Disarming Yourself - the Power in Change

Disarming Yourself - the Decisive Force in Change

A billion-dollar project. Cost overruns in the millions, delays of years. The client calls me, hoping that I can achieve a radical turnaround. I can only initiate the change if I am equipped with the necessary skills. So, I take on the role of overall project manager. Some stakeholders welcome the change, while others show significant resistance from the start. With enthusiasm and the necessary empathy, I tackle the Herculean task. I reorganize, introduce new processes, and change team members where necessary. Unfortunately, the latter is unavoidable despite all the love. Thanks to united efforts, the project slowly takes a turn. However, within a larger construction consortium, resistance continues to grow. The typical symptoms of change management emerge: fear, doubt, resistance, lethargy, mutual attacks, and accusations. Even in a leading role as a project manager on a delicate mission, it can happen that I lose my nerves. After countless meetings using all my skills and knowledge, personal conversations, resource-oriented thinking, mental techniques, etc., still not reaching an agreement, I literally bang my fist on the table. But after a brief shock, the fronts harden immediately again. I regret my overreaction. Perhaps out of frustration, despair, or because I am losing momentum, I start to ease the pressure in subsequent meetings and finally dare to talk about my personal feelings: "I feel bad because...", "I am desperate because...", "I am sad...". It takes courage to make oneself vulnerable with such words and offer even more vulnerability, but it is genuine and precisely what brings about the great turnaround. Weeks after finally daring to speak about my own feelings, disarming myself literally instead of exerting artificial pressure by virtue of my position, the big turnaround comes. The partners finally come together and have the first constructive conversations in years, even willing to cooperate. What initially took me a lot of courage, namely disarming myself, is now proving to be the most powerful instrument for sustainable change. I often tell participants in my Solution Workshops, coaching sessions, and seminars: "Courage means bringing your light to shine brightly to move others with authenticity - and that includes emotions as well as the greatness of showing your edges, corners, and weaknesses." Find out more about disarming yourself here: http://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/andreas-dudas-global-leadership.html