Tag Archives: change management

My Can Do Life Reinvention – Seriously!

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Six weeks ago, if you told me about last Friday, I would never have believed you.  Six weeks ago, I had a great job that I intended to retire from in five years and my life pattern was pretty well set. The staff and I had worked hard for 9  months using an intentional Can Do approach and had created a strong team model; and, we were really having fun doing it! I had just finished a report for the Board that highlighted how the team and I were meeting and exceeding our goals for the year, and what my five year goals were for the organization. Our program was at capacity.  There was a leak in the roof, but that’s part of having an 86 year old building. Sure, there were challenges and differences in approach in some areas of my nonprofit leadership position, but challenges are inherent in any job – and, in my view, part of the cost of doing business in a model that is focused on change & growth.

Five weeks ago, my head was spinning. The President of the Board of Directors told me that the Board was seriously considering not renewing my contract at the end of June. Seriously?

Seriously?

The following Tuesday, I realized that the differences between us were much more fundamental than I had previously believed.  Two days later, we met and I learned that they would not renew the contract. I, sadly agreed with the decision. Seriously.

So, I began to actively explore what I would do next.  Since it was not my first time at this crossroad, I went to work immediately, reinventing myself as my hubby has since dubbed it.

Four weeks ago yesterday, I registered for the online 60 hour course that is required before taking the Virginia Real Estate Licensing Exam.  Friday, I passed that exam.  The testing company does not reveal the scores – I just know and am very grateful and relieved that I passed.  Real Estate as a career is something I have toyed with for several years, and it is in my blood: both my parents were Realtors, as are my brother and one of my cousins.  I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead – the people I will meet and the special opportunity I will have to support them through the major life transition of buying or selling their home.

My friends have been telling me how impressed they are with what I accomplished: reinventing myself and passing the exam and (most of the time) keeping my Can Do attitude in play.  I was blessed to be participating in a Lenten Retreat as these changes unfolded, and used that time and those spiritual resources to help me discern next steps. I was surrounded by a caring community of family and friends, and I am grateful beyond words for their strong support during this very difficult time.

As I recover from the stresses of preparing for and taking (and passing!!) the exam, I gotta tell you, I am VERY proud of myself and VERY impressed with my achievements in these four short weeks. Not only have I taken the course and passed the exam, but I have acquired and integrated the knowledge to begin an entirely new field of work.

Seriously.

And… and…. I am affiliating with an OUTSTANDING brokerage to launch my new career: Keller Williams in McLean. I chose KW because of the strong alignment with my Can Do Workplace model.  Their mission is: CAREERS WORTH HAVING. BUSINESSES WORTH OWNING.  LIVES WORTH LIVING.  Their belief system reads like a chapter of the Can Do Workplace!

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The people in the McLean office – from the Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader, to agents and brokers and the front desk staff – have been over the top supportive of me, welcoming and excited about not just what they can do for me, but also what strengths and potential I bring to their team.

Right now, my status is Coming Soon. In the two to three week lag while the application for my license is being processed in Richmond, I will work with them to get myself ready for a very different “next five years” than I had imagined just six weeks ago.

Seriously.

Imagine What You Can Do!

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Can Do Basics Blog 3: The Power of AND in the Ampersand

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The The Can Do Model is built around the power of the AND in the ampersand.

AND is such a powerful word that connects things, concepts and ideas together. It is a very short word, but it can be so dynamic.

I love the ampersand because it has such hidden strengths in its graceful form. More than strengths, I actually think there are super powers hidden in that symbol that help individuals and organizations combine elements, which on some levels appear to be contradictory, messy, or disconnected, in order to achieve a positive outcome that is way above & beyond the norm.

Take for instance, the combination of Difficult & Great. I am not sure where the idea started that what is good has to be easy! With that mindset, people can become so discouraged when presented with a challenge, when it is really an invitation to grow! The Difficult & Great combination nudge – and then push – us to think harder… To try again… To see another perspective…To listen more attentively to our colleagues… and to find something new, different, stronger and better… To achieve our mission with more impact! That’s why we, the nonprofit peeps are here, isn’t it?

During my interview for the book with Sandy Nobles, Director of Education at Momentous Institute, she put it this way: “We know ‘great’ & ‘difficult’ work together to achieve more impact. We want to ring life out of every day that we have chance to help kids.”

Change & Growth – The juncture of change & growth is where the possibilities, power, and promise of greatness and excellence reside and come to life. When change is not directly connected to growth, it creates fear and anxiety for many, and keeps organizations, teams, and individuals stuck in patterns that ensure that poor outcomes are perpetuated. On the other side of the coin, change for the sake of change is foolish.

Growth in “Can Do” terms does not mean more or bigger, it means better, healthier, and stronger.

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When change is embraced and understood, people feel invited and empowered to join in and participate in shaping the growth. And they have a better understanding of how they benefit from the change & growth.

They start to view, measure, and respond to internal and external fluctuations as opportunities for growth, and use lessons learned to make adjustments and course-corrections to prevent unnecessary problems.

In short, these are people who want to be at work & make a Can Do kind of difference!

AND, who can argue with that?

CDW Cover.final - CopyClick here to check out The Can Do Workplace: A Strengths-Based Model for Nonprofits to learn so much more about creating that kind of workplace. The book is filled with practical solutions & hundreds of resources. Get yours today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change & Growth, Meet Reality!

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The words Hello My Name is Change on a green namtag sticker, symI am all about change. I believe in it, embrace it and plan for it. I spend my days talking, researching and writing about it.  It is at the core of Can Do Model of Change & Growth™.

For the last few months, I have been intensely focused on and working hard to make big changes in my consulting business. My goal is to shift from being a contractor back to being the CEO that runs a successful small business. The contracting approach served me quite well when I was sick. The entrepreneurial model makes much more sense now, for me and for my clients, present and future!

thumbnailAt the onset of this professional change process, I made a commitment to create a business plan, and to be very thoughtful and strategic about the consulting services to include because I want Coridan Consulting to be the model for The Can Do Workplace. I developed a very strong business plan with three well defined areas: Training, Writing and Interim Executive Services. I excel at and really enjoy all three areas. They fit me, and they fit together, so perfectly!

With the support of a great web designer (http://www.daedalcreations.com), I have developed a website (http://coridanconsulting.com) that captures the look and feel of me and my work. It still needs tweaking and some additional detail, but then again, don’t we all?!

cover.finalThe pieces for both of my books are coming together, slowly but surely. The corrections to the proof for the paperback edition of The Can Do Chronicles were submitted to the publisher yesterday. I am between 60% and 50% of the way through a solid first draft of the second book in the series, The Can Do Workplace. And yes, I did mean to put the percentages in that order.

At this moment, the most critical next step for me to be successful in my new business model is to GET OUT OF MY CAVE and do some guerrilla networking with people in the local nonprofit and small business communities. To my surprise, this vital next step has not been so easy for me.

Networking comes very naturally to me. I love meeting people and hearing their stories Group of business people assembling jigsaw puzzle and representand linking two or more people together to move projects and missions forward to help save the world. I have over 800 friends on Facebook, and know over 95% of them to recognize on the street and call by name!  I get the most enjoyment in the grant writing process when I make introductions and connect the people and organizations to pull a proposed project plan together. I am not just good at it, I am quite gifted at it!

A BIG SURPRISE: What I have come to realize very recently is that staying in my cave now comes very naturally to me. Who would have thought?  Not me!

Part of the reason for this change, I am sure, is my new commitment to my health, adopting a saner pace for my work and life.  As a grant writer for the last four years, this has meant staying put in my home office and focusing on the research, writing and deadlines. And, as I have been writing and recovering my health and stamina, my natural Introvert tendencies have re-emerged and grown stronger than ever, making the networking which I love, feel and seem a bit odd and awkward to me.

Also in play is my very real (and very normal!) apprehension about making another career change. When I started the grant writing four years ago, I did not have time or the luxury to let “what if’s” get in my way!  Both my husband and I were unemployed – my unemployment was planned; his was by crisis as his job got eliminated, which made mine into a crisis too. This time is different. In doing a great job of planning for this transition, I am experiencing what I call the “space between Can & Do”… the time between the plan and the outcome that so easily fills up with anxieties, second guesses and the distractions we call “life”. It is normal and I know it is normal, but it does not make the unsettled feelings any less unsettled.

shutterstock_92144632It is at this juncture, which can last a while, that Change & Growth Meet Reality. The reality is that change is hard, even for those of us who are its fans. And sometimes, the barriers we encounter are not in the places we expect.

My recommendations to myself for getting through this time successfully are to: 1) establish my priorities based on my goals; 2) focus on what I CAN DO to get to those goals and let the rest go; and 3) keep my priorities front and center, no matter what distractions and challenges come my way.

For me, this means that networking IS PRIORITY #1. In the last few days I have signed up to attend three networking events over the next two weeks. It’s a good start, and I need to remember that networking needs to REMAIN my PRIORITY and that these three networking events need to be replicated a dozen times during the next three months.

Change is a Good ThingChange is a good thing, but it is hard and often quite messy. In my quest to promote the Can Do Model of Change & Growth™ , and from my own recent experience, I want to conclude this blog by sharing some questions that I hope can help make change a good thing for you, too:

  1. What is the goal of the changes are you making in your life?
  2. How have you planned well and set the right priorities?  How and where “not so much?”
  3. How can you keep them as a PRIORITY when “life happens”?
  4. What are the barriers you have found that you were not expecting?
  5. What old fears are getting in your way?
  6. What CAN you DO to move beyond the barriers and fears? When will you do them? (Hint: sooner is better!)

Good luck.  Change & Growth may be hard and messy, but the results are worth it – and so are you!