I recently heard the inspiring story of Major Chuck Yeager. For many people, Chuck Yeager is a true hero in the strictest definition of the word. Throughout his career, Yeager displayed distinguished courage and performed several extraordinarily brave deeds, although he only considered such acts as following his duty. Many people recognize Yeager as the first person to break the sound barrier, but that feat is only one of his many important achievements. Without a doubt, Yeager is the world’s most famous test pilot not only because of the records he set, but also because of his determination, his ability to remain calm in difficult situations, and his ability to quickly analyze problems and find a solution. He is one of the “toughest” pilots, both mentally and physically, in aviation history, and few have ever matched his piloting skills.
As I heard this remarkable story of bravery, pioneering, courage and determination, it reminded me that managing change and delivering change in any organisation, in many ways is like breaking the sound barrier. Often when we are delivering change in our organisations there are many barriers and obstacles to overcome. Sometimes they are both physically and mentally demanding and they certainly take a lot of courage, determination and patience to overcome. But there is one thing that any of us who may be effected by change have in common and that is the freedom to make our own decisions.
Chuck said that when he heard the reports of the conditions of the plane just before it was about to break the sound barrier, the pilots before him tried to slow down through fear. This, unfortunately lead to them crashing the plan, but he decided he wasn’t going to slow down but he was going to speed up. It was this decision and determination to bring a positive active mindset that enabled him to push through the barrier. We all have decisions to make, but when it comes to change management, often those decisions can be influenced by history and experience. Whether positive or negative our experience and history influence then, our mindset, therefore our actions and outcomes.
I recently challenged a large group of change champions, not to let our history dictate our decisions and our future but to inform our decisions to have a positive outcome. If we decide to have a positive mindset, we find that bringing people through change will be much easier and more productive rather than feeling like an onerous task. Most of us know the power of our mindset directly effects our physical health as well, so having that positive mindset, positive attitude can also have a positive effect on our physical health.
Another comparison I concluded from this story was that change delivery and management is very much like breaking barriers both from a cultural and system perspective. Change brings challenge in many ways, it brings new and different processes, new systems, and new ways of working. Most of these will be ground breaking for organisations embarking on their change journey.
So, the next time you are in a situation where change is on the agenda, remember Major Chuck, remember his determination, ingenuity, patience and mindset and ask yourself do I have the right mindset to give the best possible outcome? What barriers are we breaking as a result of the change and how can you positively influence them?
If you would like to know more about any aspect of this blog, whether it be change or mindset related please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you. You can email us: enquiries@empoweringpositivefutures.co.uk