Page 18 - IFV_Issue 3_March_2022

Business

LIBERATION And when we do things for the really disruptive times. One of the
So far, we have gone through four shifts, first time, we are often very critical questions I like to ask my leaders when
really critical mindset shifts that we need of ourselves. We go, “I was not good I hear this really disruptive self-talk is:
to enable before we have a hope of having enough, I should have done that better. “Would you talk to a friend or a loved one
an agile organisation. What will people think of me? They the way you speak to yourself?”
From expert to beginner, from won’t like me anymore as a leader.” And On your diagram - the last line for you
perfection to done, from command and we often use really, really critical terms deals with self-judgment (on the left), and
control to trust and transparency, from to describe ourselves. And when we sit self-compassion (on the right). I would
failure-aversion to failure-seeking. And in self-judgment we sit in shame, and put money on it that this is the one where
I have to say, and this is from personal shame can be an emotion that really most people will be furthest to the left
experience in running these types of cripples agility in organisations. towards self-judgment. This will be the
shifts, they are incredibly liberating. When we sit in a space of shame, what biggest shift that you have to make. And
• I no longer have to be right. goes on for us is a ‘flight-fight-freeze’ you’re not alone. Even I perhaps need to
• I no longer have to be perfect. reaction in our brain. Shame creates do a little bit of work on self-compassion.
• I don’t have to know all the answers. paralysis because we don’t know what So here are our five shifts, expert to
• I don’t need clarity before I talk with my we’re going to do, or we’re embarrassed beginner, perfection to done, command
teams. by the way we’re doing it. Alternatively, it’s and control to trust and transparency,
• I can let go of what no longer serves not good enough so we won’t do anything, failure aversion to failure-seeking, self-
me. which doesn’t help us with agility. judgment to self-compassion.
It is incredibly liberating and it is We can sometimes react in anger The way you lead, engage and support
incredibly energising. and lash out at people. Or sometimes, your teams is more important than ever
However, I say this after about seven we avoid issues completely when we before.
or eight years of working in agile sit in shame. The antidote to this is self- My final words, be kind to yourself!
environments, I wouldn’t have said compassion. Back in the days when we
that eight years ago. This is why I used used to jump on planes and we used to You can find the full version of this
the word shift very deliberately. This is fly all over the place, they used to tell article at www.drjenfrahm.com
not a massive change for people, any us that if the plane got into trouble we Dr. Jen Frahm is co-founder of the Agile
shift to the right is going to leave you were to give oxygen to ourselves first, Change Leadership Institute. She is a
in a better position to lead an agile before we gave it to the children beside speaker, a blogger and a global expert on
organisation, because ultimately it takes us. It’s the same concept. We have to organisational change and transformation.
courage and vulnerability. It can be really give compassion to ourselves before we She’s also an author of books such as
uncomfortable to make these shifts, to not can hope to care for the people in our Conversations of Change and Change.
be the expert all the time, to relinquish organisations, as we’re going through Leader.
control, to produce something that’s not
quite perfect, to fail and learn and talk
about it all openly. It’s really tough, this is
difficult stuff.

SHIFT 5: FROM SELF-JUDGMENT TO
SELF-COMPASSION
And this is why I think the fifth mindset
shift that leaders need to make is the most
important. It’s the shift from self-judgment
to self-compassion. For many leaders
today, they will be doing things for the
very first time. It’s the first time I’ve had to
run a company from my kitchen counter.
It’s the first time I’ve had to deal with
family in the background while running a
leadership team meeting. It’s the first time
that we’ve had to shift our supply chains
to a completely different way of working.

16 • Issue 3 2022 • The Villager
PHOTOGRAPH BY TOA HEFTIBA, UNSPLASH