Reflecting on one year as a consultant with Change2020 has been a happy experience… it’s hard to believe that it’s ‘only’ been 12 months.
For me the year has reinforced that the greatest learning we have is from each other. Although the opportunity in change is immense, the pathway to delivering outcomes is often complex. The only true formula to successful change is to drive broad ranging, relentless engagement and to be responsive to these discussions. I call it the change within the change, and successful change leaders are agile and recognise this nuance. Having worked with clients willing to adopt this mindset as part of transformational change has been to see genuine partnership, collaboration and courage. To shape a program and implement at the right time, with the right level of emotional investment, is a two-way process that involves a balance of intuition, judgement and ongoing adaptation. It is also an investment in trust and this is fundamentally the central premise of partnering in change.
Embrace ambiguity. The creation of this new Change2020 vision has been a very exciting development in our journey over the past 12 months. Embrace ambiguity is the essence of who we are as change consultants, but also much more than that. It’s the world we live in, the business context we operate within and a shared awareness amongst the people we talk with each day. To be able to genuinely live this vision is, for me, everything to do with leadership, change, strategy and engagement. Ultimately in any change program there are essentially a set of variables and a set of values – marrying the two together is the currency of change management and it’s not straightforward. To build the Embrace Ambiguity vision is the greatest opportunity in change for any organisation and one that we look forward to continuing to evolve.
Over the last year I have also met some truly fantastic people who have joined the Change2020 team and it has been inspiring to see our numbers double in size. These individuals bring diversity and perspective, and the exciting aspect has been the immediate alignment with our vision and values, and the collective recognition and connection that this has provided. These individuals live our story and talking about it really has been a lot of fun. (NB: We couldn’t do what we do without all of you).
Everything Change2020 does aligns with its core values and it drives a proposition that is focused on relationships and delivery. This is a point of difference that is very exciting and rewarding. It provides a working environment that genuinely respects and invests in individuality, and this has been the biggest change for me – to appreciate true authenticity.
To see change delivered is the ultimate learning experience as a consultant. The past year has reinforced that to listen, learn and adapt as needed is essential and, above all, just keep it real. Here’s to the next twelve months of working with amazing team members, clients, new clients and collaborators – and to embracing ambiguity.
