Today I want to share with you a micro-aspect of change leadership. About how we can champion change relationally; in our daily interactions with others who are impacted by the change or needed to make the change happen. In working with many leaders seeking to create meaningful change in their organizations, I have found that most are pretty frustrated with people who question or seem to push back on the initiative at hand. It is important that leaders not get caught in a defensive posture, but remain open and flexible. For those of you matching that description (or who are working with leaders who do) it is helpful to recognize that concerns raised are simply unanswered questions. Nothing more, nothing less.

1. Information Concerns. What is it that you know, that if I knew I'd agree with the need for change and/or the direction and details of the change? I have noticed a tendency to "sell" the change which is different than having a conversation with stakeholders about why, why now, why this. Several examples from Switch highlight how to do this on a large scale (e.g., creating a tower of the different gloves being used to demonstrate the waste involved by not having one supplier), but that doesn't negate the reality of having to be on the look out for people who are raising concerns because they simply don't know what you know. The detective hat reminds us of those clues and our own path of discovery to reach our conclusions and can help us acknowledge and be patient with those who are needing to discover answers for themselves.

2. Personal Concerns. I don't know about you, but the popular radio station--WIIFM (What's In It For Me?)--doesn't seem quite so popular these days, especially in non-profit or faith-based organizations. Instead I am finding that personal concerns really have more to do with seeking the answer to different questions: Can I still succeed in this new reality? How is this going to impact me personally? The astronaut helmut helps us answer this for individuals by helping us identify those necessary conditions that will be maintained in the new reality (e.g., oxygen) and how we are going to support them in exploring in this new land with no gravity (e.g., suits and tethers). If we can't help valued stakeholders see how they can be successful in the new reality, we find ourselves in overt or covert battles for power.

3. Implementation Concerns. Once people have been given satisfactory answers to their informational and personal concerns the next questions involve the actual implementation of the change. Specifically, folks want to know: How is this really going to work? Where do I get help? Just like the blueprints created by artitects and funders are given to construction professionals, often our strategic plans are given to a wide-range of implementors. As the rate of environmental change increases, those blueprints can become out of sync with reality pretty quickly. Instead of wasting precious time perfecting the blueprint, I believe we need to empower implementators to figure out what modifications are needed in real time AND provide clear processes/procedures for where and when to get help.

 4. Impact Concerns. If you have answered the first three concern areas in a manner that creates POSITIVE energy, implementation concerns aren't emotionally loaded. If you haven't answered the first three concern areas well, you will see active opposition start to form. The questions are simple: Does this change make any real difference? Will it be worth it? The surgeon's perspective is useful to us at this stage as we seek to answer these questions. As we seek to describe the quality of life for the "patient" after the procedure we also describe the risk factors including the risk of not doing the procedure. It is important that as we are answering these questions we are reassuring, but not overly emotional. We don't want a salesman providing an explantion about the impact of using a fancy new drug or procedure, we want a cool professional assessment.

5. Collaboration Concerns. For wide-sweeping change initiatives, How do we get everyone involved? is an important question that must be addressed throughout the organization. And usually this is important to be answered in context. The coaches hat reminds us to play to our strengths, rally people around a common objective while helping them succeed in their particular role in order that they can be a positive contributor. This is different than buy-in, this is game time. It is about deciding where we need people to be functioning as coaches, where they are to be functioning as players, which players are assigned to which coaches and how coaches are to relate to one another. There is a lot of role confusion with many change initiatives. Clarifying the game plan and leaders of it is essential for tranforming this concern into commitment.

 6. Refinement Concerns. What happens if we need to make changes? Who gets to decide what changes are allowed? These questions are a cousin to the implementation concerns raised above, but are usually asked once the change is underway. Like an artist who has captured the idea on canvas, we need to be sure that folks are encouraged to from the same color palette (values and mission) to make needed changes and adjustments. Too often organizations stop short of filling the entire canvas or the necessary details because they haven't armed enough people with paint brushes, compatible pallets and berets! Much has been written about the need for adaptive change and the distinction between that and incremental change. Innovation is bigger than that and each change initiative needs to be raising up new innovative and creative leaders that will push us beyond the current change initiative and into the next one.

Transforming concerns to commitment with these six hats not only helps organizations build relationships but build innovative capacity.

The Love-Hat Relationship
by Aaron Belz

"We all come to this meeting wearing many hats; playing many roles. I'll bet there are many of you who come to this meeting with many ideas, questions and concerns. Let's get our heads on straight while we get to know one another a bit better. You'll see a pile of cards with drawing of hats on them. Please select the hat that best represents the spirit, energy and perspective you'd like to bring to this meeting as we discern what's next for this team. Then each of you will have 30 seconds to tell us your name, the many hats you wear and briefly why you chose the hat that you did."

I modeled what I would have them do so they got a sense of what the round of intros would look like. I gave them about 2 minutes to find a card and think about their intro. Then the fun and laughter began....

The anticipation and stress were almost palpable.

We started the meeting talking about all the roles they play and the importance of showing up to at this meeting with a "hattitude" that would help them be great ambassadors for the strategic plan team. Each person picked a hat from the One Hat At A Time deck and shared the hat and the why with the group as a whole.

There were several coach hats to keep the focus on everyone getting equipped to get in the game, several high-risk hats (cowboy, parachute, firefighter) that acknowledged the thrill, danger and risk in doing something new. Some chose the artist's beret as a reminder of the powerful force of co-creation. Still others chose  astronaught/diving hats to emphasize the thrill and history-making opportunity that comes with exploration of new terrains.

The next time you show up to a big opportunity, choose your hattitude with intention!

• Is there something like a thorn to stem ratio built into my DNA?
• Are my defense mechanisms organic and triggered by growth?
• Or are they triggered by something else (e.g., fear, loss of control, etc.)?

Intuitive impulses that warn us of danger or make us suspicious are an example of one kind of organic human defense mechanism. This wariness can help us mitigate threats by crafting new solutions or it can shut us off from possibility. Sometimes our intuitive sense tells us to avoid the very situations where our next lessons and breakthroughs lie.

If you are facing a decision and one choice seems to send up intuitive red flags, ask: What would it take for me to say "yes"? Collect these answers and watch some new possibilities emerge which allow you to smell the roses without getting pricked too badly by the thorns.

Until then, I've decided to provide information and food for thought in this space. Please let me know if you receive any junk mail from (nonsense)@onehatatime.com from this time and date forward.

Thanks for your understanding and patience!

We wish you a season of peace and wonder as we prepare ourselves for another new year.

Play on!

When Holidays Become Horrid Days, Change Your Hat!

When the holiday season finds you overwhelmed and out of sorts, the best gift of all might be a new hat.

No, we're not talking about keeping your ears warm. The hats that can help keep you sane and even jolly are perspectives that are always available to you.

Your list of to-do's makes you feel like jumping off a cliff? Try putting on a climber's hat and focus on finding your next foothold. Even though the terrain looks tricky, one pull at a time will get you through it.

Too many out-of-the-ordinary demands on your time and energy? Control the chaos by calling on your inner police officer. What rules and boundaries do you need to maintain and uphold to keep yourself from climbing the walls?

Dissatisfied that what you've planned and bought doesn't seem like enough? The chef's lofty hat reminds you that you have the power to transform the mundane into the magnificent. How can you personalize, spice up and present whatever you have to give this season, so as to create wonderful moments and memories?

Feeling that family togetherness is overrated? When the behavior of the kids or the in- laws or your sister is driving you round the bend, shine up your trusty halo. Step into the light, where you can see past the irritating trait. How you can infuse the situation with some positive energy? What petty stuff is getting in the way of living each hour to the fullest?

A little blue because the season seems like all work and no wonderment? Go for the beanie with the propeller on top. Let go of having to make it "right" and approach every situation as if it was brand new. Ask how, why and what if. Allow yourself to be amazed.

The Farmer's perspective is one of operating in sync with nature and natural laws. Wearing this hat, we know that the tomatoes won't ripen until July no matter when we put the plants in. From this point of view, we understand that we need to cultivate the soil, or nothing will grow well.

Reach for the Farmer's hat when:

• You're trying to rush something into bearing fruit, when it may need time to develop roots underground.
• You're seeing projects -- and even people -- as objects to managed and maneuvered, instead of as living, growing entities.
• You're trying to control it all, when you need to remember that not everything is in your control.
• You feel like you are fighting to make things happen or your environment isn't supporting the results you really want.

Compared to a century ago, very few people today are fulltime farmers. Yet the more speeded up and stressed out we become, the more we need the wisdom that tells us that we and our work are deeply entwined with our environment. The more time we spend in front of screens, the more we need the deep refreshment of seasonal change and variety. The more we strive to do too many things at once, the more we need to discern, what is it time for?

It may be time to be grounded and grateful.

Whatever your tradition, wherever you call home, Happy Thanksgiving

Container Gardening

Are you feeling like your life resembles a jungle more than a garden? Do you feel like the weeds and vines are winning? Whether your weeds come in the form of emails, papers, emergencies or errands we'd like to share a secret for creating gardens that flourish.

1. Define containers for the top roles you play. Too often we allow our roles to smear together which allows plenty of room for weeds. Start by identifying those roles that are most important and that would benefit from intentional gardening. The container is defined by purpose (what am I seeking to create in this role) and time (how many hours a week do I want/need to devote to this purpose?) My favorite hats for this task include the captain's hat and the royal crown

2. Transplant only the important things first. Now that you've defined your containers, it is time to make some decisions about what to put in it. Some find it useful to don the surgeon's cap or the detectives hat at this stage to help keep the "shoulds" out of the picture.

3. Farm one container at a time. Lots of stress and dropped balls happen in the juggling act otherwise known as multitasking. Strap on the mountain climber's hat or the miner's hat to help keep focus on the task at hand.

4. Celebrate progress. Put on the beanie or artist's beret to help savor each stage for what it is instead of dwelling on how far away from the ultimate objective it is. Have you ever rejoiced in uncovering a gorgeous plant after an hour of weeding or do you tend to be frustrated with the weeds that remain? Put on the party hat or graduation hat and celebrate what you've accomplished.

One of the best things about container gardens is that you can move them around to adjust the amount of light they are getting AND there is very little room for weeds! One Hat At A Time momentum cards can help assist you with container gardening and much more.

Play on!

...They Will Come

No wonder Bob the Builder is such a hit with the sandbox set. The Construction hat is down-to-earth, action-oriented headgear that makes things happen. This is the perspective that gets visions and plans out of our heads and into the larger world. It's the can-do attitude and practical skill we call on to fix problems, create new structures, and implement change.

Wearing your hard hat, you'll often notice that before you can build something new it may be necessary to demolish what is already in that space. Or -- as this truth is sometimes expressed -- the forgetting curve can be equally as important as the learning curve.

What structure are you ready to strengthen? Your yellow hard hat provides a constructive point of view when:

• You're resolved to remodel your career, your business and/or your life
• You're rolling up your sleeves to tear down some walls (or constricting compartments or obstructive boundaries)
• You are fearful about the fallout from some action you have taken, or are about to take.
• You've fiddled enough with the blueprint, and now it's time to develop the product, write the book, tackle the project or launch the business.

Don't forget that your Construction hat has a protective function that enables you to venture out amongst the debris. Your hard hat can give you a healthy take on destructive forces and potentially devastating setbacks. Your inner builder knows that fires and hurricanes happen, and that "why me?" is not a useful response. Grab your tools and get out there. See what's solidly standing, and go from there.

What's In Your Toolbox?

Ever notice what happens when someone gets a hold of a really neat tool? They try and use it as often as possible (thus the expression: whenever you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail). Perspectives and tactical approaches can fall into the same trap.

Do you have all the tools that you need to do your craft? What tools in your toolbox are in need of sharpening? What tools are being over-used? What tools do you wish you knew how to use more effectively? One Hat At A Time momentum cards contain a collection of perpectives that help individuals expand their toolboxes effortlessly.

Take our 27-day tool-sharpening challenge:

1. Shuffle your deck of One Hat At A Time momentum cards.
2. Place these cards on your nightstand or dresser.
3. Upon waking draw a card from the top of the pile.
4. Take 10 minutes to read the back of the card and reflect on all the shifts it represents for you (if you journal, you may want to journal on these shifts at the beginning and/or end of your day).
5. "Wear" the hat all day; apply the perspective shifts as you go about your tasks.
6. At the end of the day, "take off" the hat and put the card on the bottom of the deck.
7. Repeat the process, drawing a new card each day.

By the end of 27 days you will not only have sharpened up your tools but probably discovered some new ones you didn't even know that you had.