Spring Fever

So many people experience a heightened sense of energy and vitality in the spring, a phenomenon so common that it is widely known as “spring fever.” This year, it seems heightened for me by the severity and length of the cold, dreary weather we’ve just survived. I am more aware than in past years of people “stopping to smell the cherry blossoms” as well as photograph them. Cyclists are crowding the bike paths, hikers are taking advantage of the trails, and dog owners are taking their dogs for bonus walks just to soak up the sun. Not only am I taking advantage of the beautiful nature this time of year, but I find myself deciding to let some things go that haven’t worked for me while committing to new behaviors that will achieve my personal long-term goals.

Just as people experience seasons and respond to them differently, at least metaphorically so do organizations. Our continuous improvement change model is a cycle with four stages, just like the seasons in our area. In its “winter” phase, leaders DEFINE where they want to go and where they are. This is followed by the “spring” stage, where they DESIGN the most effective path from where they are to where they want to go, shaped by the criteria they set for measuring effectiveness. This second phase is one filled with creative energy, challenging long-held assumptions, and exploring unfamiliar territory—just like we experience spring on a personal level. I encourage organizational leaders to capitalize on the natural energy of spring and apply it to engaging members in charting a fresh course to shared goals.

For information about the final two “seasons” of our change model, please click here. 

Spring Bulbs, Organizational Change, Magic!

Despite the snow piled up outside my door, spring officially begins today.  It seems like an appropriate time to talk about how change occurs in nature—and therefore, in organizations.  Every spring, it seems the spring bulbs I planted back in the fall pop up in bloom almost by magic.  What we don’t see is their quiet, invisible energy building up below the surface until it reaches a critical mass so that when the sun sends the signal that the time is right, those small hard bulbs awaken and use that stored energy to shoot up leave and flowers, almost overnight.

Organizations, composed of living beings, follow the same principles of nature as other living systems.  I am often in awe of how those in an organization, just like tulips and daffodils, can set their intentions on a goal and pour a lot of energy into achieving it.  For what may seem like a long time, there is no visible sign of change, but they remain steadfast in their focus and in building energy toward that goal. And then, one day, it just seems to bloom, as if from nowhere.  One group I worked with recently had this experience in their efforts to make their culture more trusting and cooperative.  Because of the single-minded commitment of their leaders, they continued to practice 3 connective behaviors that the full staff had agreed to adopt.  Then, as they reported, everyone noticed within a few days of one another that they had transformed their culture.  

Change leaders often mistakenly represent incremental change and transformational change as opposites, the first being so 20th century while the latter is the kind of change needed in today’s environment.  They fail to see that all transformations occur through small, incremental steps toward a shared vision—until a tipping point is reached and the transformative change becomes visible.  When you enjoy this spring’s hyacinths, daffs, and tulips, think about the work their bulbs were doing underground throughout the winter so they could pop up and be enjoyed by the winter-weary.  And think about how powerful this same kind of unseen, but consistent, intention can build a critical mass for good in your own organization or in your life.