Michelle Ray

Business and Leadership Keynote Speaker

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Change Management Ep. 2 Power of choice: Accept. Leave. Change.

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MichelleRay-Leadership-Insights-Change-Management-Episode-2

When it comes to the status quo, you’ve got three choices. Accept, leave, or change. Let’s look at each one of these. Acceptance. Acceptance isn’t acquiescence. Acceptance is when you say to yourself, “This is okay with me, I can live with it.” Or, you may decide to leave. Some of us have had to exercise this choice. We’ve left jobs, we’ve left relationships, we’ve left managers. We’ve said to ourselves, “This situation no longer serves me, I am okay with making the decision to go.”

I would add however, that if you make this choice, what have you learned from the experience? Because, without learning something, it’s bound to catch up with you somewhere else. History tends to repeat itself. If you decide on the other hand, that you don’t want to accept it, and perhaps leaving it isn’t necessarily the right thing, you do have a very powerful choice. That is, to change.

Change who? Change you. Change how you see it, and change how you respond to it. That is one of the best choices that you can make. I know why we hold back. One of the reasons we stop ourselves from making the necessary changes that we need to make, is because we don’t trust ourselves enough. That’s all about intuition. It’s really important to understand the difference between acting on intuition, and being what I like to call, counter-intuitive. When we operate on our intuition, and we are finding ourselves facing change, we kick into what’s known as the fight or flight response. I’m sure many of you have heard of that too.

We either run away from a situation because we fear that it is threatening. Or, we decide to fight, to take it on. We are going to exercise either one of those options in the face of a threat. Whether that threat is real, or imagined. What I have learned is about being counter-intuitive. That means you’re going against the grain. You recognize your own internal fears, you actually recognize your reactivity. But, you don’t buy into it. Instead, you forge ahead. Feel the fear, and do it anyway.

We’ve all seen examples of people, and businesses that have successfully anticipated change. They’ve risen above the naysayers. They’re the trend setters, such as Apple, Microsoft, who were led by Founders considered to be the mavericks. Ahead of their time. Why? Because, they pursued their vision without buying into the opinions of the media, or competitors, who viewed them as being out there. Companies with ideas that would never fly because they thought they were simply outrageous.

What about bringing out the maverick in you? Let’s summarize. Learn to be proactive versus reactive. Trust yourself. Utilize your options. You do have a choice. Become the change agent you need to be in order to realize your vision, because when you do, anything is possible.

This post is a transcript of https://youtu.be/BVelWlZHb9U on YouTube

Change Management Ep. 1 – Assessing your Internal Lens

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MichelleRay-Leadership-Insights-Change-Management-Episode-1

The famous poet Anonymous once said, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Reacting to and resisting change initiatives is nothing new. Most of us are uncomfortable with change because it represents confronting the unknown, posing a threat, whether or not that threat is real or imagined.

In business, anticipating change is essential for survival. New realities regarding the pace of technological change, changing workplace demographics, and an ever changing economic climate necessitate acceptance.

There isn’t an industry that hasn’t been impacted by the need to confront an ever changing landscape. Standing still while burying one’s head in the sand is not an option. Ready or not, evolving with the times is essential. Without awareness and information, you’ll invariably continue reacting to change rather than anticipating changing market conditions.

During this video series, you’ll learn how to overcome the fear of change and alter your entire perspective regarding situations that are outside of your control. You’ll be equipped to lead your teams and organizations with greater confidence. Let’s begin by assessing your internal lens, as well as the lens you use to view the world.

We need to be asking ourselves, if we’re leading ourselves, are we being the best possible example that we can be?

We manufacture a lot of our own fear. All of us should look at leadership as being a mindset, it’s about being the leader of your own life, and we all have the choice to be able to do that.

Change. Crisis or opportunity? Well, it all depends on how you see it. Why is it that our primary reaction to change is driven by fear? That’s the main emotion that stops us in our tracks. You see, we manufacture a lot of our own fear. We often worry about things that don’t even happen. We just think that they will. For this reason, our perception regarding change determines how we see reality.

We all remember the demise of Blockbuster video, a company that viewed change through the lens of fear. Even though they were at the forefront of internet technology, they chose to stand still. It wasn’t that they didn’t make a move to change, it was the fact that they didn’t move at all that ultimately led to their demise.

Fear is a paralyzing emotion. It clouds our assessment of possibilities. When we’re stuck in the fear, we just can’t see opportunity. The question is, what lies behind our fear and why does this stop us from embracing change?

Well, this is largely due to the fact that our thoughts are driven by a fear of loss, and it’s very important to understand why this will stop you from pursuing new opportunities.

Fear of loss; what are we afraid of? We’re afraid of becoming irrelevant. We’re afraid of losing our job. We’re afraid of losing our purpose and our meaning in the grand scheme of things. And that is why we can’t see past the fear to embrace change.

I want you to ask yourself, is your fear of change real or imagined? Because when we are immobile, we can’t see the possibilities.

Here are the key things to remember about the fear of change and seeing change as an opportunity. Know yourself. Understand the core reasons behind your learned behaviors and reactions, and make a decision to reassess and reframe your attitudes to change.

 

This post is a transcript of https://youtu.be/Tqib3woP73M on YouTube

All the world’s a stage, and now is the time to own your place on it

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For the purposes of this blog, allow me to take license with William Shakespeare’s original quote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…” Instead, I invite you consider that there has never been a better time to take our respective places on the world’s stage, and this has little to do with professional speaking.

When eighteen-year-old German podcast sensation Philip Rierderle recently took the stage as the opening keynote speaker at the National Speakers’ Association Annual Convention, he held an audience of 1400 professional speakers spellbound for the entire duration of his speech.  Mr. Riederle was the youngest speaker to grace the general session platform in the Association’s forty-year history.  With his excellent command of the English language, he mesmerized the audience of skeptical old-timers, first-timers and techno-phobs by smashing the stereotypical myths linked to his millennial generation.

He captured my attention, however, not only because of his remarkable confidence as a teenaged speaker. For me, it was the manner in which he has channeled his passion into a mission. At the age of fifteen, Reiderle became famous with his podcast “Mein iPhone und Ich…” (My iPhone and me), currently reaching over one million viewers each year. As he built his massive community of Generation Y followers, traditional corporations began wondering how and why he was able to attract this generational cohort in droves to his own on-line community, while they continued to struggle in their own marketing efforts to connect with this significant segment of consumers. Today, Rierderle is an entrepreneur and renowned thought leader consulting with major companies worldwide regarding the consumer habits of his generation.

Riederle’s delivery and presence served a dual purpose. Not only was his message timely, he also demonstrated a rare blend of authenticity and brilliance by completely owning the stage…the stage on which he stood as a speaker, as well as in his own life. His passion for educating others via podcasts on the multiple uses of an I-Phone that began as a hobby has morphed into a unique calling to heighten generational understanding on a global scale. By doing so, Riederle is helping businesses simultaneously open their minds and create new growth opportunities.

There has never been a better time to take your place on the world’s stage. You don’t need to be a publisher, a major media outlet or renowned speaker. You can claim your place by ensuring that, like Riederle, your vocation is congruent with your personal passion. At the click of a button, you can utilize social networks to tell others about issues that matter to you. There are no limits to expressing your creativity thoughtfully and purposefully.

Entrepreneur or Intrapreneur…Is it an either/or question?

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During an afternoon break at a conference, a participant who had just attended my breakout session on building collaborative workplace relationships approached me to discuss his dilemma regarding whether he should stay with his company or start his own business. He spoke candidly about his managers, colleagues as well as his future employment path, and whether he was ready to take the plunge and venture out on his own. I admired his honesty and appreciated the challenge he faced in terms of making a decision. Based on our conversation, I got the impression that he really enjoyed his work and had great camaraderie with his managers and peers, but wasn’t as enthused about the prospect of being his own boss and running his own company. It is a fascinating quandary that many of us face. I began to ponder whether this needed to be an either/or question?

Being an intrepreneur is defined as follows:

in-tra-pre-neur (In¹tre-pre-nur) n. A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation [intra(corporate) + (ENTRE)PRENEUR.] -inftrapre-nouri-al adj. -intra-pre-neuri-al-ism n. -in’trapre-neuri-al-ly adv.

Consider the success story of  Dutch-owned Optiver Asia-Pacific, an algorithmic trading company that was just named Australia’s best place to work. CEO Paul Hilgers says the company has a genuine open door policy and a philosophy that working with “brilliant minds attracts brilliant minds”. Hilgers says: “A brilliant mind isn’t only skill-based. We really want to know who we are hiring and we want to make sure that people know us before they decide to work for us.”  The 2013 study to determine best workplaces was made up 179 competing organizations and their 25,905 employees nationally.

Entrepreneurial skills are highly sought-after by companies that support an innovative culture. If you are an individual who can identify a huge need for ground-breaking approaches regarding any aspect of your  organization’s operations, you could be handsomely rewarded for speaking up and sharing your ideas. Being the catalyst of creativity and change is a very rewarding experience, in terms of career satisfaction and financial compensation. Here are three core concepts to keep in mind:

 1. You CAN make a difference in your workplace

Passion for your work , together with a proactive mindset will always be desirable attributes. When you believe that your initiatives can positively impact your workplace, be assured that people will listen. Especially when your ideas can benefit your customers and the bottom line. Learn to present your recommendations from the vantage point of your leaders. When you demonstrate an understanding of the business from their perspective, you will be in a great position to have their undivided attention.

 2. Build alliances with like-minded people

Surrounding yourself with naysayers is a sure fire way to zap your enthusiasm. On the other hand, seeking out individuals who support your solutions-based way of thinking will energize you as you pursue your plans. Entrepreneurs make a point of aligning themselves with others who can challenge their ideas in a positive manner. Start your own internal mastermind group. When your personal values regarding success, creativity and originality are in sync with those who think and act similarly, you will find opportunities to grow your career path.

 3. Recognize and create opportunities within your organization

There is a difference between critiquing and criticizing…whether it is a system, internal process or someone else’s idea that can be improved upon. You create opportunities to rise through the ranks by demonstrating a willingness to take the initiative and express your ideas for change in proactive manner. When you demonstrate your expertise and innovative ideas in a particular area or job-function, you are carving out your own, entrepreneur/intrapreneaur opportunity.