So, I tell people I like change, well, I tell people I like change in my professional life. And I do, I’ve become accustomed to change professionally, but admittedly, am less of a fan of personal change. I also know that I like change when I am in control of it, and when I have time to get ready for it.
Today.
Today is about change for me, my company, my vision, my way forward. It is about changes in how the ‘I’ becomes ‘us’ and the ‘me’ becomes ‘we’. It is being vulnerable, being anxious, being excited, and being joyful.
For the last nine months I, along with some of our team, have been working on a new website. Don’t get me wrong, I love my current website, but the time came for us to communicate how the ‘I’ became ‘us’ and the ‘me’ became ‘we’. It’s time to share with our clients, potential clients, colleagues, friends, and family, a refined medium to communicate who we are, what we do, why we do it, and how we can do what we do to help you do what you want to do.
There has been a lot of thought put into colours, words, links, buttons, motion, more words, pictures, speed, and yet more words.
And even though I have been in charge of this change from the get-go, I find myself a bit anxious about hitting the launch button for our new site. My anxiety stems from that the little voice inside my head that knows me so so well is louder than usual, more on point than I remember, and seemingly smarter than I recall. The other thing I know is that voice is shared among entrepreneurs, and that at a recent Entrepreneur Bootcamp where I participated as an Advisor, all the folks I met with were experiencing the same thing. A strong voice and the ‘what if’ storm.
You know the one where you are bombarded by the what if this, and the what if that – scenario after scenario. You consider them, trash some, keep others which then grow into fears or worries which of course, produce anxiety. Here is where the tickle trunk of all the things anyone has ever said to you about why you can’t, why you won’t, and why you are not good enough comes into play.
But here is the truth, I can, I will, and yes, I am even good enough. The other truth is – so are you. And that is the truth because, besides being in charge of my new website, and company, I am also in charge of that little voice in my head.
It is important to note two things; one is that if I’m in charge of this change and I find it a bit nerve wracking, what would it mean to my team, my staff, my stakeholders? Considering I have all the information and even though I believe I have shared it, maybe I haven’t shared it all, or enough times? The second thing is that if they are anxious it can mean that they care, and caring is good. Now, they might only care about the impact on themselves, or they might care about the impact on the company, or better yet, they care about the impact on themselves and the company. Either way it’s a good indication that they are invested, so you can work with that.
Change is hard for any organization, project, company, or family. The key isn’t to avoid the change, I believe, it is to:
- Design the change – build the foundation by creating and sharing the new vision. Back that up with why you need a new vision at all, and why this new vision is important to the health of the company. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
- Enable the change – here is where you help your team understand their role in the change, and then you let them perform that role. And when they take ownership they will share their thoughts more freely, of what isn’t working and why or what can be made better and why. Empower them in the change.
- Trigger the change – feel good about your plan and when the time is right, or as right as it can be, pull the trigger. Look for your metrics (you should have some of these on your radar) and be prepared to celebrate the successes born by your change. Relax, enjoy, celebrate.
Special shout out to the people who helped me make these changes: Jason Esteban, Linda Fiechter, James Chambers, Jackie Boucher, Caroline Thompson, Kenji Rodriguez, Angie Hebert, Cory Gross, Sheri Piecuch Vyfvinkel, Bonnie Nay-Draper, Bob Lawrence, and Ross Robinson. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that life is a community event, thank you all for being part of my community, for believing in me and this…
Here we go, we are up and we invite you all to visit our new swishy website where we tell you all about us, or at least one very special part of the ‘us’ that makes the ‘we’.
Click here to find labuick.co
Faster. Higher. Stronger.