Case Study. A person centred approach to building leadership and resilience to change. Implemented

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1 Case Study Firstchance: A person centred approach to building leadership and resilience to change Implemented This document was created on 5 th April The copyright of this work belongs to the author, who is solely responsible for the content. You are given the unlimited right to print this manifesto and to distribute it electronically (via , your website, or any other means). You can print out pages and put them in your favorite coffee shop s windows or your doctor s waiting room. You can transcribe the author s words onto the sidewalk, or you can hand out copies to everyone you meet. You may not alter this manifesto in any way. You must attribute the author and any additional references as appropriate and you may not charge for it. For more information about the Ataraxy Executive Level Personal Leadership Programmes: Nigel Donovan: You can subscribe to the Ataraxy Blog via the website.

2 Synopsis Profound changes are affecting the disability and aged care sectors at every level. Whether massive upheaval comes from structural change such as the NDIS, policy changes, competition or new technology people are expected to respond to and embrace the new world again and again. Traditional change management focuses on implementing new structures, processes and procedures. But no sooner do people come up for air after one wave of change than the next one hits. This traditional external focus on the change itself ignores the awesome capacity of people to get better at operating in an environment defined by uncertainty. Firstchance, is a not-for-profit organisation in Newcastle NSW that supports children with a disability. The General Manager engaged Nigel Donovan to help key staff manage the changes and stresses brought about by the NDIS. Through his programs they became better at focusing on what they could control rather than trying to control the whole environment. They found a new capacity to be open, flexible problem solvers, who were more authentic in their communications and way of being. The program was designed around individual coaching, having the courage to challenge people and a focus on mutual empathy. There was some impressive growth, unexpected wins and some challenging conversations. General Manager, Darleen Taylor was so impressed with the way it shifted her thinking that she rolled the program out through Firstchance in three further stages. We ve been able to make some really big decisions and been able to do so far more effectively and efficiently, she says.

3 The Client: Firstchance, is a Newcastle based not for profit organisation, which operates both early childhood intervention and school aged programs for children with disabilities. Altogether there are 45 members of staff. Firstchance was among the first early childhood intervention services to transition to the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) and as such was one of the first organisations to fully engage with the industry-wide challenges this paradigm shift has created. Industry Context The Newcastle Region was selected as a trial site for the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (The NDIS). The NDIS represents the largest change to the disability sector in its history. This ultimately positive upheaval is driving pervasive and progressive change to all aspects of operations. With the national roll-out due to commence in less than a year and with many teething problems still to be addressed, incessant change will be the norm in the industry for some time to come. The NDIS is expected to bring longterm improvements in services to people with disabilities. To adapt though organisations and their people have to change to an entirely new way of doing things that is often well outside their comfort zones and fields of experience. Some of the key challenges are: A new funding model shifting from block funding to individualised client by client remittance style model (similar to Medicare) and like professionals in private practice staff have to bill for their time. The client is now the individual whereas before the client was effectively ADHC (NSW government s Ageing, Disability and Home Care) The NDIS is brand new. Turning an idea into a practical and operational multi-billion dollar, government policy led system involves unforeseen challenges, regular revisions, uncertainty and change. Many people s job descriptions are changing and their performance will be measured using different, more commercially based, criteria. The NDIS positive disruption is occurring in tandem with the constant change of technology and innovation, generally and as it relates to best practice in the support of people living with a disability. Changing Cultures The changes go deeper than operations. Importantly, people who pursue careers in a caring profession such as the disability sector often have strong personal conviction and values about social support. They identify with the support of the less fortunate and can view a highly commercial mindset as something quite alien to their own values. Under the NDIS the workforce is being asked to become something they are at best unfamiliar with, at worst highly uncomfortable with: being held directly accountable in a commercial sense for their time, productivity and outcomes. While people might intellectually comprehend the changes, what they feel about them is often quite different.

4 Firstchance: Situation Analysis Firstchance came to Nigel Donovan initially for support to help reduce stress at the executive level and help their organisation successfully adapt to the demands of the NDIS. The organisation was struggling with the changes and people from the General Manager down were feeling: 1) Overwhelmed with their workload 2) Overwhelmed by the enormity of the unknowns the NDIS was producing at industry, organisation and individual levels. 3) Frustrated by the many and varied teething problems inherent in an industry shake-up such as this. 4) Frustration and concern for clients who might be losing out on care as a result of the uncertainty around the changes. 5) Fatigued by the rate and pervasiveness of the changes. Becoming increasingly resistant to changes they felt would compromise client service. 6) Like they were running a marathon without an end. Firstchance was among the best performers in their industry, with internal staff surveys consistently demonstrating a strong positive culture of engagement and support. As the pressure built up the natural symptoms of stress emerged; clear communication fell on deaf ears, team-work dried up, cliques developed, conflict escalated and all decision making became more difficult. Increasing amounts of energy were being required by the executive teams to make and implement decisions crucial to the continuing health of the organisation, and to bring the staff on board. Nigel Donovan s Person-Centred Approach to Change Leadership 1) Feeling vs Knowing It s one thing to know something, but that can be quite different to how you feel about it. Traditional change management strategies tend to approach change from a knowable operational perspective. It manipulates the change process to minimise the disruption it causes and pretends that things will return to normal. The focus then becomes on managing people from Safe Place A to Safe Place B, and teaching staff a set of new procedures so that they become habituated to them. When the change is pervasive and ongoing, traditional change management strategies fall over. Things are unlikely ever to return to normal, or more accurately change is the only normal people can expect. A condition of radical flux is both ongoing and non-negotiable. Nigel s approach accepted that the change is real, big and stress generating, and that the stress it generates is also real, biologically justified, and nobody s fault (i.e. not a personal weakness ). This stress had manifested in a range of behaviours that was negatively affecting Firstchance s productivity, energy and undermining their strong culture. To address these behaviours it was vital to acknowledge that there are often deeper causes, firstly the fact that people have complex and unique lives, hopes and fears and that the barrier between work and the rest of their lives is increasingly permeable. Secondly, is the fact that most of the stress can be understood and addressed in terms of negative emotions such as fear, guilt, blame and judgmentalism.

5 2) Starting at the top Nigel began with the General Manager Darleen Taylor. While a case may be made for selecting people on the basis of observed need, the CEO or General Manager is the most leveraged person in the organisation and their way of being is highly contagious. Further, it is important that the CEO understands and experiences the process and trusts that the Return On Investment (ROI) is clear and well established. A cultural transformation of the type Firstchance was dealing with requires the General Manager to lead by example. Darleen Taylor was sufficiently impressed with the effect Nigel s program had on her own thinking that she rolled it out across a further three levels of Firstchance. Almost half the total workforce have now participated in the program. 3) Person Centred Nigel applied a person-centred approach in his work with Firstchance. His program is designed to work for the individual not the organisation. This approach generates a virtuous cycle and the organisation benefits as a consequence of having more open, flexible, authentic, happier and resilient leaders. Nigel worked with each staff member one-on-one. This worked better than team sessions because each person is unique: their feelings and habits are specific to them. It enabled them to be open about their feelings in a safe, confidential environment. It also meant less disruption for the business. The sessions occurred onsite, only taking each staff member offline for an hour a fortnight, rather than group sessions that can often remove large amounts of staff for whole days at a time. In these sessions Nigel operated as more than just a therapeutic echo chamber. He challenged people to reflect on their habits and beliefs, knowing that genuine change could be achieved only if people were willing to change the way they think.

6 The Process a) Nigel s first priority was to help participants to develop the essential skills of nonjudgmental self-reflection and awareness. This is a precondition for being able to change ingrained habits, behaviours and actions. b) By examining their own habits, behaviours and actions, the participants were able to get perspective on the way they operated. c) Through easy to understand explanations of neuro-biological processes and the use of evidence based material, participants were able to gain an understanding of their own mental processes and feelings. This helped them identify how they might benefit from changing some of them. d) This knowledge was grounded in the examination of participants own behaviours and was contextualised by what was occurring in the workplace. e) Over a series of one-on-one sessions these changes become incorporated into a new way of thinking and acting that minimised the impact (in the workplace and beyond) of negative emotions such as blame, guilt, judgment and fear. My Ataraxy Program (MAP) for CEOs and Senior Executives. 1 x General Manager 12 x 90 minute individual sessions, weekly (Jan March 2014) 1 x Program Manager (Operations Manager) 12 x 90 minutes individual sessions, weekly (April June 2014) BE-More Program for Managers and Team Leaders 9 x Senior Professionals/ Team Leaders 8 x 45 minute individual sessions per person, fortnightly (Nov-Dec 2014) 10 x Key Staff 8 x 45 minutes individual sessions per person, fortnightly (April- August, 2015)

7 Outcomes The outcome of the person-centred approach was genuine capacity building in the individuals employed by Firstchance. By the end of the program they had become more open, accepting, flexible, innovative and supportive, and more authentic in their communications and way of being. Identified Benefits (based on client feedback) 1. Staff taking responsibility for their work and stepping up when necessary. Some staff members reported being more supportive of management instead of feeling like they were always battling with them. 2. Team Leaders spending less time trying to solve staff problems, because they are asking staff to come up with their own solutions. This allows management to concentrate on developing the best way to roll with the larger changes. 3. Improved communications in the organisations, vertically and horizontally. 4. Happier staff, resilient even in difficult times. 5. They are spending less time getting involved in the oughts and more time dealing positively with the is. 6. Seniors are better able to help their staff, because they understand them better. 7. Rather than people looking for someone to blame, there is more empathy for people in their respective positions, and a more cohesive team. 8. People are less likely to bring the emotional residue of the rest of their lives into the office. The skills they have acquired also extend to other areas of their lives. Some participants have remarked upon the self-reinforcement effect, that they are happier at work which makes them happier at home, which makes them happier at work 9. Improved decision-making and execution of decisions at all levels of the organisation. 10. An increase in the generation of ideas for how best to adapt Firstchance to the NDIS environment.

8 Client Feedback We ve been able to make some really big decisions and have been able to do so more effectively and efficiently. Darleen Taylor (General Manager) Previously they weren t aware of their behaviours, and now they are and are making themselves accountable. (Program Manager) Ongoing Benefits (Six months post completion): One of the features of Nigel s program is that it creates a trajectory of growth that continues well after the program completion. The effects on the organisation have been significant and are ongoing. The awareness and behavioural changes that Nigel s program teaches have created a virtuous cycle within the organisation that means the capacity they have built in people is constantly being reinforced. This is a definite benefit of rolling out the program to so many staff. General Manager, Darleen Taylor says: I am happy to report 6mths on that the team are continuing to benefit from the work that you did with us. You can still hear the language/referral to concepts in the interactions that we share, along with the occasional reference to being 'nigelled'. We have continued to operate in enormous uncertainty due to funding and constant change. Having a leadership team with the skills to guide and support one another and the rest of the team is very powerful and reduces the pressure on the General Manager/Program Manager. And on the most challenging days we have a common language now to support each other to re-focus. One staff member has now moved into a more senior role in another organisation, another is about to act in our Program Manager role two things I would not have thought possible 6mths ago. Of course these outcomes are full credit to the team members that have continued to be committed to what they have learnt and applying it in their work and family life. The first cohort of staff were very excited to choose members of their teams to participate in the program as they could motivate them with real examples/reflections.