A Leader as a Change Catalyst
Change Catalyst - Demonstrates the capacity to help individuals and groups assess personal and organizational dynamics, solve problems, and pursue positive change.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“A changed world requires change agents, and change agents are people who have first been changed themselves” (Stearns, 2009, p. 244). This is the very call of leadership, to not accept the status quo but to look ahead, dream big, and push forward always striving to cultivate new ideas that will improve and enhance our lives. As an emerging leader, it is critical to understand the leadership characteristics that are necessary to lead through the change process, and my studies in the MAiL program have provided many opportunities for growth in this competency.
A change catalyst is one who can see the need for change and is willing to ask the tough questions. Leading is a learning process and participating and leading change calls out the learner in every leader and individual. “This is about figuring out where you are and where you need to go and then launching an effort to get there. It’s about learning” (Quinn, 1996, p. 166). Part of this learning process is being willing to look deep within myself and to embark on personal transformation. Focusing on change beginning from the inside out, will bring about true transformation and sustainable change. “Doing something differently is a natural response to the changing world. Becoming something different changes the world by transforming what is within us” (Adams & Adams, 2009, p. 15). As Robert Stearns (2009) states in his book Hole in Our Gospel, “It takes transformed people to transform the world” (p.74).
“One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment" (Quinn). One of the most important aspects of leadership is the ability to initiate and lead change in organizations. In order to do this effectively there first needs to be deep change on a personal level. “Deep change at a collective level requires deep change at a personal level. Organizational change cannot occur unless we accept the pain of personal change” (Quinn, 1996, p. 193). A change catalyst is therefore willing to go through a process of deep change first. Deep change occurs when something shifts in me, in who I am, and possibly what I value, and how I relate to others. Deep change occurs when I “do life” differently. In the scriptures, in James 1:2-4, it is describing deep change. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (New International Version). Something different is produced in someone as a result of the circumstances they find themselves in. It is these experiences and the response to them that ultimately shapes who we are as people and as leaders. What defines these effective catalysts of change? Courage is foundational. “Leadership, by its very nature, inspires people to move in directions they would not otherwise have been willing to take. From time to time, good leadership requires excursions into unexplored territory, and draws on a leader’s courage” (Boa, Buzzell, Perkins, 2007, p. 41). It takes transformational leadership, which Peter Northouse (2010) defines this way. "Transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential" (p. 172). It takes vision. "We admire transformational leaders because in the face of impossible odds, complex environments and unimagined situations, they see and convey a new vision. They inspire us with dreams, challenge us by defining our roles and responsibilities, and engage us by making us believe that we are an integral and vital part of a solution that will lead to something greater" (Adams & Adams, 2009, p. 15). It takes resilience; being positive, focused, flexible, organized, and proactive (Conner, 1998, p. 190). Being a change catalyst is one of the most exciting yet challenging aspects of leadership, but as Gary Lemaster (personal communication, 2014) always says, “Leadership is not for the faint-hearted.”
Interpretation of Knowledge
When I entered the MAiL program, I had never really thought very deeply about change and what is involved in the change process. I would have rated myself somewhere between a novice and emerging level (1.5). My life experience has taken me through many significant changes but engaging in academic and scholarly pursuits has given me a deeper understanding of the process. Previously, I would not have connected the need for personal deep change to effectively leading change in others and organizations. In LDRS 534 Leader as an Agent of Change, we engaged in a Personal Change Assignment that really helped guide me through deepening my understanding. Using Robert Quinn’s (1996) book Deep Change, I had to pinpoint significant personal changes that I had experienced in my life and then identify which of those changes were deep changes. After processing some of these changes I looked for significant lessons that I had learned from the experiences and how they reshaped who I am as a person. I learned that when we are willing to look deep within ourselves and confront our own weaknesses, we can then make the deep changes necessary so our selves can be better aligned and we are better equipped to deal with our surrounding environment. As leaders we must be willing to change ourselves before we can change our organizations or challenge those around us to change. Change first begins with one, the one I can make the choices for, and the process of change begins with letting go. This assignment had a significant impact on my thinking about circumstances in my personal life and the change process.
On a more practical level, John Kotter’s (2012) book, Leading Change, provided me with a solid framework for initiating and sustaining change. By thoroughly examining the change process and looking at leaders that failed to do change well, I learned some significant lessons. I began to understand transformation in the context of two components; the various steps involved in the change process and the driving force behind the process, which is leadership (Kotter, 2012). I learned the important role that leaders have in being the change catalysts both personally and in their organizations. "Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles" (Kotter, 2012, p. 28). Change is indeed a process and we will never know all of the challenges that we will face along the way until we are on the journey. This is why leadership takes courage and a willingness to risk and I am sure why Gary Lemaster (personal communication, 2014) coined the phrase I referred to earlier, “Leadership is not for the faint-hearted.”
There was another particular resource and assignment that significantly impacted me in this competency of being a change catalyst. Robert Stearns’ (2009) book, Hole in Our Gospel shifted something in me and stirred my heart in a way that will forever alter the types of changes I want to lead and the impact I want to have. In the section below, I share the specific experience that resulted from reading this book. I know this prayer is echoed in my heart, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God” (Stearns, 2009, p. 9) as I want to be a change catalyst for good, helping to transform lives.
Application of Knowledge
I have had many opportunities to apply and put into practice this competency of change catalyst. Early in my studies, in my LDRS 502 Cornerstones of Christian Leadership class, I read the book Hole in Our Gospel and wrote a paper on it. Very shortly after that I was having a visionary planning conversation with the Senior Pastor at our church, my boss. We were discussing what we could do to help shift the culture at Grace Church to be more aware of and responsive to God’s heart for the world. Because of the impact it had had on me personally, I initiated the idea of reading Hole in Our Gospel. I remember communicating this in an email after one of our conversations, “There are so many things that we talked about wanting to instill in the culture at Grace that this book will address, and if people let it, it will transform their lives.” (personal communication, January 2013) Our pastor spearheaded the reading program and as the church worked its way through the book people were stirred to respond. We scheduled Marilee Pierce Dunker, granddaughter of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, to come speak at our church. I was instrumental in planning that worship service, which included a slideshow asking people to respond by raising money for a Deep Well Project. The church family rose to the occasion and we were able to raise enough money for digging two deep wells, which was double our goal. I was thrilled to participate in this significant event for our church.
There was another opportunity in my work environment where I was able to exercise my wings as a change catalyst. As a special project for the Senior Pastor, I was asked to read through, make notes, and give ideas for potential changes for our church from the book Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley (2012). I felt honored to be asked to provide visionary ideas for change in this context. In LDRS 534 Leader as an Agent of Change, I was able to put into practice some of the concepts I had learned through John Kotter’s (2012) book, Leading Change. As a group project, we were given a case study of an organization in desperate need of making some significant changes. We were assigned the task to present a strategy for change, taking into consideration the components of change, the organizational culture, and leadership styles. We designed a presentation called Seeds for Change. The concepts I learned through this process will be very valuable in the future as I anticipate being a change catalyst within my leadership roles.
Creation of New Knowledge
I feel I am much better equipped to take on the challenges of leading change for individuals and at an organizational level. I currently do not know what job context I will be working in after I graduate, but I anticipate having some leadership responsibilities that will involve the change process. It is my goal, no matter what my work situation, to initiate one significant change suggestion to improve the organization within the first two years of my employment. After reviewing some of my class work I would like to reread both the books Deep Change by Robert Quinn (1996) and Leading Change by John Kotter (2012) within this next year. Both these books are so rich, and I feel I could glean even more wisdom from them. I will also find one new resource, either a book or article, to add to my resources, that can further my understanding and expertise in this area.
I feel I have experienced significant change in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself in the middle of the competent level (3.5). Even though my understanding is much deeper, there is so much more I need to learn and I am excited to pursue the opportunities that lie ahead so I can be a more effective change catalyst.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“A changed world requires change agents, and change agents are people who have first been changed themselves” (Stearns, 2009, p. 244). This is the very call of leadership, to not accept the status quo but to look ahead, dream big, and push forward always striving to cultivate new ideas that will improve and enhance our lives. As an emerging leader, it is critical to understand the leadership characteristics that are necessary to lead through the change process, and my studies in the MAiL program have provided many opportunities for growth in this competency.
A change catalyst is one who can see the need for change and is willing to ask the tough questions. Leading is a learning process and participating and leading change calls out the learner in every leader and individual. “This is about figuring out where you are and where you need to go and then launching an effort to get there. It’s about learning” (Quinn, 1996, p. 166). Part of this learning process is being willing to look deep within myself and to embark on personal transformation. Focusing on change beginning from the inside out, will bring about true transformation and sustainable change. “Doing something differently is a natural response to the changing world. Becoming something different changes the world by transforming what is within us” (Adams & Adams, 2009, p. 15). As Robert Stearns (2009) states in his book Hole in Our Gospel, “It takes transformed people to transform the world” (p.74).
“One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment" (Quinn). One of the most important aspects of leadership is the ability to initiate and lead change in organizations. In order to do this effectively there first needs to be deep change on a personal level. “Deep change at a collective level requires deep change at a personal level. Organizational change cannot occur unless we accept the pain of personal change” (Quinn, 1996, p. 193). A change catalyst is therefore willing to go through a process of deep change first. Deep change occurs when something shifts in me, in who I am, and possibly what I value, and how I relate to others. Deep change occurs when I “do life” differently. In the scriptures, in James 1:2-4, it is describing deep change. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (New International Version). Something different is produced in someone as a result of the circumstances they find themselves in. It is these experiences and the response to them that ultimately shapes who we are as people and as leaders. What defines these effective catalysts of change? Courage is foundational. “Leadership, by its very nature, inspires people to move in directions they would not otherwise have been willing to take. From time to time, good leadership requires excursions into unexplored territory, and draws on a leader’s courage” (Boa, Buzzell, Perkins, 2007, p. 41). It takes transformational leadership, which Peter Northouse (2010) defines this way. "Transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential" (p. 172). It takes vision. "We admire transformational leaders because in the face of impossible odds, complex environments and unimagined situations, they see and convey a new vision. They inspire us with dreams, challenge us by defining our roles and responsibilities, and engage us by making us believe that we are an integral and vital part of a solution that will lead to something greater" (Adams & Adams, 2009, p. 15). It takes resilience; being positive, focused, flexible, organized, and proactive (Conner, 1998, p. 190). Being a change catalyst is one of the most exciting yet challenging aspects of leadership, but as Gary Lemaster (personal communication, 2014) always says, “Leadership is not for the faint-hearted.”
Interpretation of Knowledge
When I entered the MAiL program, I had never really thought very deeply about change and what is involved in the change process. I would have rated myself somewhere between a novice and emerging level (1.5). My life experience has taken me through many significant changes but engaging in academic and scholarly pursuits has given me a deeper understanding of the process. Previously, I would not have connected the need for personal deep change to effectively leading change in others and organizations. In LDRS 534 Leader as an Agent of Change, we engaged in a Personal Change Assignment that really helped guide me through deepening my understanding. Using Robert Quinn’s (1996) book Deep Change, I had to pinpoint significant personal changes that I had experienced in my life and then identify which of those changes were deep changes. After processing some of these changes I looked for significant lessons that I had learned from the experiences and how they reshaped who I am as a person. I learned that when we are willing to look deep within ourselves and confront our own weaknesses, we can then make the deep changes necessary so our selves can be better aligned and we are better equipped to deal with our surrounding environment. As leaders we must be willing to change ourselves before we can change our organizations or challenge those around us to change. Change first begins with one, the one I can make the choices for, and the process of change begins with letting go. This assignment had a significant impact on my thinking about circumstances in my personal life and the change process.
On a more practical level, John Kotter’s (2012) book, Leading Change, provided me with a solid framework for initiating and sustaining change. By thoroughly examining the change process and looking at leaders that failed to do change well, I learned some significant lessons. I began to understand transformation in the context of two components; the various steps involved in the change process and the driving force behind the process, which is leadership (Kotter, 2012). I learned the important role that leaders have in being the change catalysts both personally and in their organizations. "Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles" (Kotter, 2012, p. 28). Change is indeed a process and we will never know all of the challenges that we will face along the way until we are on the journey. This is why leadership takes courage and a willingness to risk and I am sure why Gary Lemaster (personal communication, 2014) coined the phrase I referred to earlier, “Leadership is not for the faint-hearted.”
There was another particular resource and assignment that significantly impacted me in this competency of being a change catalyst. Robert Stearns’ (2009) book, Hole in Our Gospel shifted something in me and stirred my heart in a way that will forever alter the types of changes I want to lead and the impact I want to have. In the section below, I share the specific experience that resulted from reading this book. I know this prayer is echoed in my heart, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God” (Stearns, 2009, p. 9) as I want to be a change catalyst for good, helping to transform lives.
Application of Knowledge
I have had many opportunities to apply and put into practice this competency of change catalyst. Early in my studies, in my LDRS 502 Cornerstones of Christian Leadership class, I read the book Hole in Our Gospel and wrote a paper on it. Very shortly after that I was having a visionary planning conversation with the Senior Pastor at our church, my boss. We were discussing what we could do to help shift the culture at Grace Church to be more aware of and responsive to God’s heart for the world. Because of the impact it had had on me personally, I initiated the idea of reading Hole in Our Gospel. I remember communicating this in an email after one of our conversations, “There are so many things that we talked about wanting to instill in the culture at Grace that this book will address, and if people let it, it will transform their lives.” (personal communication, January 2013) Our pastor spearheaded the reading program and as the church worked its way through the book people were stirred to respond. We scheduled Marilee Pierce Dunker, granddaughter of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, to come speak at our church. I was instrumental in planning that worship service, which included a slideshow asking people to respond by raising money for a Deep Well Project. The church family rose to the occasion and we were able to raise enough money for digging two deep wells, which was double our goal. I was thrilled to participate in this significant event for our church.
There was another opportunity in my work environment where I was able to exercise my wings as a change catalyst. As a special project for the Senior Pastor, I was asked to read through, make notes, and give ideas for potential changes for our church from the book Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley (2012). I felt honored to be asked to provide visionary ideas for change in this context. In LDRS 534 Leader as an Agent of Change, I was able to put into practice some of the concepts I had learned through John Kotter’s (2012) book, Leading Change. As a group project, we were given a case study of an organization in desperate need of making some significant changes. We were assigned the task to present a strategy for change, taking into consideration the components of change, the organizational culture, and leadership styles. We designed a presentation called Seeds for Change. The concepts I learned through this process will be very valuable in the future as I anticipate being a change catalyst within my leadership roles.
Creation of New Knowledge
I feel I am much better equipped to take on the challenges of leading change for individuals and at an organizational level. I currently do not know what job context I will be working in after I graduate, but I anticipate having some leadership responsibilities that will involve the change process. It is my goal, no matter what my work situation, to initiate one significant change suggestion to improve the organization within the first two years of my employment. After reviewing some of my class work I would like to reread both the books Deep Change by Robert Quinn (1996) and Leading Change by John Kotter (2012) within this next year. Both these books are so rich, and I feel I could glean even more wisdom from them. I will also find one new resource, either a book or article, to add to my resources, that can further my understanding and expertise in this area.
I feel I have experienced significant change in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself in the middle of the competent level (3.5). Even though my understanding is much deeper, there is so much more I need to learn and I am excited to pursue the opportunities that lie ahead so I can be a more effective change catalyst.