The paradoxes inherent in change.
What are the paradoxes inherent here?
I’m not going to lie … being on Brené’s “let me send you a copy of my new book” list TOTALLY strokes my ego.
I got to know her a little before she became really well-known. I’ve had her on some of my pods, have been on hers, and she even asked me to write a blurb for an early book of hers.
(I’m just glad I didn’t do a Dick Rowe, and write the equivalent of “guitar groups are on the way out” as a reason for not signing The Beatles.)
Brené’s new book Strong Ground is the one most strongly aligned with organizational change, and I’m thrilled to see that one of the chapters is on paradox.
She references lots of people in the chapter, from Jim Collins talking about “the genius of the AND” to Richard Rohr’s idea of “the grace paradox” (we grow (spiritually) more by doing things wrong than by doing things right).
One of the quotes I immediately loved is from James March:
“Leadership is plumbing and poetry”
How about THAT as a challenge for the way you lead change? 🫣
The paradoxes I notice
Here are paradoxes I see showing up as I try to lead change. Or put another way, here’s where I find tension:
Doing change to people AND Doing change with people
Providing clear direction AND Running small experiments
Selling the benefits AND Pointing out the pain
Staying curious AND Wanting answers
Being optimistic AND Staying grounded in reality
Taking action AND Being patient and still
Fixing everything AND Letting some dumpster fires keep burning
Change as an event AND Change as a constant
Resolving paradox
“Enough with this BS tension! I want this awkwardness to end, please!”
(Or is that just me?)
Look, I know some of this is “sitting in the tension” of it. The most interesting paradoxes are probably not able to be resolved.
But “sitting in the tension of it” also feels quite passive.
So I have a few questions to more actively engage with the paradoxes that are showing up.
First, which pole of the paradox do I inherently think is more important? In other words, what’s my bias here? Knowing your personal preference, and knowing it’s a personal preference, not a universal truth, can be helpful.
Second, what choice would I actively make as to which one of the poles would best serve as a guide for this change process?
I’ve found a useful trick is to replace “AND” with “EVEN OVER.” It makes it clear what stand I’m taking in a difficult but useful choice.
So for instance, Not “Providing clear direction AND running small experiments” becomes (for me, most of the time) “Run small experiments EVEN OVER providing clear direction.”
Shades of Grey (and Gray)
It’s somehow appropriate that the colour of paradox has different spellings around the world.
If the answer seems clear and black and white, it’s possible you’ve misunderstood the question. 🙂
This is new thinking for me, so I’m curious to know how it lands with you. Do let me know, and let me know your favourite paradox too.
