As the weather turns chill here in Australia, my mind always turns to skiing. Because of skiing, I'm now doing Ortho-K .
What is Ortho-K, you ask?
Short for Orthokeratology, it's a hard contact lens you wear when you sleep that corrects your vision for the next 24 hours. And while not having to don distance-glasses every time I go to watch Netflix or take a drive is amazing (did anyone else's prescription plummet during COVID?!), it's actually the long-term benefits that had me invest the research, time and expense.
Because over the next 15-20 years while my eyes are changing (thank you, age) these Ortho-K lenses will train my eyes not to become any worse. My eyes should then fix at roughly the same prescription as now.
So while the daily vision correction isn't permanent, and I can't reverse any deterioration done to date, at least I can prevent more damage occurring.
Ok so back to the skiing...
I see skiing in my future. I love it. And while I can't ski overseas at the moment, when the world opens back up again it will be high on my list. And having good eyesight to ensure I don't go off the edge of a cliff is kind of important to me.
So you see, this isn't a short-term plan. This is a long-term game. I'm in it for the long haul. And the same can be said of leading change successfully.
You might think that every change you lead sits alone and separate on a little change island. That the last change "failed" and the next change brings just as much "resistance", so what's the point of supporting change when you have to start from scratch every time? It's the equivalent of me having to stick a hard object in my eye every night... repetitive, time-consuming, and sometimes quite irritating!
The undercurrent of change acceptance
But while it might feel that you're constantly catching up, what you're really doing is priming your team for change and building up what I call: The undercurrent of change acceptance.
This means: a consistent new baseline of comfort with change in your team.
All your hard work doesn't undo between changes. The change lasts longer than you think. But perhaps more importantly, investing consistently to support change shows your people that you're consistently investing in them and their future. And not just once in a while for the big complex changes. But bringing a change mindset to everything you do with them.
It's why I think every leader should have the foundations of Change Leadership.
Because over time, building up the undercurrent of change acceptance will do more than my Ortho-K ever could... it will actually undo damage done to date, as well as prevent deterioration in the future and help us all see more clearly today.
P.S. If this sounds like a gentle plug for Ortho-K, in full transparency it actually kind of is! Much like Change Management, it's not a widely known option and I believe knowledge is power so am sharing my experience of it from my own heart. But unlike Change Management, it's not suited for everyone, so do your research on what's right for you.
Lata Hamilton is the Founder & CEO of Passion Pioneers, an Executive Coach and Change Leadership Trainer. Do you want your training to stick? Learn how to easily create a video learning bite series with tools you probably already have with my Crafting Microlearning Guide: Request your free Crafting Microlearning Guide here
Comments