"THE MOMENT YOU CAN'T IGNORE" reveals that these moments are not the exception in our supposedly smoothly running organizations. They are, in fact, more regular occurrences as new forms of work, communication and technology vividly illustrate that an organization's culture ("the way we work around here") conflicts with new competitive demands.
The result: telling incidents that reveal underlying conflicts and hidden assets pointing to the direction of a new future.
What is an "un-ignorable moment"?
It is one of those crunch points--a matter of a minute or a period of months--when something happens that is so dramatic and disruptive that it demands the attention of the entire organization. The un-ignorable moment often signals a profound cultural shift; when the traditional ways of doing things are crashing into the requirements of a new strategy.
The problems of organizations getting stuck has intensified in the past decade. As continuous change became the new normal, addressing cultural challenges became more difficult.
Increasing friction have brought issues of culture to the attention of business leaders and challenged their ability to move their companies forward.
When the stress of change becomes too much for an organization, the solution often erupts into an "un-ignorable moment"--an event or action, or even a comment, that stops you and your organization in its tracks, a moment when it becomes blindingly clear that new ways of working are clashing with existing ones.
What seems natural and normal is largely defined by culture, by the perspectives we learn and bring to the world. When trying to make an organizational change, we are challenged to see our own culture clearly. And to do so, we have to find a way to "make the familiar strange" as the well-known anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell put it. Only then can we identify what's causing big trouble and determine where our successful future lies.
Experiencing an un-ignorable moment provides a superb opportunity to learn from that experience and take action. You can use what you learn to understand how your culture best adapts to change, without abandoning or violating its identity.
Four questions that an understanding of culture can answer:
1. What is our identity as an organization?
2. Who's in charge?
3. How do I lead?
4. What is our future?
Every company, that tries to transform or reinvent itself in some way, comes up against such un-ignorable moments and must learn how to understand them and unleash the positive energy that is contained within them.
Source: Malachi O'Connor: The Moment You Can't Ignore: When Big Trouble Leads to a Great Future
Leadership development matters.
Albert Einstein once said, "We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve."
Leadership happens in a series of interactive conversations that pull people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.
That is why leadership development is a process of participating in respectful conversations where the leader recognizes his or her own feelings and those of others in building safe and trusting relationships.