The Being of the System - Part 1: Grief

Intro:

The Being of the System is an idea I developed a few years ago when I published my book "BEyond Leadership." Following the book, I recorded a video series called "Lean Back" about leadership and executive coaching. This video series, accompanied by new articles related to the videos' topics, is a collection of the"best of" my coaching conversations with leader clients.

When it was time to post the video and article about the "Being of the System" I could sense some resistance to posting what I wrote. For some reason, I felt that it is not ready, yet!

I have learned with writing that if my body and intuition are telling me that "it is not there yet," I will let it "be" without pushing unnecessary doing.

What I have learned since that resistance, is that grief would meet me in unexpected corners of my life which plays a big role in the idea of the Being of the System.

I devote this two-part article to anyone in this world who is feeling immense pain and grief right now. This is my way of sending love and light to anyone who would like to embrace what they need in whatever way suits them.

The Being of the System Part 1- Grief

A few weeks ago, every coaching session and every conversation I had with a leader, friend, or family member was around grief. I am not kidding; every session was around a different emotional toll followed by the death of loved ones or the death of a peer at work. Not only that but in our personal life, one of our loved ones experienced an unexpected, devastating health situation that brought much sadness and grief.

Grief is an intense and interesting concept. We all know that grief is the emotional loss we experience when we say goodbye to someone we know or love. But grief has many more layers that we might ignore or not consider as grief. We might think that we are depressed, or something is "off", but we will not acknowledge our experience of grief, because death is not part of it.

In this article, I invite you to notice how grief is currently part of our life in many more layers and experiences than we think.

What is grief?

Grief is an overwhelming experience of deep sorrow, but sorrow is the first layer of emotions. We experience many additional emotions, from anger through disappointment to self-pity. It's big and overpowering at the same time.

Why is that?

I believe it is the impact of our Being Energy. What do I mean by "Being" energy?

I believe that we all have two energies within us:

• One is the DOING energy.

• And one is the BEING energy.

The Doing energy is the energy of the actions; we all know how to do and how to act and get things done. Some of us even refer to ourselves as "Doers."

On the other hand, there is the energy of the Being. That's the energy that consists of our thoughts, our emotions, our fears, aspirations, perspectives, and our limiting beliefs.

The Being and Doing energies do not compete with each other; like Yin and Yang, they complete each other.

How the Being Energy and Grief are connected?

In times of grief, the main question we ask ourselves is: "Who am I going to be without that person? Who am I going to be in this new situatio?." The special need we have to redefine who we are in the new situation brings to the surface many emotions, thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, and fears that together impact the being energy, which grows bigger and bigger, while the doing energy becomes smaller with no energy to move or act. Even when we try to move to action, it feels like we are pushing the gas pedal when the brake is pressed.

This is why grief can show up in any experience of life/work transition, not only in challenging moments like divorce or becoming empty nesters but also in positive and exciting situations. For example, when someone has a new baby, they need to redefine who they are in this new role in their life; the role of a parent who is responsible for another one's life and needs– they need to redefine what it would look like for them to be a parent.

When a team member is promoted to a Team Lead role, they need to redefine who they are in this new situation. Friendships might need to be redefined with their peers, and their tasks and responsibilities will shift too; what would it look like for them now?

Whether positive or negative work/life transition, the essence of redefining who we are in a new situation is the experience of grief, grieving our old self, and redefining our new self.

So, if you plan an organizational change as a leader, be aware that your people might be going through a few different transitions simultaneously that create an experience of grief that feeds our being energy and impacts our actions.

I can experience the positive change of having a new grandchild while realizing that I might need to say goodbye to a close friend and at the same time also move to work in a new team. At the same time frame, different transitions in work and life require redefining who I am in these new experiences that impact how I show up with my doing and being energies.

Grief is not one, but many. It shows up in positive and negative situations, and our role as leaders is to pay attention to the different layers of grief we experience and be aware that at the same time, it is happening to our people. The Being of the System is the grouped emotions, beliefs, aspirations, thoughts, and mindsets of a few different individuals.

In the next article, I will address how the Being of the System can slow leaders down or stop them when they ignore the Being of the System.

I See - How to Recognize Others as Leaders?

One of the top three reasons people leave organizations? Lack of recognition from their managers. When people come to me and share with me their frustration with their managers not recognizing them, here is what I ask them: "What if your managers have never learned how to recognize others?" Why do I ask that?

Because I used to be that manager, and today I'm going to share with you a few simple ways of how you can feel more comfortable recognizing others and also feel more comfortable when others recognize you.

Hi, my name is Noa, and I work with leaders, executives, and founders of companies just like you to go beyond with their leadership.

Are you ready? Let's go.

Some of us find it very challenging to be recognized by others or recognize others. I was the same. And here are two main reasons why for some of us, it can feel so challenging.

The first one, as always, is our parents.

And the second one is our culture.

Maybe this experience will sound familiar to you. When I was a little girl and came home with a good grade, my father asked me why 99 and not 100? That question, "Why 99 and not 100," followed me for years; I always asked myself, "How can I do things better? How can I take myself from 99 to 100?" The problem was that not only was I having this internal conversation with myself, but I also started having the exact expectations of the people I worked with and managed. And by the way, also with my kids.

The second reason that recognition was so challenging was that I came from a red pen culture. Erin Meyer, the researcher and the author of the book, the Culture Map, explains that red pen culture is a culture where a student submits their work to the teacher they receive it with red pen notes. In those notes, the teachers write down what the student could have done better to do the work. People from a red pen culture will always ask themselves: "how can I do things better?" and that would be their focus.

 When I moved to the US, I realized I needed to shift how I communicate with others, including my kids, and start recognizing what others do more.

But how do you do that? How do you work on the mental muscle of recognizing others? Working on a muscle, just like in the gym, takes time. And I believe it has to first start with working on yourself.

The first thing I had to learn was how to shift my focus from what's NOT working to what works.

Shifting your focus to what's working is not an easy path. And you have to train yourself and work on that mental muscle to learn how to shift the focus from what's not working to asking yourself again and again first, what's working?

When you learn how to do this work with yourself, then you can start working on how to do this work with others.

How do you do that with others?

Here is a simple way that you can recognize others.  What people really want is that their actions will be seen. And that's why the simple way for you to start working on the mental muscle of what's working is to use two words: I See.

So if you find it challenging to recognize others, next time when you sit with others, start the sentence when you want to recognize them with "I see." Or "I noticed."

Now be very specific when you use the words: I see/I noticed.

Rather than saying "good job," or "Awesome work" (this is vague and people don't really know what to do with this feedback) be more specific, and say for example, "I saw yesterday in the meeting that you took initiative in the conversation, and the report you suggested is working very well for the team. Thank you for taking that extra step to help our team move forward."

Building on "I see"

And here is a cool way you can build on the idea of "I see" that I learned from one of my executive clients who implemented this method of "I see" to recognize their people.

When people share with you what they and their team are doing to ask for recognition, you can ignore it, or you can build on their sharing by using the “I see.”

"Yes, I have seen what you and your team have done in the past few weeks. It was a great opportunity for you and your team. And I loved to see the email from the CFO recognizing what you and your team did this morning. It means that you are building your team’s brand to be seen as experts of … – well done."

So remember first train your brain to look at what's working rather than what's not working, and then play with "I see" / "I have noticed" and share in detail what you see so people can know and understand what you mean and build on their momentum. And if needed, you can build on the I see/I notice when you see your people seeking recognition  (and may it be a learning opportunity for you that they don't need to seek recognition, release them from this burden and initiate the recognition before they ask for it).

A great resource to learn more about this topic is the book How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath and Donald O.Clifton Ph.D

Six Things You Should Know Before Hiring an Executive Coach

Here you are - asking yourself whether you or your company should hire an Executive Coach to support you or a few people on your team. This professional interaction can provide a great opportunity for self-development, to take you from good to great, and to dare yourself to be the leader you want to and can be for your team and organization as a whole.

I gathered all the information I think you should know before you hire or consider hiring an executive coach. This information comes from questions I receive from new clients, people who reach out after they see me speaking in conferences, people who are watching my social media videos, or people reading my book and articles. Here are the six things you should know about executive coaching.

What Is Executive Coaching?

Let me take a step back and share the ICF (International Coach Federation - the international coaching association) definition of coaching: “Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative partnership that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential, often unlocking previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership.” 

An executive coach builds on these fundamental skills by helping the executive become aware of their leadership blind spot so they can achieve their personal/organizational goals and see consistent results. 

Mostly the coach and executive will decide on a few coaching goals to focus on for four to six months. 

So, What Is The Difference Between Coaching, Mentoring, Consulting, And Therapy?

With all the personal and emotional professionals out there, it can be confusing to understand what the difference between a coach and other professionals is. So let’s take a moment to make the distinction between the different professions.

1. Therapists identify the past events that are getting in your way of moving forward.

2. Consultants help you solve a specific problem by following steps they designed themselves and believe to be the best method. This mostly comes from their own experience.

3. A mentor is someone who walked the path you want to walk and helps you, from their own personal experience, to move toward this goal. 

4. Coaches help you close the gap between where you are right now and where you want to be. The coach does that by asking powerful questions that help you find clarity so you can move forward. 

Confidentiality

Being a leader, I knew that at times there are situations I can’t share with my peers, friends, and even with my husband. Executives are exposed to information that can be delicate or might feel very uncomfortable sharing with others. ICF certified professional coaches must abide by the ICF code of ethics, which requires the coaches to keep the coaching conversations with their clients confidential, no matter who sponsors the coaching. This is why even when organizations sponsor a coaching engagement, an executive coach is not allowed to share the conversation with their client. I can tell you that when my clients know that our work is confidential, we are able to have open-hearted conversations that allow a profound conversation

It Can Be Lonely Up There

Being a leader and having experience as a change management consultant, I learned that the higher up you are in the organization, the less you can share. Working with an executive coach can help you bounce ideas off of a trusted partner, or to take time to brainstorms some solutions to a challenge or opportunity. Some of my clients found it easy to hide or not be seen or to move on without taking a moment to pause, celebrate, and Reflect. Unconsciously, they learned that it is better to shy away rather than getting in trouble or being seen and hurt others. 

Having an executive coach can be a place to celebrate a breakthrough, promotion or success, especially if you overcome an obstacle or when you feel uncomfortable talking about it or celebrating it with your peers or even with your partner. It is important to sit with your wins and reflect on them too, as much as when you overcome challenges or mistakes.

Different Perspective

When you come to the coaching conversation, you likely have one or two perspectives on a current situation. Being on autopilot you might not have been able to notice your blindspots, or maybe you were too busy to take the time and think about them. The coaching conversation allows you to explore a new perspective and even identify some areas you might have been lacking clarity in, especially when you talk with someone who holds an external perspective and is not engaged one way or another with the other personas in the organization. 

Have An Honest Conversation With You

In her study about self-awareness, Tasha Eurich found that the higher you are on the corporate ladder the less self-aware you are. Why is that? Her study shows that a big part of it is that the higher up you are, the fewer people will tell you what they think. 

You know how important it is for you to receive feedback from your team and peers, still, according to a 2017 study from Quantum Workforce, about half of employees don't regularly speak their mind at work -- whether to colleagues or managers.  I know how much I craved honest feedback or conversation without people holding back, and if this a need you feel has not been met, my promise to you is to always have an honest conversation with you where I share how I experience you. 

 As you can see from this article, executive coaching covers a wide spectrum of leadership skills: vision, strategy, techniques, and even wellness. Each executive coach has a unique methodology and a unique perspective of what can help their clients thrive. This is why most coaches offer a free coaching session to help you identify your coaching journey, and see if the methodology the coach is using and their style will be a good fit for you. Take advantage of this opportunity and speak with more than one executive coach to see who you feel can fit your needs and whom you feel comfortable speaking with. 

Get The Checklist

To help you get ready in your preparation for hiring an executive coach, I gathered everything I discussed in this article to a one-page checklist.

SIGN UP

We respect your privacy.

How To Start?

To help you get ready in your preparation for hiring an executive coach, I gathered everything I discussed in this article into a one-page checklist.  As a bonus, I also added important questions that can help you get better clarity of what are your main coaching goals, and what you should ask your coach in order to make sure they are the best fit for you

Procrastinating? How Accountability Partner and Mastermind Groups Can keep you Accountable to your goals?

Many times, when I speak with leaders, I sense that the higher they climb the leadership ladder the lonelier they might feel.

Isolation. I remember the first time I heard that word related to my life context. A few years after our relocation, someone I met told me that I probably have a deep sense of isolation. Leaving our family, friends and my career behind was a very isolating experience for me. Until that person used the word ‘isolation’, I knew there was a feeling, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. But that person nailed it. They were able to express the word I couldn’t find in order to explain what I had felt for so long. Isolation is one of the deepest experiences you have after relocation, not only do you feel alone and isolated, but you tend to isolate yourself. Not because you plan to do so, it is just a natural way to be when you have the feeling that every time you leave your house you are different than everyone else around you.

The second time I chose to use the word isolation was during my last leadership role. You see, there is that unique paradox in leadership. Leaders lead, and when they lead others, they need to connect with them. They need to communicate their passion and vision so people will choose to follow them.  When you enjoy leading processes and people this is an exciting experience, but mostly you cannot escape the challenge and sometimes the challenge becomes a drama. I could sense in some moments how I escalated when I stepped onto the path of a challenge with another person, or a difficult situation. I can even sense how I want to dive into the drama. But with experience, you learn how to manage yourself and see what your options are in the situation. But here is the thing, many times when you are in a challenge, you are there all alone. Sometimes your friends are part of the organization and you choose not to gossip about the situation, and again, the higher up you go the harder it becomes to share your challenges. Some leaders sharing their challenges might look like they share their weaknesses, a path they are not willing to take. So, what’s left? A mentor or a coach can help you go through the experiences and learn what you can do better, or help you make a new choice, make a different decision, or show up differently. These are one or two hours in a timeline of many constant struggles, where the leader feels alone. This is when the sense of isolation showed up again, but this time I knew I needed to support myself, especially as an extrovert persona who needs to talk through her challenges with others.
Here are a few simple ways to overcome isolations that worked for me:

1.  Accountability Partner - An accountability partner is someone who helps you to achieve your goals. Like any relationship, you need to find the person who will be committed to the process. My accountability partner and I meet once a week to discuss our weekly goals and beyond. When a challenge or opportunity meets us along the way, this is our safe space to consult with each other, brainstorm ideas, and help each other become our better selves. I heard about different ways to work with an accountability partner; for example, you both meet remotely or face-to-face to work on a specific task. You share what task you will accomplish in the next hour; an hour later, share your accomplishments. Remember, in any relationship; you need to discuss with your accountability partner how this partnership is going to look and how you both need to stay committed and accountable to the process. It is not an easy process to find the right person, but it can help you feel supported and accomplished when you do.

2.    Mastermind Group - There are many definitions or ways of setting up a mastermind group. I see it as an opportunity for a group of people to share perspectives, encourage each other, and help each other grow. I wanted to have conversations with diverse leaders and business owners from different business areas and views. The main thing that connects us all is our desire to be challenged by others, a willingness for a new perspective, and a deep want to grow as people. It is impressive to see the changes that each of us went through since we started this group, and this is one of my favorite meetings each month. Something is compelling about knowing that others have the same challenges as you, and their visions, creations, and willingness to share are incredibly inspiring. Everyone finds value in these conversations and, most importantly, a new perspective of how they saw their personal or work situation. The most exciting thing was to see how everyone would leave the room with a boost of energy, no matter how they stepped into the room.

This is when a new idea started percolating. What if I could utilize the structure I have created in different Mastermind groups and we could meet outside? There is nothing better than facing your challenge in nature with other bright minds around. Today, I lead a few Mastermind Groups a year for Social Business Leaders and Executives. They are all confidential, and in each one, it is so exciting to see how much the group members become each other’s cheerleaders, supporters, and some even become good friends.

I believe with all my heart that the more leaders connect with each other rather than isolating themselves, the more impact and influence they will create in our community and beyond.

My question to you is what is how can you keep showing up for yourself to achieve your goals? What can help you stay accountable?

Leaning Back - why Listening Will Move You From Tactical to Strategic leadership

Ever since we were little kids we were taught to be good through our actions, we all heard the adults saying: “Be a good boy and clean up your room,” or “Be a good girl and share your toys.” So we learned the formula that our actions are what is expected of us and what makes us be seen and rewarded, so we act. But there are areas in life, like leadership, where actions aren’t enough. In fact, adopting the approach of jumping as fast as we can to fix problems will hold us back. 

Why? You see, our autopilot tendency is geared toward doing what we know, fixing problems. Fixing problems distract our focus from intentional strategic thinking that requires slowing down, to reactive tactical solutions.
What is the difference between tactical and strategic thinking?
The definition of the word tactic is to plan, focus on tasks, or procedures that can be carried out; it may be part of a larger strategy. On the other hand, strategic thinking is a larger overall plan that can comprise several tactics.  Essentially, tactics are the nitty-gritty details, while strategy is about the big picture. Tactics are an extreme close-up of what is happening right now or very soon; the twig and sticks of the bird’s nest. Whereas strategic thinking is an expensive view, you can take a step back or beyond to spend time thinking about how the future should look like; like the bird meta-view when it flies above us. When we work as leaders, instead of simply looking at the current situation and reacting to what is happening in the right here right now, we need to expand our vision and be intentional. Instead of initial, reactive responses, we need to think our actions through in order for them to be meaningful and influence in the long term with impact and sustainable results. 

How? lean back and slow down so we can listen.
In one of the first sessions with a new client, she asked me to help her “design a plan to convince the IT team manager that her solution for the marketing process is the right way to go.”  Notice the words: my solution, and the right way to go. Instead of working to solve the problem her right way, I invited my client to go back and listen. Listening can be hard when we have a solution. We want to fix, get over and move to the next item on the to-do list. When we believe that our way is the best way, we lose the ability to be open and see what others in the room have to say. 

Here are a few steps you can take to practice slowing down, leaning back and listening first so you can move toward an intentional way of being and doing:

1.     Lean Back
When I’m cooking with my son, my impatient doer wants to take over and get things done. He will ask me how much oil to put in the pan and all I can think about is the mess that will be if the oil will spill on the floor. Let’s face it, doing it myself is faster and definitely cleaner - for now. It is tempting to want to take the bottle and keep things clean and let go of the stress the internal control freak I am sensing within. But this is my focus on the now.  Yes, it was messy internally and on the stove, but giving him space allowed him to learn new skills. It wasn’t easy to remove myself and push her, the control freak within, as far as possible from the stove area and the pan. I had to find within the ability to overcome my tendencies and let him handle things slowly, and even fail.  Not only can he cook by himself and save me the cooking time and cleaning time, but he also has enough confidence to come up with creative recipes of his own that I never would have thought of. Let your tendencies and autopilot lean back and lean in by taking time to listen. 

2.     Listening without misleading toward your solutions
One of the best ways of leaning back while focusing on listening is by asking questions. Questions that focus on being curious about the wants, needs, and ideas of others can remove us from listening to ourselves to listening to others. The problem is that most of the time when we shift to listening and asking questions, the voice inside us that wants others to follow our solutions and show others that we are right. This is when the questions we ask lack curiosity, filled with judgment, and focus on leading to the right solution we have in mind. What can you do? 

• Stop using leading questions - leading questions, or as we probably should refer to them - misleading questions, are questions we ask to lead people toward our solutions, or toward our want for others to see that we are right. Questions like: “why do you think your idea is practical?” makes me question your question, what you are actually saying without saying is: “show me why your idea is good because, from my worldview, I believe that my idea is better than yours.” Another leading question is a question that has the solution within: “How can you stay away from using the report you suggested?” or “Do you know that by using this report you can do X, Y, and Z?”

• Why vs What questions - One of the best ways of asking exploratory questions is by staying in curiosity. There are two main ways to stay in curiosity, the simplest but not the easiest one is to ask “What” questions instead of “why” or “how” questions. “Why” questions communicate without words to others that we believe our solution is better when you ask why questions, it is as if you’re saying: “I already know the right answer, and it is your turn to explain to/show me why you are not wrong.” What questions, on the other hand, come from a place of curiosity and exploration. “What are your thoughts on this idea?” “What are your ideas for solving this problem?” “What task would you be most comfortable executing?” or as simple as: “I am curious, what….?”

Pay attention next time you ask questions; when you ask WHY questions do you see people defending their idea or feel frustrated with you? When you ask WHAT questions do you see people taking a short pause, and even look surprised?  Is there openness and willingness to explore together?

3.              Lean Back Again
Each time you want to go faster and lean toward a solution ask another ‘What’ question. Challenge yourself to keep asking “what” questions again and again and again. Stretch yourself to explore as many perspectives, possibilities, and ideas. 

4.              Check the Energy in the Room
The leaders who know it all, who have all the solutions, focus on educating, explaining, and solving problems. If you have a tendency to teach and educate your team you might notice that when you take over the conversation the people in the room are less engaged, and go inwards. On the other hand, when you focus on asking questions, explore, invite people to find solutions to gaps you or your team identified -people are more engaged, they come up with solutions (maybe not your favorite ones, but when others come with solutions they also take ownership of leading the process.

Pay attention: How comfortable your team or peers are when you stretch yourself to be in curiosity?  How engaged are they in the conversation? Do you suck the energy from the room, or does it feel specious? Are people stiff and holding back, or are they talking casually like they would to equals? Do they want to keep the conversation because they feel heard and seen, or are they defending and reacting and even triggered? If you sense that the energy is low, you have a choice: you can keep sucking the energy and explain and educate, or you can shift and let them find the answers. People are resourceful and can reach out to you when they need your help.

 Leaning back, listening, asking questions, leaning back, even more, asking more questions, and listening while being present with others’ solutions allow others to feel empowered,  resourceful, and engaged. Not only others will take ownership of the solutions they find, but it will also open up space and time for you to focus on planning and being intentional for the long term solutions while others focus on the tactical approach.

The Change Formula (DoXBe^3=Change)

Why? Let me explain the parts of the formula I designed:

DOING aND BEING ENERGIES

I believe we all have two energies within:

The Doing Energy is the energy of actions, everything we need to do, the constant planning of moving forward – the just do it. 

 We all know how to do; we actually learned to focus on doing as kids when we heard the adults telling us: "Be a good boy clean up your room," or "be a good girl do your schoolwork." We learned early on that actions are what makes us seen as good, so we act. Let's face it; doers are the ones who are being seen, and mostly the ones who are promoted.

But! There is a certain point that actions alone are not working for us anymore.

This is where we need to pay attention to the Being Energy.

The Being energy consists of our mindset, emotions, thoughts, hopes, dreams, and concerns.

The Doing and Being energies don't compete with each other –– I see them as two energies that complete each other. Paying attention to the Being while doing create new actions that can take us up to the sky or slow us down, and even make us feel stuck. I like to explain that through sports. You can have two Tennis players with the same set of skills; the one who wins the game is the one that engages knows how to use to their advantage the being energy. They practice a mindset that manages non-serving thoughts and emotions and utilizes those that can help them win.

C H A N G E

Whether it is positive or negative, the deal with change is that change brings a flow of emotions and thoughts – why? The feelings and thoughts all come from the same inner want we have in a time of change – the need to redefine ourselves in the new situation or reality – we need clarity:

• Who am I going to be in this change?

• What will happen to me?

• What will happen to my organization?

• Am I going to lose?

• Am I going to win?

• Am I going to be forgotten?

• Am I going to be seen?

• Now there are expectations from me – what if I fail?

• Why do others leave? Should I be concerned?

• Why is there so much uncertainty and change? Does that mean that our organization/leadership is not stable enough?

• Is this time the change is going to be different?

• And for some, it is just a simple hope: maybe this will be the last change?

** Note – The same need to define ourselves in a new situation shows up when you are promoted from a team member to team lead when you get married or get divorced when you move to another country or start a new job.

Back to the formula round #2:

I found that the formula is a more straightforward tool to help teams and individuals redefine their way of being and doing in a time of change and what is missing for them to feel different.

So let's look at the formula again:

Do – our actions 

Be^3 – I broke the being energy into three main e’s

- emotions

• Do we experience negative emotions?

• Do we experience positive emotions?

• Do we feel overwhelmed with our feelings?

• Do we feel excited?

Our emotions impact our energy, thoughts, and mindset that will affect how we show up with our actions.

- expectations

• Our high or low expectations will influence our emotions and our actions.

- energy

• Is your energy is high or low?

  • Suppose your energy is high good news! You have momentum, and my recommendation for you is to go! Influence and inspire others to join your vision.

  • If your energy is low, you don't inspire. Inspiration comes from the phrase – in spirit, in light. When you don't inspire, you are missing the spark. Mostly it is because you lack connection and clarity with your purpose and vision, which makes it hard for people to follow or feel inspired by you. If you identify that this is your experience, ask help from your manager, a mentor, or a coach to better understand your why.

As with driving a car, each component in the formula –– from the gas handle to how much gas you have in the tank can impact how far the car can go. 

Back to the formula round #3:

Doing - When we push firmly with our actions, it doesn't mean that we will see the change we want faster. While we focus on activities, some people would feel that we run too fast; it could be that their emotions and/or expectations are not aligned with our vision, and therefore their energy is low. In this situation, the more people share the same energy, expectations, and emotions, the more chances they will slow us down. It will be helpful to address the Being of the system as I call it.

Being – when as a group of individuals we all share the same emotions about the change, we can move closer to drama or low energy, and this way, our ability to move into actions can be scarce.

When we understand the formula, it can create a language for us to share where we are and invite courageous conversations with each other.

Creating Awareness through Courageous Conversations:

People slow you down or trying to stop you when you lead a change? 
Invite a conversation to understand where they see a gap or have concerns, don't ignore their being energy.

Have you noticed most of the team thinking and slow to make decisions?
 This formula can give you the language and opportunity to invite the team to see that we are in our thoughts and being, and there is no much conversation to move to action.
A great place to start is asking the team: "What is one first step we can take with the data we already have?"

Have you noticed your team running fast, maybe even too quickly? Do you feel that it is hard for you to catch up with all the planning?
Take a moment to invite the team to lean back – doers don't like to slow down, but they like the invitation to take a moment and think through. Let me tell you a secret, even if it will be hard to admit - they love it, and I know because I am a doer ;-)

Remember, in each meeting and moment of the day, the room is filled with different emotions, thoughts, expectations, and energy; even from one meeting to another, you can find yourself being and doing differently.

To learn more about the change formula and how you can establish courageous conversations at your organization reach out to Noa Ronen. Noa enCourages leaders and their teams in companies that experience constant growth to challenge the way they think and communicate in the reality of constant change.