It is often important which words you attach to topics. Do you speak in conditional or indicative? Do you say "we will" or "we want"? Do you choose superlatives (e.g. "the shortest delivery time") or do you talk indefinitely ("a short delivery time")?
I had discussed the meaning of language elsewhere. Today, I am concerned with the misleading term "change management”. Here is what I mean:
When you "manage" change, it means you are reactive. Management is not shaping, but controlling. You control and optimize what happens anyway. An important function in companies, but not for change!
Change must be initiated, shaped and guided. This has nothing to do with management, but with leadership.
Examples: The keys on your computer are arranged in the way they are ("QWERTY"), so the hammers of the mechanical typewriter get caught as little as possible when writing quickly (which is why frequently used letters are as far apart as possible). The "album" of a musician has about 12 classical pieces of music. This is because vinyl records simply couldn’t fit more than 20-30 minutes per side.Â
There are dozens of such examples. How many of these do you have in your own team and company? Often, it doesn't bother any more. However, significant increases in success are almost always only achieved when these old braids are questioned and replaced by something fundamentally new. But first, you must be aware of them.Â
We are all leaders, whether we like it or not. The question is how well we lead. Here is what I'm talking about:
You have certainly heard that what you say is far less decisive than how you behave: In every direct interaction with other people, we automatically see which of their behaviour seems threatening to us, which we can trust and which we should copy. This runs fully automatically.Â
The consequence: The more you consciously choose your behaviour, the more you can be exemplary for others and thus a good leader. Â
It's a simple truth: the most successful companies and individuals have better strategies than the average. Or to put it another way: many of the average companies have no strategy at all, but at best an extrapolation of the past.
How do I know that? Well, quite simply: a strong strategy always needs a strong vision first of all: Where exactly do we want to be in 3 years?
Most companies I see just don’t have that. And there is no point in meeting once a year to define a "strategy". The result is usually, at best, a plan without ambition.
At the moment, many companies are running like clockwork: Sales are growing, production and delivery capacities are running at full speed, and the outlook for this year at least is very good.
And this is precisely the trap for sustainable success maximization: This good situation is largely caused by external influences, at least in most companies. This means that these companies are going down just as quickly as demand is dropping.
Here is the recipe for success of sustainably outstanding companies and teams: they invest in their strategies and tactics to maximize success exactly when no one really needs it and no one has time for it. That's why they keep on rising even when the others are shrinking.
Today is a somewhat unusual post: You get access to over 40 short videos to increase your success, for free!
That's what it's all about: My new YouTube channel is live, with over 40 videos right from the start. Click here to subscribe to the channel.
Well, I keep recommending to my clients the increased use of personal videos (with them in front of the camera) for internal and external communication, mainly for three reasons:
"If everyone else drives at 300 km/h, you won't even notice the speed," said world-class motorcycle racer Tom LĂĽthi in a recent interview. The question was how to keep your bike under control at this speed and in tight corners.
I assume that you probably rarely race with a motorcycle at 300 km/h on the roads. However, there may be areas in your life where others think you are traveling very "fast" and don't even feel that way.Â
My point is this: many companies and teams drive with such low ambitions in many areas, metaphorically, that they hardly move from their place. How would it be if instead you increased your “speed of ambition" so that you are incredibly "fast" for most, but at eye-level with the best of the best?
Hey, that makes me a little proud:
https://www.youtube.com/user/VolkmarVoelzke
And right from the start, you will find almost 40 videos, freely accessible.
I look forward to seeing you on YouTube!
In my workshops - especially when it comes to winning team culture - I always teach and train the importance of one's own beliefs for success and a fulfilled life. Both go hand in hand.
Again and again, I encounter the same beliefs that prevent people from succeeding and generally stand in their way of achieving something meaningful. Most people are not even aware of this… how could they be if they have never dealt with the subject matter before?
Some days ago, I was skiing for the last time this season (in Tignes/France), in full sun and with a lot of snow. I myself am a passionate skier who "comes down" pretty much every slope – the black steep moguls - with a bit more fight and less elegance.
During one of the descents, an analogy with corporate culture came to my mind: it's just that most skiers master blue slopes (the easy ones) with great safety and routine. With red ones (for advanced skiers), you usually have to concentrate a little, and the black steep mogul slope (for expert skiers) sometimes demands everything from you.
Isn't it the same in companies? They have various people who easily descend the blue slopes day in and day out, while some people take the red one. But the challenge of a black runway comes to few people's minds: it's exhausting, pushes you to your limits, and carries a certain risk with it.
50% Complete
Simply enter your name and email and hit "Submit".
Important: You will receive an email with information on data privacy, which you must confirm in order to register effectively. Please check your email inbox.