Act Different. Think Different. Change!
by Carlo Pellegrini

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Since the events of September 11, we’ve all heard the phrase repeated: Life is different now.

And yet, in the midst of the chaos and crisis, we are presented with an incredible opportunity to act differently in order to think differently about our response to change. Seizing this opportunity takes courage--courage one degree greater than our fears.

As a motivational speaker, mentor, and coach, one of the physical metaphors I use to bring people’s awareness of the moment into sharper focus is the art of keeping three balls in the air. Juggling helps people gain insight into how they approach change and how willing they are to learn new skills. It also helps them realize their basic assumption patterns: what they believe they are able to accomplish.

Through juggling, I aim to help groups achieve a shift in beliefs, a change in behaviors, and the creation of small steps toward working and thinking differently. Here is how the process works.

Close your eyes, and imagine you are standing alone in a room. You have three balls and a note that says, “Within the next 20 minutes, your objective is to juggle three balls in two hands.”

Ask yourself, What would I do? How would I approach this problem? Would I have the experience in my database of knowledge to tackle this problem? Why should I accept this challenge? Would I make a plan? Would I jump in and throw the balls up in the air and hope for the best? Would I call out for help? What are the consequences if I don’t accomplish this in the time allotted?

Depending on your wiring and preferred learning style, there are three common reactions to this exercise: fight, flight, or freeze. Whatever your reaction, the task throws you out of balance. To reach a state of balance, people use a combination of two knowledge databases: thinking (analysis) and body knowledge. Most of us default to the former as a primary tool for problem solving. My work suggests that tapping into the information held in our bodies--information that is real and preprogrammed--helps us reach the goal just as effectively. This represents a shift in beliefs.

Learning to juggle can offer a snapshot of how you, your staff, and even your loved ones deal with learning different parameters of behavior. It also magnifies the basic assumption patterns that managers encounter daily from staff: I can’t do this. Why do I need to do this? I am one person with only two hands! You want me to do what with how few resources?

In the 20 years I have used juggling as a physical metaphor for change, participants in my sessions have offered many lessons.

• In order to juggle, I have to let go of the balls.
• If I say I can’t, I know I won’t.
• The balls do not have minds of their own--they only go where I throw them.
• Juggling is about timing, rhythm, focus, and vision. So is my life.
• If I build on small successes, I get further.
• The information I need to accomplish this is in my body; I just don’t let it out.
• The toss is the most important part of juggling; it sets up the catch.
• This is not about juggling; it’s about managing multiple priorities.
• This is an easy two-person job.
• If I can’t get the third ball out of my hand, I’ve got some issues of control.
• I literally cannot think about anything else but throwing and catching balls.
• If I trust myself to learn, I can learn anything--even juggling.
• Juggling is serious fun.
• Juggling is about effortless focus and relaxed concentration.
• The parallels to business are clear: When I juggle (manage), I handle what is in front of me while I keep an eye on the future.
• I cannot think and juggle, but I do think differently after I try juggling. It’s also about doing.

To these bits of wisdom I would like to add two more of my own.

1. Flexible thinking is vitally important. Just as rigidity causes balls to collide and fall, it causes processes and relationships to break down. This happens when you see yourself as only one type of learner.

To increase your flexibility, try something different--such as a new way of throwing the balls in the air (ideas) or a different way of catching them (listening). You could test out a new pattern of behavior. What have you got to lose? You can always go back to doing it your way.

2. Courage and fear go hand in hand. Late-night host Johnny Carson was once asked if after 30 years he still got nervous before a show. “I’d be a damn fool if I didn’t,” he replied. Performers know that nervousness is their ally. They use it to bring themselves to their peak, to the edge of their preparation. In fact, nervousness is a measure of preparedness. For people in business, living inside fear is a requisite part of moving toward everyday courage. Acting with courage just one degree greater than your fear can bring you to the edge of your peak performance.

As you move forward through your career and your life, you must find new ways to talk, act, think, and work in order to survive in a rapidly changing world. Finding balance while juggling everything life throws at you can compel you to act.

Your challenge: Identify which balls you are juggling right now. Then ask yourself each morning, Can I handle one more ball than I did yesterday? Acknowledge one basic assumption about yourself today. Use your everyday courage to shift it and overcome the fear of change. You will find that these changes affect, and possibly improve, how you communicate with others. You will also find that change will quiet the chatter in your head about what you think is possible.

It’s a lot to juggle.