Sometimes there is a moment when you suddenly know: things can be different if we really get moving! This is what is needed! Philosopher Joke Hermsen calls this a Kairos moment* – the moment when time seems to stand still and an insight reveals itself within you. It is your own wisdom showing itself at that one moment. In a eureka-like 'in-between moment'. Between the ever-continuing Chronos-time of past, present, and future.
Such an insight comes at moments when you are not looking for it. While exercising, showering, or cooking. You know instinctively that it is right. The insight aligns perfectly with what your work context calls for. An insight of both urgency and significance. But the insight alone is not enough. You want real, sustainable change. That requires time and people who develop the skills to move along with it.
Between progress and connection: the rhythm of change
Time is valuable. Time is precious. Time is scarce. We know that.
Yet, in many organizations, I recognize the same pattern regarding time and continuous change. As long as external pressure feels manageable, change receives limited attention. Until the moment the pressure becomes too high. The issue lands on the management agenda with urgency. What follows is often a reflex to switch gears quickly and want to make immediate progress. A plan is made. A route is mapped out. Deadlines are set. Logical according to Chronos time. As a leader, you feel responsible for your organization, for your mission, and for the societal context in which you work.
You are looking for what will ensure lasting change, for the growth you envision. You can navigate between providing direction and creating space for input; between making rapid progress and giving people time to develop their change skills. Your choice determines what the group contributes and how they think along and participate. Together, you determine the right pace and process.
We also know this: if speed becomes the guiding principle, something else emerges: unrest, resistance, or delays further down the process. Not always visible on the surface, but palpable in the undercurrent of the system.
The courage to pause first
What fascinates me is how the Haste factor seems to keep an organization further away from its goal. Focusing solely on the substantive solution or technical implementation will get you a long way. But if you want real change and to keep moving forward sustainably, expand your focus to strengthening people's capacity for change. This increases the likelihood that you will work towards the same goal together and actually achieve it.
You may recognize what sometimes makes it difficult to pause first: we all implicitly hold the belief that everyone can handle such a change. That you as a leader, certainly based on previous successes, are sufficiently equipped for what lies ahead, and that the people can handle it too. In psychology, this is also known as the overconfidence bias mentioned. For example, I see a management team that immediately takes decisive action based on their own Kairos energy. The people, and what they need, are overlooked. Not because they don't matter, but because their capacity for change is overestimated.
Investing in people is investing in pace
Especially at such crucial moments, I emphasize the importance of developing change skills prior to or parallel to the implementation process. Self-awareness, critical thinking, resilience, listening to others – these are not 'soft' factors. They are prerequisites for sustainable change.
Since every transition demands something different from leadership and collaboration, the most relevant question is therefore: what does this change demand of you – as a leader, as a person? And to what extent are you willing to develop yourself? When, in the rush to achieve results, we overlook the development of skills that are essential precisely in times of uncertainty, we increase the risk of tension, resistance, and loss of energy.
When you invest in developing the capacity for change, it creates calm and confidence within teams and a focus on achieving results. People feel better able to handle uncertainty and do their work (also known as self-efficacy**) because they feel supported. Ownership grows. And normal work can continue while change takes place. You create the conditions for a sustainable pace and a lasting result.
Five anchor points to stay sustainably in motion
In my practice, I see the same anchor points recurring among leaders who ensure that the movement can indeed be sustainably sustained:
- Visualize and articulate the future as clearly as you can.A clear and compelling outlook and vision help others understand where the organization or team needs to move and why.
- Invest in leadership and develop change capacity before you implement. Not as a side issue, but as an integral part of the change process.
- Organize genuine dialogue. By making expectations explicit, listening, and designing together, a better plan emerges, along with greater involvement and ownership among the people on the team.
- Bring the outside in. By actively involving internal and external stakeholders, you bring wisdom from outside the team in and enhance the quality of your decision-making.
- Add a reflection rhythm. Regularly take time together to reflect on how things are going, what has been learned, and what is needed for the next step. This way, you appreciate what you have already achieved and enable change through learning. Plus, you stay on course.
These anchor points naturally require time. They can make the process appear slow. At the same time, they reduce the risk of stagnation, unrest, or waning support later on. Slowing down at the outset can lead to acceleration during implementation. That is what I mean by sustainable acceleration: picking up the pace in a way that empowers people rather than draining their energy.
In my view, consciously pausing first does not mean postponing or stalling. It means creating space to empower people, establish coherence, and enhance the quality of change decisions.
Sustainable movement requires leadership that can handle both pace and people. Especially in that moment. What makes it difficult to pause first, and what would be the benefits if you did so anyway?
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Notes:
* Kairos, a new enthusiasm – Joke Hermsen (2015)
** Self-efficacy is part of the theory of psychological capital by Luthans et al. (2004)
#change #transition #transformation #socialimpact #human #learninganddevelopment #passion #stubbornness #futureproof #futureofwork #trustedadvisor
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