What if YOU need to change?

Macnaughton McGregor is 22 years old! I still can’t believe it really and of course I haven’t aged a bit?! Oh how I wish that were true!

While in a lot of ways we are the same company who wants to help people and businesses, we have evolved and changed. We’ve developed new services and we design tailored programmes all the time so that’s a constant change in itself. That’s our happy place to be fair, scouting about for something to inspire us and our clients – it helps to be nosy in that way!

But it’s the business end of change which I find harder to navigate. Since 2003 we’ve weathered many an economic storm including the prolonged tornado of Covid of course. Things come at you and you have to respond and adapt in order to survive and thrive. 

That’s if you see the change around you and you are ready to adapt. This is what makes it a personal change rather than something new and shiny to do!  

Over the two decades of running the business I’ve had a varying degree of success with the whole adaptation thing. I find it more appealing and therefore easier to predict a future trend and apply one of our strengths – back to that comfort zone of designing programmes and services. I am the living definition of a “problem seeker, problem solver” consultant as it comes naturally and I enjoy it.

The thing I’ve found consistently more challenging is facing up to changes outside my control and a lot of those have meant letting go of things. 

This seems to stack up in the theories and quotes, with one of my favourites from Bill Bridges being “change is easy, transition is hard”. Or related to my personal observations, I love to get organised and lean into a problem, cracking on with something that is tangible and in my control. And if I can be creative in the process, all the better. If it’s a case of adapting or designing a new programme I am through the change curve like a whippet. That’s change because it’s something outside of me and I can control it.

But moving over to transition, it’s those times when I’ve had to rethink or completely change the business model, changing my approach or “pivoting” as the Covid expression went at that time? As an aside, I came to loath that expression, as it was “all the rage” when I was still trying to come to terms with what was happening and trying to wade through the emotional treacle and get to some sort of action. 

The seven losses from Bridges are helpful to reflect on and they are Loss of Identity; Turf; Structure; Control; Future; Attachments; Meaning. I think the Covid time had them all.

I have many examples of when I’ve been a bit ponderous and perhaps took a while to spur into committed action. An example a number of years ago was when a number of our government contracts were swallowed up into the prime contractor machine. I knew it would mean the end to those contracts for us and I had to do the internal work to reconcile a number of losses so that I could confidently lead a change plan with the team.  

What helps in this process? Chatting it through with trusted friends is reassuring but I’ve found business coaching invaluable over the years. It’s that conversation where you are supported and yet at the same time your perspective is challenged. It’s through those conversations that I was alerted to the notion of loss and the need to let go of things in order to move forward with purpose. 

I provide coaching as part of my work in 2macs and it’s something I really enjoy. In the practice of coaching we talk about being “stuck” and it’s rewarding to work with someone and help them along the transition into a new way of working or a new direction. Inevitably this means challenging what coaching clients are holding on to and I find my personal experience is helpful – especially the mistakes! 

I’m delighted that there is now local funding for this type of support again as we really are a region of entrepreneurs and I am keen to play my part where I can – that bit will never change! 

If you would like to explore coaching, do get in touch: audrey@2macs.com