Reimagine: Personal Change

Welcome to Work Reimagined, the newsletter where we reimagine the way we work and live. 

This week’s newsletter is all about reimagining personal transformation.

We’re two full months into 2024. 

Maybe you’ve stalled on your goals for the new year. 

Maybe you like the idea of personal transformation, but the steps it takes to make lasting change overwhelm you. 

You’re not alone! I’m going to share a framework that has been hugely influential both in my own life and with my clients. 

If you’re ready for a new way to think about making changes in your work or life, read on!

A client asked us to help one of their employees improve their Executive Presence. This person’s technical skills were strong, but they lacked confidence and struggled to inspire confidence in teammates and clients. 

But the employee wasn't on board with this idea. They didn't see the point and showed resistance.

It's hard to coach someone like that. Coaching is all about unearthing assumptions and beliefs and staying curious and open, so when someone won’t engage in the process, change is nearly impossible.

Here's the deal: true, lasting transformation requires engagement aneffort. 

That’s why we need to reimagine personal growth. 

I’ve created a framework called Work^Power (read as “Work to the Power”), a way to understand the three layers of change that lead to actual transformation, not just head nodding and box-checking.

In this case, these levels of change looked like this:

- Work^1: we talk to the employee about this area of weakness. They say: “Yeah, yeah, I know.” They read a book I recommend, and we discuss it in coaching.

— The result? Box checked, but no actual change

Work^2: After a conversation with the employee, they again read the book. As a result, they practice some of their speaking skills and ask a client to get a cup of coffee.

— A bit more than box-checking, some behavior change, fair enough

Work^3: After we bring up the idea of Executive Presence in a coaching session, they take some space to consider it. 

They think about what they've experienced over their career, what kind of feedback they've been given over the years, and they even dig into why they might be resistant to the idea of Executive Presence. 

They read the book and try some exercises, but they also do the deeper work of examining unconscious beliefs and biases that may be holding them back from trying something new. 

By doing the deeper work, they’re able to identify what was holding them back and also sustain the change because they believe in its value.

Can you see the difference in each of the levels of Work^Power? The employee could stop at Work^1 and say they’ve done what they were asked to do, but it wouldn’t lead to any real change. 

Only by working through all three levels can we implement and sustain lasting change.

Where do you see this in your own work or personal life? Is there an area of growth you’ve been resisting, and how would it feel to reimagine personal transformation using the Work^Power framework? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know–I read every email you send me!

Working Well and Living Well

Each week, I’ll share one example of reimagining work “in the wild,” either from my own life, something a client is working on, or something in the news. I call this “working well and living well,” as the combination of those two things is one of my foundational values. 

This week, it’s a combination of working well and living well! 

My niece Abby graduated from UNC last spring, and moved to DC last month! 

I’m excited for me and my crew to spend more time with her - she’s already been over for dinner and came with us when we went out for the Lunar New Year. 

AND there’s a “working well” element to this too:

• She’s doing some administrative work for me at MatchPace - helping me get my arms around things I’ve been struggling with for years (gah - why have I waited this long!?!)

• My WeWork office is technically a two-person office and she’s using the other part of the membership! It’s been so fun to walk out into the common room and bump into her, and we even worked out in the office gym together! (Here she is working from the office!)

I’d love to hear how you are reimagining work so you can work well and live well! Send me a note with what’s going on in your world, or share your own “working well and living well!”

Keep reimagining!

Elizabeth

P.S. If you could use support implementing a new approach to personal change, or are feeling “stuck” in one area of your work or life, you can learn more about my coaching offerings and schedule a 1-hour coaching session with me at matchpace.as.me.