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Typically, when an organization wants to make large, dramatic or fundamental changes in the way they operate, and they have trouble or simply can’t do it themselves (due to lack of available personnel, not enough expertise, or whatever), they usually call in a consultant.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here (sound of limb cracking ominously) and say that generally speaking, all consulting engagements consist of the same basic steps. It generally doesn’t matter if it’s a financial institution or a manufacturing facility, a new customer service initiative or an improvement in process throughput; they’re all the same.

So what exactly are these mysterious steps? I thought you’d never ask!

Step 1: Visualize the Future

Most consulting gigs begin when a client identifies some condition they’d like to change, typically followed by a vision of where they’d like to be in relation to it. This vision may be prompted by financial considerations, operational issues, or possibly the CEO’s attack of indigestion. (The truth is, there’s almost always room for improvement.) Whatever the case, the client has presumably given it some thought and decided they want to move from one condition to another.

It’s important to note; that future state is likely a bit nebulous at this point. That’s because it hasn’t been completely thought through yet (hence, the need for help). But at least there’s a vision; that’s the starting point.

Step 2: Perform an Assessment

Once the consultant becomes involved, the first thing they usually do is assess where exactly the client is (in relation to where they want to be). In accordance with the vision as it currently stands, the assessment usually consists of a series of interviews with appropriate personnel, along with the collection of pertinent historical data.

This provides that critical point of reference (the “you are here” spot). See, no improvement is possible without knowing where you are first; it’s just the way it is. This is also where specific elements that must be changed get identified. These are usually called Key Progress Indicators (KPI’s), and will be the means of measuring progress later during the implementation.

Step 3: Conduct a Gap Analysis

OK; once the KPI’s are identified, the idea is to define the differences between the future state of each KPI and the current state. That gives you the “gap”. Now the client knows exactly how much improvement is required, and the consultant can build a plan that will (if they did their job correctly), get them there.

It’s important to identify all the KPIs that are pertinent to the expected change; no more and no less.

Step 4: Create an Implementation Plan

The implementation plan is a detailed list of steps required to move every KPI from point A to point B. Unfortunately, this is where most consulting gigs come to a grinding halt (sound of grinding halt). For instance (assuming the plan is a good one), making the change turns out to be bigger than the client thought at first (a not unusual discovery) and they become nervous about expending that much money, time, or resources.

There may also be other factors at play as well; outside influences, uncertainties in the market, etc. Alas, way too many implementation plans end up as a nice set of binders on a shelf somewhere, gathering dust instead of doing what they’re supposed to do: foster improvement.

Step 5: Implement the Plan

Finally, the plan now created gets put into place. A famous quote comes to mind here: “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” Although often attributed to Patton or Eisenhower, it was actually Helmuth von Moltke who is first credited with the saying (although I’m sure every commander since time began has had a similar thought!)

In any case, no truer words were ever spoken! The thing to remember about implementation plans is they must be detailed enough for easy execution, but flexible enough for modification when necessary (notice I said when, not if).

Step 6: Monitor and Correct as Needed

Although called a “step” this one is really a continuous action. Once implemented, presumably conditions have improved to match the future envisioned at the beginning and detailed during the project. However, it’s important to keep an eye on things since there are always a few (or many) things that get missed and/or need to be “tweaked” a bit.

Think of it as a “living program” that goes back and constantly compares the KPI’s to make sure the improvement is “permanent”. Eventually, the future state becomes second nature, and then it’s time to start thinking about yet another improvement… and thus, the beat goes on.

C’mon, Make It Personal

You know, what’s really amazing is these steps aren’t just for big corporations; they can be almost universally applied to any growth or improvement, whether you’re dealing with a large organization or (and here is where it really gets good) a single individual (that’s you!)

I know, I know; there’s bound to be a few skeptics out there. And right about now you may be sayin’ to yourself, “OK, Mr. Smarty Pants, can it really be that easy? What if I want to… write a novel? Or learn to fly (an airplane, that is - if you want to learn to fly like Superman, well, you’ll have to check with Jor-El), or otherwise change my life in large, dramatic and/or fundamental ways?”

Well, first of all, please note that I did not say it was easy! Simple - maybe - but in consulting, as in life, execution is everything. Second, I’m here to tell ya; you absolutely can use these steps to accomplish pretty much anything that’s actually, you know, possible. (However, if you want to do something that’s genuinely not possible, it’s like I said: you’re on your own, Bubba!)

About the only prerequisites to move yourself from point A to point B are 1) the desire to make a change, and 2) the motivation you’ll need to stick with it until it’s done.

So how would you implement a major change in your life? How would you translate those steps above into something useful for you? What would you add or change?

(Image credit: A friend of mine dropped this comic on my desk some time ago. It’s from a Dilbert desk calendar, but I have no idea what the date is, although the year appears to be 2003. Or 2005. Or maybe 3002.)

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

… assuming, of course, you’re goin’ somewhere…

[Note from the Proprietor: As you can see, this is part 1 (obviously) of a short series on the topic of Big Change. Part 2 is, as they say in the movies, “coming soon”.]

How do we get where we’re going, anyway? Come to think of it; how do we get anywhere?

Oh, sure; we make plans all the time - map out strategies, set goals, etc., etc., ad nauseum. But what if the goals you set are a bit too big to accomplish all in one go? What do you do? Move on to something else? Give up? What?

[I heard this story a while back from a fellow who claims it actually happened. Being a somewhat trusting soul, I believed him; after all, he IS a consultant. Er, come to think of it, so am I. In any case, it makes a great point. Trust me.]

Some time back, Don (the name has been changed, not to protect his identity, but because - the ol’ brain cells bein’ what they are these days - I can’t remember it *sigh*) had an important appointment at a small manufacturing facility somewhere in the mountains of central Tennessee. The nearest airport was Memphis (located on the western end of the state), which meant he’d have to drive for some distance through unfamiliar territory.

He did his best to prepare, getting directions and downloading maps of the area. Thus, when he arrived, he headed out with confidence. Unfortunately (as so often happens in life), and despite the helps, he took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and managed to get himself completely lost.

Anyway, after driving around for a while without another car in sight (somehow, he managed to get on some obscure back road), he finally came across a small wood-framed house on the side of the road. An old man sat on the front porch in a somewhat weather-beaten rocking chair, puffing away at a corncob pipe.

With some relief, Don pulled up to the house and got out of the car.

The old man took his pipe out of his mouth and blew a huge cloud of smoke. “Howdy, young man,” he said amiably. “Kin ah he’p ya?”

Don pulled out his map and joined the old fellow on the porch. “I hope so,” he replied. “I wonder if you can tell me where I am?” Together they spent some time looking at the map. Alas, it turned out the old fellow couldn’t read very well; he wasn’t much help.

“If ya don’t mind my asking,” the man finally said, “where ya goin’? There ain’t much up in these here parts worth visitin’, less’n yer a hunter.”

Don told him, “I’m looking for the XYZ facility; I have an appointment there in about an hour. I tried using my cell phone, but these mountains block the reception and I can’t get through to anyone.” [Note: the XYZ facility makes alphabet soup.]

The old man looked at him in surprise. “Oh, ah know that place,” he said. “Ah kin tell ya how to get there.” [OK; I made that up about the soup.]

Well, at least he didn’t say, “you can’t get there from here”, Don thought to himself. Aloud he said, “Great! I’d appreciate the help. Just let me get something to write on and I’ll be right back.”

The man quickly replied, “No need fer that, son; it’s ra’ht easy.” He stood up and used his pipe to point back the way Don had just come. “Ya take that thar’ road and ya go three C’s until ya come to a crossroads. Then ya go left fer one C and yer there.”

Don just looked at him blankly. “Three C’s? Gee, that’s a new one on me. How far is a C?”

The old fellow smiled. “Oh, that’s right; ya ain’t from around here. Well, young feller, a ‘see’ means ‘as fer as ya kin see’. So what ya do is, ya get on this here road, and when ya get to the top of that thar’ hill - well, as fer as ya kin see is what we call a see.” He looked at him and smiled. “Ya see?”

Comprehension dawned. “Ah, I get it. If I do that three times, turn left and do it once more, I’ll be there, right?”

“Yep,” the old man replied, sitting back down and reinserting his pipe. “Good luck,” he added, resuming his rocking.

Don thanked the man, got back in his car, and drove off, still harboring his doubts. But since he had no better ideas, he decided to follow the old man’s suggestion. To his amazement, three ridges later he spotted a crossroads ahead. Turning left and topping the next ridge, he was gratified to see the facility he’d been searching for about a half mile away.

That old fellow knew what he was talking about after all! He made his appointment with time to spare.

Long Story; Short Point

If you’ve set yourself a big, hairy, audacious goal (that’s a BHAG, don’cha know), then good for you! Having at least one going at any given time can be a good thing; it helps to keep you from getting too __________ (pick one or both: comfortable, complacent).

The only thing, though; BHAGs can be a mite overwhelming, if you know what I mean. Consequently, you can’t just finish ‘em off in one single step. Hey, I understand perfectly; it’s the nature of the beast.

For instance, let’s say you… want to write a book. (I’d say that certainly qualifies as a BHAG.) Now, would you immediately sit down and start to write? Of course not! (Unless, of course, it was for NaNoWriMo.) That’s because writing a book takes planning, outlining, research, etc, right? Most BHAGs are like that.

So what to do?

Well, you have to break the BHAG down into easily achievable steps. Take the excellent advice of our unknown mountain man: just go for a ‘see’. Once you get that far, go for another - then another. Don’t worry so much about the big, hairy, audacious part; just concentrate on getting to the top of that next ridge. Then rinse and repeat as needed. I think you’ll find that as you accomplish each little step, then what to do next usually becomes obvious, while the rest of them kinda line themselves right up for you! Pretty cool, actually.

So how about it, folks? Let’s say I’ve got a big ol’ BHAG right here in front of me (actually, it’s the one I used as an example up there: I’d like to write a book), and I’m having some trouble getting started. Hey, I’m listenin’; what would your advice be?

[As I mentioned at the top there; this is Part 1; stay tuned for Part 2!]

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

(Note: Click on the photos for larger views.)

You know, we hear an awful lot about teams, teamwork, and how the power of teams can sometimes even be greater than the sum of its parts. But my questions are these: How do you know when your team is effective? And so what? What’s the power of an effective team?

So rather than present yet another list of tips (2,973 tips to simplify your team-building) or illustrate lessons learned (What I learned when my team abandoned me in the wilderness) or even to tell you how to build one (How NOT to build a team). Naah (sound of buzzer); why don’t we just muse a bit today. (Hey, it’s what we do here, right?)

Well, (and I’m sure you knew this was coming) I remember this time…

Too many years ago than I like to remember, I attended summer school at Texas A&M University. I’m tellin’ ya, they used to have the most spectacular weather I’ve ever seen. (Hmm… come to think of it, I suppose they, er, still do!)

Periodic summer thunderstorms that rolled through the area were practically legendary in their intensity. Particularly impressive were the lighting storms, and it wasn’t unusual to see magnificent lightning displays - and yet not get a single drop of rain.

I remember one time especially well. Oh, it wasn’t one of those brilliant flash/crashing thunder kinds of storms, though (although we had plenty of those!) No, this one was a different sort altogether.

It was a dark and stormy night (well, it was!) and the air was surprisingly still. At about 10 p.m., the temperature was a bit sultry, but without being too unpleasant. An unbroken ceiling of cloud had curtained the sky that afternoon, and was now hovering low like a big, soft weight; campus lights reflected gently from their bellies in a softly pink glow. The still, quiet evening had a subtle, almost surreal feeling to it.

Plenty of lighting decorated the clouds that night, but strangely, not a hint of thunder. No, it was all distant, partially-hidden flashbulbs popping, as if Heaven’s own paparazzi were doing their thing somewhere above the cloud deck.

For much of the evening it was mostly random flashes; sometimes close together, occasionally spread from horizon to horizon. But every now and then they lit up entire sections of the sky at once, momentarily turning the clouds into bright, grey-white cotton candy.

In fact, the display was so spectacular, people started coming out of their dorms and setting up chairs and blankets, just to watch the show. For about an hour or so, it was flash…FLASH… flashflash…flash…FLASHflash…; God entertained us with an amazing display of light, dark, and silence.

Gradually I noticed something interesting. As the evening wore on, it seemed that larger and larger sections of the sky would light up at once. At first, it was just one small section over here; then over there. Eventually almost a quarter of the sky was flashing at one time. It was truly phenomenal, as if lightning bolts all across the sky were learning to synchronize themselves.

Finally, there was this one moment… this one spectacular moment when, as if on cue, the entire sky silently and brilliantly lit up all at once - FLASH!!! Wow!

It was absolutely breathtaking! There were surprised and appreciative reactions of wonder and amazement from most of the other nearby students as well (who by now numbered in the hundreds). A few even started clapping! I’ll never forget that night as long as I live.

And you know what? That’s exactly what happens when a team really starts clicking!

I remember seeing a TV documentary about lightning, and they showed videos of a nighttime storm over the U.S. as viewed from the Space Shuttle. Incredible! One of the more interesting phenomena (it’s still not clearly understood) is how each lightning bolt has a tendency to trigger others throughout the cloud.

But what’s amazing is that sooner or later there may be a moment when the whole storm seems to “hit it” at exactly the right moment, and WHAM! you get a brilliant display of light over a tremendous area.

And that’s the power of an effective team!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

OK, I’ve been prognosticating a lot lately about goals, motivation, taking a leap, etc., and in the meantime painting a somewhat rosy picture of life as it could, and perhaps should, be. So… by now you’ve considered everything and finally decided to go for it. Great!

BUT (and note; that’s a BIG “but”!) what happens when you hit those (sound of terrified screaming) inevitable bumps in the road?

Like, for instance, that surreal encounter last week with the World’s Most Irrational Customer. Or, that time your computer choose the worst possible moment to have a hissy fit (which is something like a tizzy, but… more so) and eradicate your customer files. Maybe you accidentally transposed a couple of digits on your phone number before you had your business cards printed, and now people are getting Joe-Bob’s Discount House of Meat instead of you.

In other words (warning! metaphor alert!), you’re blithely flying along when, with no warning whatsoever, something takes the wind right out from underneath you?

A few of you may remember this - aside from my day job as a Consultant, I have my own business on the side with a company called Ignite (it’s quite amazing; we show folks how they can earn residual income from their energy bills). Our annual convention was in Dallas this past weekend, and lemme tell ya; it was quite the shindig! (Despite the, er, rather tempestuous weather that sorta stomped through the area.)

During one session, a 29-year Sr. Captain for American Airlines (who, after three years, also happens to be one of our top money-earners) was explaining that a lot of people ask him why he started an Ignite business. For his answer, he shared this story…

Come Fly With Me!

Ever had one of those mornings? Recently he and his copilot had something of an adventure on a flight from Dallas to, er, somewhere (sorry; can’t remember!).

Upon receiving clearance, he pushed the throttles forward and the aircraft smoothly started its roll. Unfortunately, as they reached “rotate” speed (which by the way, is well past the “point of no return”), one of their two engines began losing power. Needless to say, this is not a good time for that to happen!

Anyway, as they left the ground, he and his copilot calmly managed to correct for it (all those years of experience count for something!) by pushing that engine’s throttle nearly all the way forward. After a moment or two, everything seemed to be OK, so like many similar incidents, they didn’t bother mentioning it to the, er, passengers. (Besides, it’s not something I’d want to know!)

However, as they reached about 700 feet of altitude, the right-hand engine suddenly let loose with four loud bangs: BANG… BANG… BANG…….. BANG! (Kinda hard to hide that from the passengers!)

He looked at his copilot and told him, in a remarkable bit of understatement,“That’s not good!”

Well, after nothing further happened, they continued to climb - until they encountered severe wind shear! (For those who don’t know, wind shear is a sudden sideways movement of air. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? But wind shear can completely eliminate the lift beneath an aircraft’s wings. Exceedingly dangerous at the wrong moment - like, during takeoff.)

Almost immediately, the plane dropped like a stone for a few seconds (several hundred feet), tossing anything loose into the air (luckily everybody was still buckled in!) After a few seconds, though, they got through it and proceeded to flight altitude. Whew!

He looked over at his copilot and said, “This never happens at my Ignite meetings!”

The Perils of Pauline

The thing is, when it comes to any endeavor, you just have to expect a few glitches to appear. It’s like death, taxes, and loss of hair; they’re pretty much inevitable. Stuff just has a way of happening no matter how well you’ve planned, schemed, or prayed. Life is like that, you know?

So what you gotta do, see (you have to use your Jimmy Cagney “gangster voice” here for the full effect), is make sure you’re prepared, see? And as usual, see, it’s not in the planning, see, it’s in the execution. See? (OK, you can stop now. Please.)

I think this guy’s story is a perfect example of how “things happen”, and we can learn how to handle them by dissecting it a bit and taking note of a few things. These are not necessarily in any particular order of importance (although some are obviously preliminaries to others).

Take care of the preliminaries first. Although this point is merely implied by the story, it’s still an extremely important point. There’s a lot to do before you actually get to the starting point of any journey. Research, planning, brainstorming… and that’s just to decide whether you’re going to get out of bed! (I’m kidding… right?) You can’t afford to skimp on this stuff, either - it’s the foundation of whatever you want to accomplish!

Apply the power and commit! (May you never grow tired of hearing that!) I remember seeing a poster in the production office of an Atlanta automobile manufacturing plant that read, “Sooner or later there comes a time when you have to shoot the engineers and start production.” As an engineer, it gave me pause… but as a human being, well, I understood the sentiment perfectly! There comes a time when you’ve planned enough and it’s just time to go. (This one’s for you, Joanna!

Stay focused. As you launch yourself into the wild blue yonder, remember to keep in the forefront of your brain the reason you’re doing this in the first place (your motivation, or your “why”). In the Bible, the apostle Paul used the metaphor of a race, admonishing us to “keep our eyes on the prize” at all costs. As long as you have that end state in mind, if something happens to distract you, it will always be the compass that puts you back on course.

React as quickly as possible. When something happens (and it will!), don’t procrastinate, search for blame, assume it’ll fix itself, or do any other of a hundred things that will keep you from taking care of it right away. Trust me; the longer you wait, the harder it will be to deal with later. It’s like regular dentist’s visit; they’re no picnic, but they sure beat losing all your teeth!

Have a support system in place. On any flight, both the pilot and copilot are fully occupied with the operation of the aircraft. I mean, it’s a somewhat complex piece of equipment, wouldn’t you say? Who’s to say your endeavor isn’t any less important? Surround yourself with folks who can serve as mentors, sounding boards, and sometimes just provide a word of encouragement. You’ll be glad you did - and you’ll go much farther, too.

Don’t let down your guard. It never fails, right? Just when you get one little challenge taken care of, yet another one - or three - pops up on the radar (or in your lap). See items #3 & 4 - keep focused and be ready to take care of it (or them) with no hesitation.

Be prepared to own up. Many times, challenges arise and are dealt with in such a way that nobody else even knows something’s up. But there are those times… Hey, there are at least a bazillion examples of politicians, celebrities or sports figures (and possibly even that person in the mirror) who didn’t own up to an issue, only to have it get far worse than it would have been if they had just admitted it to begin with, right?

Don’t stop! Sometimes, even if everything is going just peachy keen (which is a euphemism for swell), circumstances beyond your control will sneak up on you and simply knock the wind out from under your wings - just for the fun of it. Er, so to speak. What do you do, give up? Absolutely not! (Sound of fist banging on desk!) No, you keep going! You have to remember the plain and simple fact that it’s only a localized effect. Get past it (and don’t forget the corollary: learn from it) and everything will most likely be fine. (If that’s not enough, go back to steps #3, 4 & 5.)

Finally, if you’ve done all the above faithfully, and things just continue to go wrong no matter what you do…

Rethink your goals. It’s no shame to try something and fail (although you, like me, have likely been raised to think that way.) The fact is, despite the best planning and intentions, well, not every goal is necessarily achievable. (For instance, after considerable soul-searching, I have finally come to the disheartening realization that *sigh* I’ll never be a spaceman.) Maybe there are other, more worthy goals out there for you to aim for. Lots of great achievers can relate to that!

Rethink your strategy. OK, you’ve re-evaluated your goals and still think they’re right for you. Then you need to rethink your strategy for achieving them. Try a different approach. Think outside the duodecahedron (sorry, no boxes here!) Find a way. For most achievable goals, there are as many ways to get there as there are… people who reach them. It’s up to you to find it!

So what do you say? I’m sure there are other tips you might be thinking of as well. Got any good examples of the above items you care to share with us?

Why not contribute to the General Body of Knowledge here at the Zone and put them in the comment box?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Two things about change are well known:

• As a rule, people hate change, and
• Change is inevitable

It’s ironic, huh? That the one thing pretty much everybody is universally adverse to - is impossible to avoid? (Ironic, as you know, is an ancient Arabic expression that means made entirely of iron.)

But am I correct in thinking it’s really not change that’s so hard to deal with; it’s the fear of change? I don’t know; maybe I’m splitting hairs, here.

But over the years it’s been my observation that, generally speaking, once I’m in the midst of a big life change, my life actually becomes easier. It’s the anticipation of the change that’s so hard on me! (Could it be because I’m too busy dealing with what changed to be afraid of it any more? Hmmm… have to think about that. What do you think?)

If that’s the case, though, then it sorta begs the question doesn’t it? How exactly do you get a handle on managing something you’d rather not even think about? How do you overcome the fear of change?

Oddly enough, I picked up a few tips on that from, well, a really, really big… Ferris wheel (sound of rimshot)!

What Goes Up…

Back in the Spring of 2000, Mrs. MZM and I spent a few days in Paris, just kinda wandering around and exploring the place. Among other things, we visited the Eiffel Tower (of course!), took a nighttime boat ride down the Seine (ooh-la-la!), checked out the Arc du Triomphe, and generally did the tourist thing for a few days.

But when we arrived at the Plaza de la Concorde we stumbled across, of all things, this absolutely humongous Ferris wheel! (Click on the photo for an, er, humongous view. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Er, sorry.)

Now, ordinarily I’m not impressed by Ferris wheels. I mean, what’s the big deal? You get on, you go around and around a few times, you get off. Big whoop. But I must admit; this time size, er, mattered! I’m tellin’ ya; this thing was enormous!

See those passenger cars? Although they don’t look that big, each one of them was actually about 8 to10 feet wide and high (about 3 meters or so). There was room to comfortably seat about 8 people in each one.

Anyway, since it was the off-season (April) and there were virtually no tourists around, we got our pick of cars and climbed in. While we were waiting for the thing to start (who were we waiting for? There was nobody but us!), we just chatted about odds and ends - stuff we were planning to do next, my previous trip to Paris and how it compared with this one, etc.

Eventually we started moving, so smoothly and slowly that you literally couldn’t feel a thing (a very weird feeling, that; like the world is moving and we’re the ones standing still). Mrs. MZM, though, didn’t seem to react; we continued talking for several minutes until finally I pointed out the window at the Eiffel Tower (several miles away) and remarked about the incredible view.

[By the way, did I ever mention that Mrs. MZM is, er, sorta uncomfortable with heights? I accidentally discovered this during our honeymoon in Hawaii, when I pulled her up with me to the top of a 6-foot high wall to get a better view - and she couldn’t get down! So when I suggested we go for a ride on this thing, she was understandably nervous. But like the trooper she is, she was willing to give it a try.]

Anyway, once I pointed out the view, she turned around and stared, struck suddenly speechless. We’d moved from ground level to about 200 feet in the air, and to her amazement she hadn’t even noticed!

As a matter of fact, once she overcame the shock, from that point on she experienced no trepidation at all, even when we got a bonus - the operator stopped us right at the very top for about 10 minutes (as I said, we were the only riders). What a view!

The Four Fundamentals

So what was it that not only allowed Mrs. MZM to pretty much overcome her fear, but let her to truly enjoy an admittedly out-of-the-box (for her) experience? What specifically made the difference?

Well, after due consideration, I can think of several reasons.

• First, the Ferris wheel looked big, solid, and well built - nothing like those rickety things you see at most carnivals.
• Second, she could trust in the fact that I’d be right there with her, holding her hand (so if anything went terribly wrong, hey, at least we’d crash and burn together!)
• Third, lots of other people had survived the experience just fine.
• Fourth, the transition from stationary to moving was so smooth it was hardly noticeable.

The first three items are why she was willing to try it. But the last one is why she enjoyed it.

Now, after cogitating on that a bit, I came to realize something interesting. This list can also be useful to help us manage… change. So let’s look at how a ride on the biggest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen can teach us valuable lessons about overcoming the fear of change.

Fundamental #1 - Is it solid and well built?

OK, let’s say there’s something you’d really like to accomplish, but it’s a bit out of your comfort zone. Hey, great - at least you’ve got a goal! Now, what’s the plan for accomplishing it? Is it solid, like the structure of that Ferris wheel? Is it well-crafted and sensible? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself before putting your trust in a plan.

But there’s an underlying question too. Is the thing you want to accomplish worth it? (For us, it was the view from the top that motivated us to get on board.) See, it’s all about motivation. Once you’ve assured yourself of the value of the goal, then motivation kicks in to make the doing much, much easier.

After all, there’s lots of things I’d simply rather not do (I think we can all relate to that!) But it’s the value of the result that is important to me, more than the thing I’m afraid of. So, I do them!

Fundamental #2 - Can you put your trust in it?

Chances are, there is something that sortof leads us to do pretty much everything, whether it’s a person, an inspiring bit of reading, or perhaps a principle. For Mrs. MZM, it was yours truly. The fact is, she would never have gotten on board if I hadn’t encouraged her - and accompanied her.

Yep; that’s a key point right there. Do you have any kind of support system for what you want to do? Are there others who are going with you? Cheering you on? Providing backup?

Fundamental #3 - Has it been done before?

I’m going to go out on a limb here (sound of branch beginning to snap) and say this: Chances are, you’re not the first one to do it! It’s highly likely that there is plenty of hysterical historical evidence that what you want to accomplish is indeed not only possible, but is being done every day! Unfortunately, in our *ahem* analysis, we usually concentrate on our own fear so much we miss that little detail.

After all, it was reasonable to assume (since it was still in business, and we couldn’t see any ambulances ‘standing by’) that plenty of folks had successfully negotiated this particular Ferris wheel - and lived to tell about it.

So check out the evidence of success that’s likely just a Google search away. Hey, you never know; you might be able to come up with a new way of accomplishing what turns out to be a not-so-uncommon thing!

Fundamental #4 - Can you take it slow (at first)?

OK, you’ve got your goal, and let’s say it’s a big, hairy, audacious one. Great! You’re comfortable with the plan, you’ve got your support system in place, and you know it can be done. Even better! Now, how do you turn that goal into action? Break it down into manageable steps.

But… what if there’s maybe one or two steps that make you nervous. OK let’s be honest - they scare you to death (sound of terrified scream). You’re not even sure you can do them.

Hey, the answer is as easy as - riding a big, giant Ferris wheel (sound of audience groaning and rolling their eyes)! Start off as slowly as you need to, build up to a comfortable speed, then hit it!

So What Did I Miss?

It’s kinda interesting, when you think about it. Wandering around Paris, just enjoying the sights, who would’ve thought we’d stumble across a life lesson that would help us manage many of the big changes we’ve experienced in our lives since then?

So what about it? Am I on the right track here? Or should I go back to my day job as a crash-test dummy? I realize this barely scratches the surface of this issue, so I’d like to know what you would add to the fundamentals listed above.

______________________

Sadly, while writing this article I discovered my favorite Ferris wheel is no longer there. Apparently there was a dispute between the owner and the city, and it ended up being dismantled a few years back. Too bad.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Have you been waiting for something for so long, that if it happened you’d be completely taken by surprise?

And no, I’m not talking about something as mundane as winning the lottery (Honey! We won 10 bucks!), suddenly inheriting a fortune from an unknown uncle (Yep, ol’ whatsisname was always my favorite uncle!), or some similar chance event.

No, I’m talking about things you have personally been dreaming of, or working towards, or even praying about for some time now. Maybe it’s that dream job you envisioned 10 years ago. Or, it’s achieving that lifelong goal you set for yourself a while back. Maybe it could even be that all the elements you’ve been patiently setting into place over the last (fill in amount here) days, weeks, months or years (pick one) have finally come to fruition?

In other words, Your Ship Just Came in. (Insert moment of silence while every single reader daydreams for a moment about that “thing”.)

OK, let’s just suppose for a moment that something you’ve hoped for, dreamed about, prepared for, prayed about, and even mightily wished for… has just happened.

Long Time Coming

As a matter of fact, something like that just happened to me. See, I started college in 1972, but after a couple of years, gave up on my degree. However, in 1993 (ironically enough, it was exactly fifteen years ago today!), I turned to Mrs. MZM and said words to the effect of, “I want to finally finish my engineering degree.”

To be honest, I’m not sure what prompted me to pick that particular moment to tell her. Maybe it was the fact it was my 40^th birthday. (You know what they say about “male menopause”. Mrs. MZM was just happy it wasn’t a sports car or climbing Mt. Everest.) But, I do remember what helped me decide it was time to change!

Anyway, fifteen years later (go ahead, do the math; and yep, it’s my Birthday today!), after not one but three degrees, steady progressive growth in work skills (and jobs!), and a tough, four-year period of “severe economic uncertainty” (that’s code for no income), well, here I am, looking up at this… ship… that’s suddenly grounded itself right in front of me!

So what’s the good news, you ask? See, after all of the above, my dream of becoming a consultant has finally happened! The large engineering firm I work for has a Consulting group (completely separate from the engineering group), and I switched over and became a Senior Consultant on January 14th! (Cue the band; cue the fireworks – and hey, where’s that red carpet!)

As I said, it’s been a long time coming. But, the journey has definitely been rewarding, to say the least. So for those of you who may have been, are now, or will be in the same, er, boat, I’d like to offer three points to ponder (and if you already have been in the same boat, then congratulations! And keep paddling!)

Point 1: Every goal leads to another

Interestingly enough, back in 1993 when I went back to school, the idea of becoming a consultant was not one of my goals. Rather, the idea has sortof, well, unfolded over time.

I mean, the whole point in achieving a goal is to establish you’ve got what it takes to make it, right? Why else would some fool idiot visionary climb that mountain, sail that ocean – or bring themselves to eat that first pickled pig’s foot – if they didn’t plan to go on to greater things from there?

What successful person you know has ever been satisfied with achieving just one goal? Absolutely nobody (he cried, pounding the table for emphasis)!

The reality was that achieving my goal doesn’t mean “Stop here – I’m done!” That’s because by the time I managed to achieve one, well, the next goal has already become an obvious, logical target.

Stands to reason, don’t you think? After all, when you set for yourself a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG, for short), you always need to break it down into manageable steps before you take it on. Otherwise you will probably just get discouraged and likely quit.

Well, I just did it in a kinda different (sortof reversed) way. I used the achievement of smaller goals to progressively envision bigger ones. (But then, I’ve always been something of an, er, contrarian. But I digress.)

Point 2: That next step should be a “Dilly”

You know what a Dilly is, don’t you? It’s the first (and usually, the hardest) step of your journey, task, goal, etc. – you know, your journey through life.

Unfortunately we all have a tendency to view a goal, once accomplished, as the final prize; the finish line; the end of all effort. But beware of that attitude (more on this in Point 3, below) because it ain’t! No, it’s just the platform from which you can now envision your next goal(s).

And listen to your Uncle Robert here; whatever you do, don’t make it an easy one. Nope, make it yet another BHAG! I’m here to tell ya – you don’t have to know where your final endpoint is (as if there were one); just focus on your next step and determine what it’s going to take to accomplish that. The next goal will make itself obvious, given time.

Point 3: Don’t wait; take that next step now

See, once you’ve achieved a goal (especially if it took quite a bit of effort and time), then our natural tendency is to relax, maybe maintain the status quo for a bit; perhaps even bask in the glory sense of accomplishment for awhile.

Alas, the problem is that staleness can set in pretty quickly.

Don’t wait, my friend; take that next leap now! At all costs, don’t allow yourself to relax too much (some is OK, of course). Wanna know why? Because you won’t know when you’ll have relaxed too much until it’s too late!

Point 4: This one’s all about you

OK, here’s where you have the opportunity to contribute a point or two (what the heck; gimme three or four, why don’cha?) Care to add to, dispute, modify or illustrate any of the above? What have you learned from the achievement of a BHAG? What do you know?

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The Arc de Triomphe in Paris (or, Arch of Triumph, to us English-speaking folks) stands in the center of an amazing place called Place de l’Étoile (which means “Star Square” – somewhat ironic since it’s actually, you know, round).

But I remember the day my family and I visited it back in 1970; it was the day we stepped out on faith.

What does visiting perhaps the second-most famous landmark in all of France have to do with faith, you ask? Well Bubba, I’m glad you asked!

The World’s Busiest Traffic Circle

See, this particular spot in Paris may be the most incredibly busy intersection in the entire continent of Europe! It’s at the intersection of no less than 12 major roads, all extremely busy in their own right. Talk about your non-stop traffic – and it ain’t slow, either!

It always makes me chuckle (sound of evil chuckle) when I see photos of the Arch – and the surrounding road is completely empty. I envision hordes of police standing just out of sight, blocking traffic for that one, great shot the postcard makers love.

Anyway, there we were, standing on the outside of the traffic circle and craning our necks to see the very top of this monument (believe me, this thing is huge). We wanted to get to the Arch, but the problem, as I mentioned, was the traffic – it was overwhelming, and it literally never stopped!

So as we’re waiting… and waiting… and still waiting for an opening (an experience not unlike waiting for your numbers to be called in the lottery), a passing Frenchman stopped and told us the secret to getting across the street.

The Secret

“Ah, the secret to crossing this avenue is easy my friends,” he told us in his delightfully French accent. “You simply must have ze faith!”

Needless to say, this advice was met with, er, somewhat blank stares. Undaunted, though, he continued.

“Whatever you do – do not look at the cars as you cross. If they see you looking at them, they will assume you will move out of their way. But if they see you are not watching them, they will get out of your way! Voilá!”

Don’t look at the cars. Right. Pretend they’re not there. Uh-huh. All the while, I’m thinkin’ to myself, “Yeah, Buddy, and I’m a gullible American tourist who just fell off the turnip truck!”

But then, to demonstrate what he meant, our impromptu guide simply stepped off the curb and strolled right across the street as though he hadn’t a care in the world! Upon arriving at the base of the Arch, he turned around and walked unconcernedly back – never once looking at the never-ending stream of cars, trucks and mopeds speeding right around him. It was awe-inspiring (and not a little frightening)!

“You see,” he laughed as he proceeded on his way, “you must have ze faith! Au revoir!” (I believe au revoir means either have a nice day, or I’m outta here before you foolish American tourists get yourselves spread all over the concrete!)

Anyway, there we were standing right on the edge of the curb, faced with the prospect of either following the advice of our now nowhere-to-be-found friend – or accepting defeat. We looked at each other for a few minutes and then said to ourselves, “What the heck – let’s go for it!”

And so we did!

It was one of the most amazing – and probably one of the scariest – things I’ve ever done! Trucks, cars, mopeds – they all made their way right around us, sometimes passing so close we could poke ‘em in the eye! Hey, this definitely puts the je back in je ne se quoi.

The weirdest part about the whole experience is that not one car screeched its tires or honked their horn; not one person screamed unintelligible curses at us – all of which I was truly expecting to happen. Every vehicle smoothly made their way around us as if we were simply just another stationary object in the road. No muss, (practically) no fuss.

After we finished viewing the Arch, we did the same thing; walked right back across the street as if we belonged there. To this day I’m still amazed at that experience! Hey, you can have your bungee jumping, rock climbing and sky diving; I’m tellin’ ya; this is life on the Edge!

Is There a Leap of Faith in Your Future?

Now granted, not everybody faces the challenge of stepping out and crossing 10 lanes of madcap traffic during the worst rush hour ever (and I wouldn’t try it in New York – those cabbies wouldn’t think twice about smearing you across the road, I’m afraid).

But still, that leap of faith confronts us more often that we may be willing to admit.

What have you been thinking about doing lately? Have you been asked (or required, or proposed) to do something that necessitates a leap of faith? Perhaps it’s a job change; or maybe a new project that’s a little (or even a lot) outside your range of experience or your comfort zone?

Having just done something of a leap of faith myself, career-wise (and no, I won’t leave you hanging; you’ll read more about it next week on January 29^th), I know it can be quite a scary thing to just go ahead and, well, do it. But hear this, I beg of you: you may surprise yourself.

Personally, I think you’re likely capable of much more than what think. (And it’s OK; most people are.) Why not at least think about it?

So the $8,492,716 question for today is this: What’s your leap of faith?

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