such results and start to ask how you have achieved it. At this point, you should start to explain and spread this new knowledge to the others, giving support and, sometimes, a sort of guidance in pursuing the objectives.
That’s enough for this post.
I’m going to talk shortly about the other coaching techniques in some future posts.
Have fun!
Agile PM, News | Emiliano Soldi | 
16/03/2012 19:57 | 
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