Moving forward into the unknown? Formulating my plan

Emma Weber

Here in Australia, we are starting to emerge from our homes in a slow and stepped way. How are you in your corner of the world?

In the media and among conversations with friends, the main thread of discussion is what will have changed as we emerge, how will the world have changed, how will our workplaces have changed? Short of having a crystal ball, no-one has the answer – I certainly don’t.

What I do know is that much in the same way that cultural change happens in organisations, change is created one person at a time.

Some would argue that it starts with leaders in an organisation showing the way and modelling the way forward. In a world of flatter organisations and devolved leadership, we are all leaders, whether that’s within our families, communities, organisations or just leading ourselves.

I would encourage you to see yourself as a leader in your world right now.

Given that’s the case, we as individuals can and must start to shape the way forward. And it can start small, with ourselves.

If you’ve been following my work for a time you’ll know that behavioural change starts with reflection, a decision and a plan.

Grab a coffee and take a moment to mark this stage of the transition (whatever stage you are at!). You don’t need to answer all the questions but jump in with those that resonate with you.

Reflect on:

  • What have been the blessings* from the last 6 weeks for you?
  • Why have these been blessings to you?
  • Why are they important to you?
  • What do you want to take forward from the last 6 weeks into the next 6 months?
  • What, if anything, do you want to leave behind either from the last 6 weeks or before COVID-19?
  • What needs to be different for you to move forward with these things?
  • What part of this can you influence or control?
  • What’s one thing you can do to move this plan forward?
  • Who can support you in this?
  • How can you support yourself by holding yourself accountable? (If this question is tricky for you check out one of our Coach M videos to give you a few ideas)

That’s it. The beginning of your plan for how you will be different and make a difference moving forward from here.

I’ll be making a plan for moving myself forward using the questions above.

*If the blessings are hard for you to navigate or find, you could choose to look at the insights, awareness or lessons from this time.

Hope this is useful to you today and that you enjoy challenging yourself through reflection as much as I do.

PS: Did I say I don’t have a crystal ball? I don’t, BUT I’ve been doing lots of research. I’ll be sharing my take on where to next for learning based on the global post-COVID-19 trends that are emerging now. Join me for the discussion and sharing with like-minded peers and colleagues – it’s on May 26th at 12 pm (AEST). Register here and block it in your diary. Look forward to seeing you there… I might even share my plan 🙂

Emma Weber is a recognized authority on the transfer of learning. As CEO of Lever – Transfer of Learning, she has helped companies such as Telstra, Oracle and BMW deliver and measure tangible business results from learning. She has also been a guest speaker at learning effectiveness conferences worldwide and authored the hugely successful book “Turning Learning into Action“. Much more detail around the issues and solutions examined in this article are available in the book – please feel free to download a free chapter. Emma and her team have recently developed Coach M, a coaching chatbot that delivers fully scaleable learning transfer.