One of the most influential people in my professional career is Gerry Weinberg. I first met Gerry in 1974 (don’t faint younger readers) when he and Daniel Freedman ran a workshop for Trainers in Melbourne. I strongly recommend any of Gerry’s numerous books.
I remember walking in to the workshop and finding all the tables and chairs pushed really closely together and at the back of the room making it very difficult for all of us participants to sit down. As a traditional Anglo-Saxon, I also found it uncomfortable that I was “forced” to sit so close to the next person I could easily smell his aftershave.
Not a good start to the workshop.
Gerry and Daniel commenced the workshop and, to be honest, the seating was so threatening I don’t remember what they said… something about trainers taking responsibility for the people attending their workshop or something …
Finally after many hours, one of the participants (my colleague Peter Lonsdale) finally complained about the seating and as Gerry replied, I began to understand how much I had to learn about being an educator and a project manager.
“Well, if you didn’t like the seating, why didn’t you take the responsibility for changing it? Aren’t you responsible for your own situation?” Gerry asked. “How can you be responsible for trying to get people to change their work situation when you can’t even take responsibility for yourself and your own learning environment?”
Well he got to me and I got it …. well …. almost.
Later Gerry gave us all homework.
He wanted us to explore change and its impact on us. He proposed that most of us have patterns and routines that prevent us from changing. As an example, he asked us to think about taking a shower. “Do you start at the same place when you take a shower?”
Well, as a confirmed left arm shower starter (I have never understood head starters) I nodded … everyone must have a routine for showering.
Our homework was, during our next shower, we were to start with a completely different part of our body.
Some 33 years later, I STILL REMEMBER THAT SHOWER!!!!!!!
I started with my right knee, not my regular left arm, and it just got worse and descended into shower hell.
In respect of decorum I won’t share any more details of the most stressful shower I have ever had. How stressful, after drying myself I couldn’t get rid of the thought “I have missed parts” so I jumped back in the shower and, you got it, started with my left arm again “Aaaaah … that feels better”.
Since then I have given Gerry’s Shower Exercise to many experienced project managers and change agents. It is amazing how many won’t even try to shower differently. Too much change, too much stress.
From Gerry, I learnt that change is stressful for all of us – change agents, project managers, visionaries – there are no reactionary, change adverse people – there are just people who love taking showers the same way.