CAFE LifeThe Art Of Facilitation
CAFE LifeIn our rapidly evolving world, the ability to adapt and embrace change is no longer a desirable trait – it’s a fundamental necessity. This got me thinking about how organisations are truly preparing their people for the uncertainties and opportunities that lie ahead. To gauge this, we posed a simple yet crucial question on LinkedIn:
Considering how much change we face, is your organisation spending enough time growing change capability in people, enabling their people to be future fit?
We gave four options, and they were….
Here are the results.
The above poll creates a whole lot of difficult questions that include,
Before going further, know that what I mean when I speak about being “future fit”, is being capable and ready for change.
Traditionally, when we think about preparing for the future, we go down a path of finance security. Similarly, when organisations engage in future-oriented thinking, their focus tends to gravitate towards tangible metrics like five or ten year strategic plans centred on profit, product innovation, market reach, and increasing market share.
While such strategic foresight is undoubtedly prudent, there’s a crucial element that can be easily overlooked or underestimated: the readiness and capacity of their people to not just navigate, but thrive in the transformed landscape of the years to come. These organisations are future focused, but not necessarily future fit. Just as having retirement funds doesn’t guarantee a vibrant and fulfilling retirement, strategic plans alone don’t ensure an organization’s people are equipped for the future.
I personally believe that building change acumen and future fit capability in people should be one of the priorities of the organisational training program. To thrive in changing environments, and therefore the future, requires people who are capable of changing.
While the ability to adapt is, on one level, an innate human instinct, it’s also something we often resist. To support people, we need to develop their “change muscles”. Just as we seek excellence in a process or a professional skill so too, we should seek excellence and mastery in virtues and practices that are supportive of change.
The good news is, those who change well, display somewhat predictable virtues, cultivate certain mindsets, and implement practices that all of us can do. These very practices, virtues, and mindsets form the core of the CAFE Life Change Workshop.
But let’s take this away from the organisation. Are you, right now, intentional about your future fit state? Whilst organisations should focus on building change muscles, and essentially teach their leaders how to inspire change, don’t leave it up to them. You be prudent.
How do we start?
I believe that our starting point is the word ‘discomfort.’ To thrive in changing times requires that we dance with discomfort. We must be comfortable in being uncomfortable. One of the biggest obstacles to change is that change creates discomfort.
Neuroscience confirms this: change demands our attention and effort, shifting brain activity from the automatic basal ganglia to the more energy-intensive prefrontal cortex. This increased cognitive load makes things feel less desirable and pleasurable, especially when we are accustomed to a certain way of doing things, where our ego feels validated and overthinking isn’t required.
Think about driving a car on the left side of the road when you’re used to the right. The shift engages your prefrontal cortex, making a familiar task suddenly feel challenging. Being “future fit” means recognizing that we will be called upon regularly to switch “sides of the road,” and these switches won’t just be simple left or right turns, but multidimensional shifts.
The bottom line is, clinging rigidly to the familiar might just leave us stranded.
Can we learn to become more comfortable with discomfort? Absolutely. Just like somebody trains to run a marathon, we can train ourselves for discomfort.
Many years ago, when I was in full time corporate employment, I went on a leadership training program. Much of this program today is ‘hazy’ with one big exception. The facilitator challenged us delegates with this thought. He said, ‘every day you wake up, go to the mirror and ask yourself this question, what am I going to do today that makes me feel uncomfortable?’
This resonated with me and for much of my life since, has been a thought I return to. I believe this quote has even greater relevance now. Embracing discomfort is a character skill and a learning skill. Here’s the thing about learning aptly put by Seth Godin, ‘Learning creates more competence but first, it amplifies our feelings of incompetence.’ In other words to learn, requires a journey through the dessert of discomfort.
Many of us have stopped learning, not because we don’t want to learn, but because we dislike the feeling of feeling incompetent. Yes, I’m speaking to you 50 years olds out there (like me) who have surface technology skills because we don’t like the feeling of looking stupid. Here’s another quote to support our thinking here by Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz
To embrace discomfort means we put ourselves in the arena before we are ready. It means we are prepared to make mistakes, where each mistake is a sign of progress, not confirmation that we can’t do something. To embrace discomfort is the realisation that discomfort is not the same as safety.
Discomfort triggers another part of our brain called the orbital frontal cortex. Located above the eyeballs, it is closely connected to the brain’s fear circuitry, which resides in a structure called the amygdala. In other words discomfort causes us to see threat where we believe we are in danger. No – that public talk you fear, or speaking up in a meeting, is not going to kill you – it’s simply discomfort you are experiencing. It’s simply the path you must travel for future relevance.
So, let’s get practical about cultivating this comfort with discomfort. Here are a few simple yet powerful things you can implement:
· Celebrate Discomfort: When you feel that familiar twinge of unease, acknowledge it and tell yourself, “I’m not in danger, I’m simply exercising my future fit muscle.”
· Practice Discomfort Regularly: For the past two years, I’ve made a daily cold shower a non-negotiable, regardless of the weather. Initially a health habit, it has evolved into a powerful reminder that embracing discomfort actually strengthens me.
· Recognize the Ephemeral Nature of the Present: Acknowledge that today’s norms and ways of doing things are rapidly evolving. Regularly ask yourself, “What am I clinging to that needs to be held more loosely?”
· Actively Seek Growth: Read books that challenge your thinking, enroll in courses that stretch your abilities, and embrace difficult conversations as opportunities for learning.
· Volunteer for the Unfamiliar: Seek out projects, assignments, and tasks that make you feel uncomfortable and push you beyond your current comfort zone. Let your manager know you’re actively developing your future fitness and ask for their support in identifying such opportunities.
Perhaps this quote from James Clear provides an excellent way to conclude:
