Rock.Paper.Scissors.Blog » change

Change management resources related to ‘Switch – how to change things when change is hard,’ by the Heath brothers

Lee-Anne Ragan — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:00:53 +0000

In this month’s Rock.Paper.Scissors’ newsletter I review the Heath brothers book ‘Switch – how to change things when change is hard’. It’s a keeper. Check out the blog post where I review the book, continue reading for resources related to the theme of change &/or keep an eye out for the next post which includes funny resources related to the theme of change.

Regardless be introduced to the elephant that is living within you (& which plays a huge role in all your change efforts).

Read the entire newsletter here or download a hard copy of the article. Not already receiving our free monthly newsletters? Whatsamatter you? Sign up here.

Of course if you like the article then read the book. It’s one of my all time favourites.

Check out former child soldier Emmanuel Jal’s ‘We want peace’ campaign. And do yourself a favour & watch the video below. While you’re at it, notice how your elephant reacts to the video (mine went nuts with glee.) I’m working with Emmanuel to do some educational activities for the concert & conferences. Exciting stuff to apply some of the concepts of ‘Switch’ to.

Check out this post by Simon Sinek, author of ‘First Ask Why’ about another kind of elephant in the room – perspective.

Watch this ‘Change is good – you go first’ video. Food for thought. The Heath brothers talk about how much we are influenced by our environment & by mere peer perception.

Not convinced how susceptible we are to our environment? Check out this sobering video below that demos the bystander effect (3.36 min).

Sorry you are leaving (the asylum) & other tidbits of wisdom

Lee-Anne Ragan — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:00:01 +0000

I originally wanted to send this to my mom after she spent a month visiting us in Africa but then I thought I’d do a blog post on it.

It’s from a fabulous site called Beautiful Revolution. Here’s what it says on the ‘about this project page’:

In 2004, I was depressed. In 2005, I was suicidal. I went to see a therapist and started writing this site. In 2006, the work on this site became a book. In 2007, I found my place in this world. In 2008, my love life was still a disaster. But then I met her–the girl on the Internet. We fell in love and got married. In 2009, I found everything.

This project is about that journey. And trying to understand how a life can completely change.

Since its beginning in 2005 ABeautifulRevolution.com has received 7 million individual hits – averaging 4-5000 hit per day.

Here’s to the art of living, surviving & finally, thriving. To love and triumph. To heartache and continued heart beats. To being fully human with all it’s complex messy bits. To the view from the low, low valleys and the high, high mountain tops. To rising up when you feel like staying down. To finding your groove & reveling in it.

But most of all here’s to the possibility of change – going from gritty to gobsmackingly great.

Time out – a cause for paws to pause – cats playing patty cake

Lee-Anne Ragan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:00:45 +0000

Are you stuck in a rut? How about a cause for paws to pause?

Doing the same ol’ same ol’?

What’s the view from your sandbox? Need to get out and find another?

Pause.

Take a page from the Life Lenses™ Stop Life Lenses™ page – stop playing patty cake and start playing your own game.

~~TGIF- each Friday I rejig & re-post a blog entry from my www.life-lenses.com blog, which is about enhancing our perspective & worldview.~~

The Rock.Paper.Scissors newsletter is out: funny resources related to interview with Emmanuel Jal, international hip hop star

Lee-Anne Ragan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:00:21 +0000

Creative Commons licensed on Flickr by: law keven

This month’s Rock.Paper.Scissors e-newsletter focuses on what Emmanuel Jal, international hip-hop star & former child soldier had to say when I sat down with him. Read the entire issue here. Not on the monthly e-newsletter mailing list? Sign up for free here.

Emmanuel Jal. If he’s not on your radar, he should be.

The following resources, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, build on the themes raised in the interview I did with Emmanuel Jal.

Root causes of conflict: see this hilarious video for the surprising lumps & bumps of conflict we can be clueless of (watch what happens when she gets out of bed) (it’s a mere few seconds long).

Role of humour: see Improv Everywhere’s clip below on not taking ourselves too seriously.

On change: see how a giraffe caught in quicksand, the clip below, can make you howl & teach you about change at the same time

The Rock.Paper.Scissors newsletter is out: what a former child solider has to say about forgiveness & more

Lee-Anne Ragan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:00:57 +0000

Emmanuel Jal & Lee-Anne Ragan

This month’s Rock.Paper.Scissors e-newsletter focuses on what Emmanuel Jal, international hip-hop star & former child soldier had to say when I sat down with him. Read the entire issue here or see below for an excerpt. Not on the monthly e-newsletter mailing list? Sign up for free here.

Emmanuel Jal. If he’s not on your radar, he should be.

This self-described ‘modern day nomad’ was born during the vicious, war torn times of Sudan. After witnessing gruesome murders & being recruited as a child soldier from the ages of seven to eleven, he was rescued by a British aid worker & smuggled into Kenya.

When most kids were cuddling teddy bears his closest ally was his AK47. While that would make a memorable story in itself, fast forward to today.

Now he’s an internationally renowned peace activist, campaigning against the use of child soldiers, the subject of the award winning film War Child, founder of the charity Gua Africa & a world famous hip-hop artist (he performed at Nelson Mandela’s 90^th birthday party).

I had the privilege of interviewing him at last year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival, just after South Sudan became Africa’s newest country. Draw your chair close & listen up, with his captivating combination of humbleness & tenacity, he’s wise beyond his years.

1. On art influencing activism

Emmanuel says “music has become .. the painkiller … a healer to a lot of issues that I’m going through. Music is what I use to support the causes that I believe in because I find that through music it’s easier … when you’re known as a musician you can easily pass out information faster. And people won’t get bored of you depending on how you do it.”

As someone who’s seen him perform live onstage, no one but no one could be bored watching him. See what I mean with this video of him performing my favourite song Emma. He’s like a mystic Sufi energizer bunny.

How it applies to you & business: find your strategic stage & use it. While it may not be a literal stage we all have ways at our disposal to pass out information faster. What’s yours?

2. On activism influencing art

“My activism is actually inspired by what I went through because I was born in a war torn country. I lost my childhood. And so the fact that I’m here, I find I have the responsibility & I’m a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves. And that’s why I take it really seriously.”

How it applies to you & business: what inspires you? Blend your inspiration with your responsibility to give back & make a difference.

3. On conflict

Poverty, greed & economics are at the root of conflict Emmanuel says.

“You know poverty brings a lot of conflicts in different ways. When your stomach is empty you’ll be forced to steal. But ethnic cleansing … happens when ideologies are built by a different group so they could have more to themselves. And so in my country it’s a long, long story but the root cause I take it as economics. Religion is just a tool but … the bottom line it’s poverty. It’s the resources. It’s the economy that’s actually causing all these things.”

How it applies to you & business: the root causes of conflict are hidden. Dig deep to find the true cause of conflicts you’re facing. Find the true root & you’re halfway there to managing or resolving the conflict.

4. On effecting change

Change takes nurturing. It takes time.

When I asked Emmanuel what it was like to have helped create a new country he said “It’s exciting, it’s [a] new baby that needs to be taken care of. I can’t wait to be part of it & help it grow.”

Change takes education.

Emmanuel recounts “my change happened when I was rescued by a British aid worker called Emma McCune. As a young man I was still bitter. One of the things I had in my mind was if I go to this lady’s country [Kenya], I’m going to learn how to fly a plane & come back & go to war. And because I hated Muslims & Arabs & I wanted to revenge for my family. But when I was in school & I was educated, I was helped. I came to discover people like Nelson Mandela, I came to learn about Martin Luther King, I came to learn about Gandhi.”

Change takes faith & forgiveness (of yourself & others)

“And so these leaders played a big part in my life & also reading the bible as a Christian I’m advised to forgive. The first investment I did for myself was to forgive. When I forgave I was free. So forgiving myself for my past because I was, I was cursing for the things that I’ve done. And then I realized look it wasn’t my fault you know so I had to forgive myself & forgive those who have hurt me. So it’s a two way thing.”

“Forgiveness will elevate you to a form of power that you don’t actually know as a person until you experience it because you become free.”

Change takes attention to scope & loss

Emmanuel raises money to build schools. He figured he’d eat one meal a day to raise money & it would take about a month to raise enough cash to build a school. It actually took 662 days. Yes, he spent 662 days eating one meal a day. “We put kids that were learning under the trees into classes.”

The lessons around change? Scope & loss.

He figures change is about loss. “What are you willing to lose to make the world a better place? Somebody got to lose something, we all have to lose something.” We need to know what we are willing to give up in order to gain. For him it was eating.

And for the kids he speaks to? “And so I tried it out & I found some kids, some kids say ‘Look I don’t have money but I normally have games in my house… I’m going to lose my PlayStation because that could put another kid in school.’ So kids become so creative. Another says, ‘Okay I’m going to lose at least a chocolate bar a week because that’s like 50 cents.’ 50 cents can feed a family.”

Change is also about scope.

“[With] people & social media giving $1, $2. I’d rather raise $1million from 1million people than a one-off donation from one person.”

How it applies to you & business: effecting change takes nurturing, time, education, faith, forgiveness & attention to scope & loss. To start, pick 1 or 2 of these elements & see how they apply to a substantive issue you’re trying to effect change in.

5. On passion

“Passion I have is what keeps me going. You know like for example I want to build a school , I want to build a legacy of Emma McCune who rescued me. I want to give other children a chance to go to school. Sometime when I feel like I want to give up but these things whenever I see or remember they give me so much energy that I want to keep on going.”

How it applies to you & business: what’s the root of your passion? What keeps you going? Find your well & draw deep.

6. On the role of inspiration

“So I don’t need to tell them what to do, all I have to do is inspire them & do something. And when they listen they want to do something.”

How it applies to you & business: inspiration plays a huge role in effecting change. Draw a direct line between what you’re trying to influence & inspiration.

As our interview wound up I asked Emmanuel if he had any words of advice. He said “Just look. Look for those who care. I’m looking for those who care, those who are willing to make a difference. Those are the people I’m looking for. Those who are fortunate enough, have got a greater responsibility to make this world a better place.”

So get out there. Find your tribe & effect some change. Need some inspiration along the way? Check out www.emmanueljal.com, http://twitter.com/EmmanuelJAL or Emmanuel’s charity www.gua-africa.org for more information.

A ludicrously easy, perspective changing way to better tie your shoes

Lee-Anne Ragan — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:00:08 +0000

How long have you been tying your shoes?

Me – I remember knocking on a neighbours door and then realizing my shoelace was untied. For the first time I tied my shoes all on my own. I was so excited I ran home to tell my home, forgetting about the door I’d just knocked on.

Opportunity knocks in strange places.

Here it’s in the form of a Ted video. A very simple, very easy change to how you tie your shoes results in shoelaces that don’t untie.

Doubt me? Take a look. In a mere 3 minutes or less you’ll be trying your shoes differently.

Why the shoe video? Because it’s a perspective changer. A new way to look at an old scenario.

That’s the gift of perspective – a new view.

It’s the gift of teaching & development – change & growth.

~~TGIF- each Friday I rejig & re-post a blog entry from my www.life-lenses.com blog, which is about enhancing our perspective & worldview.~~

Training & development learning well October blog post round up

Lee-Anne Ragan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:00:51 +0000

October has come and gone with goblins galore. If you didn’t catch all the posts this month simply cast a spell and click below.

Here they are – laid out like a well carved pumpkin for your perusing – here’s the Rock.Paper.Scissors’ monthly training & development round up. You’ll find all the blog posts for the month of October below.

Learn well in the training & development learning well.

Dive deep into the learning well or take a small sip. Shower yourself in training & development or just get your big toe wet.

Refresh & refreshing.

As you wish.

The Rock.Paper.Scissors newsletter is out:

How about a bedtime story a million miles away?

You can make a difference. Will you?

How far away is the moon? It’s not what you think

Learning curve: how do you know when you’ve ‘got it’? When your participants have got it?

Perspective and mamahood; how does your perspective affect your training?

What type of change are you trying to effect? Does it line up with your core purpose & power relationships?

A pirate’s guide to engaging training & development workshops

Borrowed husbands = more money, more wine

What ironing underwear can teach you about learning

How NOT to teach someone to swim (mis-match your learning domains)

You can make a difference. Will you?

Lee-Anne Ragan — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:00:23 +0000

‘nuf said.

What type of change are you trying to effect? Does it line up with your core purpose & power relationships?

Lee-Anne Ragan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:00:00 +0000

At a recent workshop I attended, by Steve Waddell, put on by Ashoka, here in Nairobi, Steve displayed a chart about GAN’S (Global Action Networks) work on transformation.

I’m fascinated by all things related to change and transformation – how we manage it (or don’t), how we deal (or don’t) and how the same change can be invigorating for some and a death blow to others.

Take a look at his analysis in the chart below. It applies to more than just GAN’s.

But first, in your work, be it training and development, human resources generalist, change agent specialist or other, ask yourself:

what type of change are you trying to effect?

what’s the core purpose?

what are the power relationships?

Then see how your answers stack up to Steve’s below.

Two types of small intentional acts that lead to success (via Leapzone TV)

Lee-Anne Ragan — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:00:20 +0000

Intentional questions are a great guide to managing change and development.

Here are some I’ve gleaned from Isabelle Mercier of Leapzone who says small, consistent intentional actions lead to massive results.

Isabelle is a pioneer brand builder and performance catalyst. She works with small businesses to amp up their strategy and growth.

Not a small business owner? Not a problem. I’ve taken information from a cross-section of some of her Leapzone TV online shows and applied it below.

Intentional question #1:

What is something small and consistent that, done with intention, will lead you towards building your business, trying out a new training format, applying for a new job or reaching another goal?

Here are some suggestions:

go to Amazon and google your topic. Order the highest rated book and read away.
search LinkedIn for someone new to connect with on your topic.
twist the format on YouLookFab, where readers post pictures of themselves wearing an outfit that they want advice on, for your own purposes. Video yourself making your pitch, teaching a portion of a new workshop etc. and upload it to Youtube. Make it private and share it with folks you trust for feedback.

Intentional question #2:

Evolution is disruptive. Change happens period.

At the same time we can stand in our own way of our success. How have you been your own expansion prevention machine? Here are some suggestions, again, for small intentional acts, that make a big difference:

Isabelle says It’s easier to do it than dwell on it. If procrastination is holding you back, find an accountability buddy and commit to one action item this week and the day and time you’ll touch base to follow-up.
Stuck in analysis paralysis? Taking yourself too seriously? I prescribe a giggle or two. Watch the outtakes at the end of each of Isabelle’s very well produced Leapzone TV issues.

So go ahead. Be intentional. Be bold. Your small acts may very well lead to big payoffs.