We just got back from a networking event (the CLO Summit) held at a beautiful resort (The Lodge at Rancho Mirage). If you've been there before, tell me all about it because my experience was challenging at best!

It all started when our plane landed at the Palm Springs Airport. Looking out the window, I noticed someone patrolling with a gun. "That's odd," I thought and then I saw exactly what he was guarding: Air Force 1! At that point, the cool factor was still present (the President of the United States was in Palm Springs and I was looking at his airplane).

Unfortunately, the President of the United States was also staying at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. In case you're wondering, he doesn't travel alone. He has an entourage of advisors, secret service agents, and other handlers. They require their own rooms in the hotel. So whose room did they get? Mine! (Not to be completely self-absorbed: they bumped many people out of the hotel besides me.)

We were lodged 20 minutes away by shuttle van in a pleasant hotel. After one trip, however, the novelty of a long drive, waiting in line to be stopped and searched, and watching a scary-looking German Shepherd sniff vehicles for bombs wore off very quickly.

Every time the President left the resort or returned to the resort, the whole place was locked down. We stood clustered in little groups for up to an hour at times, hoping that we might at least get a glimpse of the leader of our country. That never happened. (I did see California Highway Patrol everywhere and lots of men in black suits with ear phones.)

Someone reported that she saw snipers on the roof. Someone else reported seeing the President's motorcade drive by. Another person reported the rumor that the President had extended his stay by another day. Someone else told me that President Bush was there to attend a political fundraiser that raised $2 million for the Republican Party. Someone else confidently assured us that, as conference guests, we had all been given a security check. Who knows if any of this was true?

I had plenty of time while waiting around to think about the impact of his presence. I compared the experience I was having with that of an employee inside a large organization experiencing a business change:

• I had no information, at first, about why I had to make the change.
  
• I was expected to patiently endure the affects of the change without complaint.
  
• The best (only) source of information seemed to be rumors and hearsay.
  
• When I finally received information, it was only about the mechanics of working around the inconvenience of my changed circumstances.
  
• I had very little power to make my circumstances better.
  
• I happily participated in passing along the rumors—it was a form of entertainment.

Here are some change management suggestions for managers in changing organizations to make it better for their employees:

• Provide as much information as quickly as possible about the reasons for the change.
  
• Acknowledge the negative consequences of change; allow people to vent their feelings.
  
• Give updates throughout the change to minimize people's reliance on the rumor mill (more communication, not less, when things are changing).
  
• Offer support and tangible benefits to counter the negative consequences.
  
• Empower people with resources and tools to make their circumstances better.
  
• Resist passing along hearsay and innuendo.

When we manage others through change, we would do well to remember that the balance of power often shifts. Few of us like to feel that we have little or no control over what's happening to us. Often the behaviors that stem from trying to regain control are not constructive.

If you're a manager, what actions do you recommend for helping people move smoothly through change? if you're an employee, what suggestions do you have for moving through change easily?

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 02:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In the middle of last week's web workshop on Managing Time in Fast Forward, I listened to myself sharing such delicious tidbits as:

1) The average executive wastes 6 weeks per year searching for misplaced information.
2) We are bombarded by information coming to us through multiple channels: snail mail, email, voice mail and instant messaging.

As I pontificated to a willing audience of seekers, I looked around my office and realized that if I didn't get control, I was doomed. I've been feeling like I was slowly sinking in a quicksand of poorly organized information: piles everywhere on my desktop (unfortunately, I have a pretty large surface area to pile stuff on) and a computer hard drive that is so packed with files that I'm now getting weekly notices to free up disk space.

There are some time management practices that I have integrated into my daily work pretty well: I keep only one electronic calendar on my desktop (not the two or three I used to have); I set weekly and monthly goals; and I keep a task list. I usually know where I'm supposed to be (most of the time) and actually get there on time (most of the time).

But, alas, when I'm working in high gear, I tend to pile, not file. At some point, those piles always get away from me! So on Saturday, I spent the day throwing out, reorganizing, cleaning and preparing myself for the continued growth of our business. I had the able assistance of my 6-year old who was thrilled to be responsible for recycling paper and putting new file labels on old file folders.

Ahhhhh.....here I sit in my pristine, well-organized office. Please check back with me in a couple of months to see if I've maintained my resolution to keep this place under control.

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Have you seen the cover of the April edition of Fast Company magazine? It features Josh Rushing, former Captain in the U.S Marines and now a host on Al Jazeera International. Besides the obvious fact that this man has gorgeous blue eyes and a steady, unflinching gaze, he has demonstrated incredible courage.

To get his full story, read the article in the April 2006 edition. I first "discovered" Rushing by watching the documentary Control Room produced by two student filmmakers from the American University in Cairo. Unveiled at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, it captured an earnest, compassionate man who was assigned to Al Jazeera as part of his job to manage the press at CentCom in Doha, Qatar. Once he returned to the U.S., Rushing was surprised to discover he had become a celebrity. He told an interviewer from The Village Voice, "I was really struggling because what I was seeing on the news was not what I saw over there."

At the film's premiere in New York he was ordered to refrain from speaking to the media. Quoted in Fast Company, he says, "When I couldn't speak, it took the story from the E1 section [entertainment news] to A1 [front page]." Ultimately, Rushing resigned his commission six months before his 20th anniversary, giving up his job, his pension, and his health insurance. He is becoming a host for Al Jazeera International, connected to Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language channel based in Qatar.

For this act of integrity, ethics and courage, he has been vilified by no less than Sean Hannity of Fox News (who pasted the caption "traitor" above his photo). (By the way, if you want to learn more about Al Jazeera, go to www.aljazeera.net NOT dot com.)

Standing up for what you believe, acting in alignment with a higher truth, striving to build a bridge between cultures—these are all character qualities I admire. I'll let Rushing have the final word as quoted at the end of the article:

"If this network and I personally could be some kind of conduit between America and the world—and the world and America—that would be 'mission accomplished.'"

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 01:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently my friend Rev. Dr. Kathianne Lewis gave me a copy of Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism by Patricia Aburdene. The subtitle on the book cover, Seven New Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live and Invest, certainly got my attention.

Take a look at some of the powerful ideas she expresses:

"The cornerstone of effective leadership is self-mastery. But that's exactly what's missing in business today. Lack of self-mastery is why so many business heroes wind up in court—if not the jailhouse."

She follows by saying, "The surest route to self-mastery is spiritual practice."

She is singing my song! I always tell aspiring entrepreneurs that if you want to get closer to God, start your own business. Running NetSpeed Leadership is one of my spiritual practices. I pray, meditate, and trust the Divine every day (actually several times a day). I prayerfully seek guidance when I need to make a decision, want to attract new clients, or get ready to deliver a web workshop. In short I work to transform myself personally while making an impact in the world.

Aburdene says, "The quest for spirituality is the greatest megatrend of our era." What a delight to discover that my approach to business is part of a trend that Aburdene predicts will reach a tipping point in the near future.

I'll be reading this fascinating book for a few weeks so you'll probably hear more from me on this subject. In the meantime, do these ideas inspire you? Do they reflect your own experience? What trends do you see?

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 01:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've had to make a number of tough choices in the past year and I find it is getting simpler (though not easier) to make them.

This week my husband and I decided to end an activity that has meant a lot to both of us: singing in our church choir. With great sadness, we said goodbye last night at our final rehearsal. My feelings over this decision probably mirror those of anyone who must choose between competing priorities.

On the one hand, I'm sad to leave a supportive community (It's an 80-voice choir!) and the joy of singing sacred, inspirational music; on the other hand, the pace of our lives has quickened lately and we are committed to spending more time with our children. Leaving our kids in the hands of a sitter while we rehearsed and performed somewhere else just didn't satisfy our priority of having a healthy family.

I've had to let employees go over the years and I've had a similar mix of competing emotions: sadness over ending the working relationship mixed with the confidence that it is best for me, for them, and the health of the company if they move on to a greater good. Leadership in life often involves the ability to identify competing priorities and make hard choices that ultimately benefit everyone involved.

One of my teachers, Angeles Arrien, speaks of the need to create honorable closure for these transitions. To close with grace, we communicate our appreciation for the lessons learned in the relationship, we acknowledge the good and the not-so-good experiences, we give thanks, and move forward without blaming a person or situation for the past.

For example, in my choir experience, I take ownership of my decision to leave the choir without blaming anyone for our struggles with child care. In releasing employees, I have learned to be truthful without demonizing or vilifying the employee in order to get them to move on. So here are some questions to consider:

Are there competing priorities in your life that need to be sorted out?
Is it time to release an activity or relationship that no longer serves you?
Can you communicate your needs and observations truthfully without blaming (demonizing or vilifying)?
Would making these choices create freedom and renewal?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, then it may be time to courageously make the tough choice to release the past and step forward into the future. It may not be an easy choice, but I hope it is a simple one.

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)