It’s about MORE than Hope

In a recent LinkedIn post, Simon Powers got incredibly vulnerable and shared these thoughts. I found them moving and thought-provoking—

The Change Agent Who Lost Hope
I have often said, that as change makers, we are hope bringers. But how does one bring hope when it seems hopeless?

[If this post had a sound track it would be Don't Panic by Coldplay]

When I look at the behaviours of leaders, both in organisations and in the political sphere, it seems like I am surrounded by children. How can these people who have risen so high be so immature and create conflict all the time?

When I think of the rising levels of complexity we have created, and the problems that arise from this, I am faced with an obvious truth. Either we upgrade ourselves as people or we will die. This is true for both organisations and us as a race.

When I look through my work over this last decade, it has mostly been about upgrading leaders in the form of change makers to be able to deal with emerging complexity and enable real businesses to thrive when we have no idea of what is coming next.

The people I have connected with, taught, worked alongside, have always fed back that this work has given them hope. Hope in a better way, hope in their careers, and hope they can reclaim their power and make a difference in this crazy world.

I’ve seen the results too. For example, the person who came on a public course looking to upskill to leave their role where they were not heard, supported, or had any power, and then after a one week in-person bootcamp, went back to the same job, re-engaged leadership, got a full budget to hire a team, and got a seat at the table. This is life-changing stuff.

However, society has had a temporary significant shift downwards in its ability to see more than one right answer. Fuelled by social media, wars, and an American leadership, that much of the world looks to, that has made being angry and polarised the currency of being heard. It has made much of the teachings and experience we gained through agility unavailable to many people as they look for binary solutions in the style of current global leaders.

I could walk away. I have certainly done enough in this space. But that is not going to move us forwards. Join me by keeping hope alive, by making a difference every day. By never giving up. We will rise above our own shortcomings. We must.

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I want to respond with a few thoughts that Simon’s words inspired in me—

Change Agents can’t change people, leaders, or organizations!

Unfortunately, an entire group of people (change agents, change makers, change artists, Agile Coaches, etc.) has evolved to think that they/we/me can change others. The truth is that we can’t. People have free will.

Consider that Gandhi effected change by example. MLK did the same.

If we want to effect change, WE can only be the example for the shift. Then, we can walk into our future, hoping that some of the seeds we’ve sown will take root.

Change agents will live happier lives once they embrace this truth.

Hope (either lost or active) is not a strategy; action is.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not picking on Hope. I’m incredibly hopeful most of the time. In our (my) business, you must be 😉

But that said, hope doesn’t do much externally. Action does.

That’s why I’m big on change agents taking responsibility for their actions. That is—

• Walking their principles

• Walking their ethics

• Walking their talk

• Walking out on what they’re coaching

In other words, embodying the very things they’re hoping to change.

Sometimes we need to “walk away” to recharge

I get it. I mean really get it. Being a Change Agent is hard. It’s not for the faint of heart. I often joke with folks that the following are the most dangerous jobs for burnout—

1. Fire jumper

2. Military in the field

3. First responder (firefighter, police, medical personnel)

4. Agile (or otherwise) Change Agent

5. Everything else…

We’re often in incredibly challenging positions for long periods. Burnout is real and rampant. In many cases,

We need not consider taking a break a defeat. Rather, it can and should be viewed as a victory of self-awareness, a time to recharge and then get back in the game.

3 More Considerations

1) GYG – Give Yourself Grace

This speaks for itself. Check in on the stories you are telling yourself. You might need to shift them a bit to give yourself a bit of grace and kindness. Most change agents are good at doing this for others, but not themselves.

Be kind to yourself!

2) Seeds

A metaphor that I often align with is Johnny Appleseed, in that I’m planting seeds of change. I can’t control if they blossom, just when and where I plan them. Often, I don’t see the results of my planting, and I have to embrace that truth. You can read more here…

3) Some things are more important than Agile

Really? Yes. Read this…

https://www.agile-moose.com/blog/2020/9/28/some-things-are-more-important-than-agile

Again, I want to thank Simon for his courage and vulnerability in sharing these thoughts. They touched my heart.

His words inspired my reactions, and I do not intend to be critical of him or them in any way.

I hope my additions add some nuance to your reflections on change agency and how challenging it can be.

My final word is repetition—be kind to yourself, as many will not be.

Stay agile, my friends,

Bob.

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