Create Your Butterfly Effect

All too often we inhibit our minds from perceiving a particular situation or event as being real simply because we have no historical knowledge to draw from to form such a conclusion. At times it seems we are too afraid to dream or even think of that which has not yet been thought of before. The inability to perceive the not yet perceived reality unfortunately limits our thoughts and dreams to anchors tied to the past versus the future we need to create.

Too often the seemingly impossible stays perceived as impossible simply because someone didn’t dare to dream and think a new thought.

There was one such perception that remained quite unimaginable for centuries that is until, by accident, one small seemingly insignificant event changed everything. The size of the initial and resulting event was beyond comprehension by most if not by all until that day occurred. No one would have ever imagined it to be true or even possible until an American mathematician and meteorologist, Edward Lorenz, made an unbelievable discovery up to that time in history back in 1961. Even though nearly ten years earlier, back in 1952, a story written about time travel by Ray Bradbury, presented to the world, the notion that one butterfly could have an effect on a subsequent historical future event. Even though it was a newly perceived idea, it’s realm of possibility with the current mode of thinking at that that time was just too great for most to take it seriously. Most waved it off as “highly unlikely” that is until a one man decided to change how he did things.

It wasn’t until Edward Lorenz decided to make a move and change something by actually demonstrating the chance existence of a new perception of reality by using a numerical computer model to rerun a weather prediction, did such a notion become real.

It all happened when Lorenz created a computer program to model the weather but in one shortcut he took on the numbering system in obtaining a reprint of that weather pattern printout he decided to personally type in the numbers himself. Normally, Lorenz used the output from the computer to feed directly into the weather pattern model, but today he decided to do something different. While manually entering the numbers, instead of entering the full .506127 number into the model as the computer normally would, he entered in the decimal .506 as a shortcut, omitting the last three decimal places. Little did Lorenz know at the time how significant the difference in the results would be just by entering 3 decimal places versus the six decimal places normally inputted?

What Lorenz witnessed was not only surprising but also totally unexpected. He discovered that one tiny change he made – just one part in a thousand – had made a completely huge difference in the weather scenario results.

A completely different weather scenario had emerged all because Lorenz chose to make what he thought would be an insignificant tiny change in the input. Lorenz published his findings in the 1963 New York Academy of Science paper. After reading about Lorenz’s discovery, a fellow meteorologist remarked that based on Lorenz’s findings from the change in the weather patterns obtained after entering just a tiny fluctuation in the data number, one could predict that one flap of a seagulls wings could change the course of the weather pattern forever. You can imagine the implications throughout the scientific community. The notion that the tiniest alteration in current reality could change the course of events forever was not just mind-boggling but mind enabling. Proof that a small change in current conditions could have a ripple effect that could lead to large scale alterations in the chain of event s to come was not just note worthy, it was world changing worthy.

In later writings, Lorenz with some prompting form fellow scientist, began to refer to his findings with the more impacting thought of the flap of a butterfly’s wing to better illustrate the point Lorenz was trying to make based on the data he collected. The phenomenon was descriptive of the Chaos Theory and named “sensitive dependence on initial conditions”, formerly referred to as the “Butterfly Effect”.

Sometimes we are honored with the role of “starting something” in order that, when the time is right, someone else can "finish it up".

That’s what I believe the unrehearsed plan was between Ray Bradbury and Edward Lorenz. Although they may not have known it, together they changed how we not only view our world but the impact we, each individual, can have on it just by deciding to engage and act within the system. The Butterfly Effect introduced us to the theoretical idea that even the moving wings of a tiny butterfly will create changes in the atmosphere that could cause a chain of events that lead to a large scale alteration in conditions to come. For example, it was stated that the flapping of a tin butterfly’s wings in one city on one side of the earth could have a large impact on the weather conditions in another city on the other side of the earth. Further examination of this theory introduced us to the notion that a tiny change in one thing today has the power to have a tremendous impact in changing the current patterns in another area of our lives in the future, just like the butterfly’s wings did with the weather conditions.

Every movement, thought, decision or action we take or not take now has an impact on what we will experience or not experience in the future, no matter how large or small the initial action taken was.

We must be willing to make a measurable difference in what we are doing today in order to see a significant change in what we will experience tomorrow. All you have to do is choose differently today to change the output you get tomorrow. Just think abut it. How many times do you stop short of doing something different, of taking a new action, of thinking a new thought, just because you think it’ll never matter, it won’t make a difference, nothing will change?

As you go though your day, I encourage you to do so not only with an open mind but also with an open heart and spirit for spotting your “butterfly effect” opportunity. I know there is not one but many opportunities for us all to change how our future is created. However, in order for us to create the future we want to experience we have to be willing to create the long-term patterns that lead to that effect today.

YOU have the power within you to create a phenomenon that that will lead to success in your life and ultimately within the world. All you have to do is be open to your opportunity.

Leading Change Enablement and Engagement

Change is and will continue to be a constant for all organizations and all leaders must be willing and ready at all times to lead the charge. Harmonic leaders must be change leaders, having the willingness and ability to change that which is currently being done to something that possibly has never been done before. They know they must let go of yesterday’s successes and abandon the past in search of a better tomorrow. We have been taught to see the outside world as the source of creation for anything new but the truth is the outside world that we see and experience first begins as a thought from within. Before we can begin to change any situation or any thing, we have to first “imagine” that change within our minds, and then and only then can we begin to move forward towards creating a changed reality. Harmonic leaders know that’s where the true power for change comes from. They also know that the ideas and thinking that created the current states that exist are not the same ones needed to create a better tomorrow. Therefore, harmonic leaders know how important it is to encourage and reward “new thinking” and “new thoughts” in order to move an organization to a new place. The harmonic leader welcomes and encourages innovation while encouraging others to develop new and innovative concepts for solving tomorrow’s problems and delivering world-class solutions. They embrace the idea that everyone should have an “imagination journal” because they know that’s the only way we can not only imagine a better tomorrow but actually begin to create it.

To aid the harmonic leader in managing change I defined the following five guidelines to aid in enabling the change effort:

1. Have a "vision" and then "talk and walk it up" - It is essential that the harmonic leader create a vision that links the present with the future for others when implementing change. They must not only create a vision but become the vision in the eyes of those that follow them. People must have a way to see a glimpse of a better future, a better tomorrow that is attractive and reachable that compels them to move in that direction. When developing the vision, the leader should identify who the key stakeholders are and engage them in helping to develop and bring the vision to life. Beginning with the senior leadership team is a great place to start because they should have the broadest perspective and knowledge necessary to understand the need for change. The harmonic leader must also take time to understand the values, hopes and dreams of others effected by the change and know how to engage them. They also know it is not just about engaging a few individuals but more importantly, engaging the "masses" from the beginning of the change journey. With a vision, the harmonic leader can convey an image to all of what can be accomplished and the benefits and values to be realized when the change is achieved. However, it is important that the harmonic leader neither over promise nor under sell the opportunity when developing the vision.

2. Build a broad coalition of support and use them to help sell the change - Successful change is not easy and usually requires the support and effort of several key people. Therefore, it is essential that the harmonic leader work to build a coalition of supporters and advocates inside and outside the organization. One way to begin is to schedule time with other leaders to sell the value and benefits of the change and engage them in being active advocates and supporters. Ensure they are engaged and prepared to support the implementation of the change. The harmonic leader should continue to sell the vision to all who are impacted. The more advocates and "angels" one has supporting the change initiative the better.

3. Communicate, communicate, then communicate – The need for continuous communications for successful change cannot be emphasized enough. Once the vision and future state is communicated, people will need to know what the expectations are for supporting the change, what steps are being taken, what has been completed and what work still needs to be done, what improvements or impacts have been made and finally, are the objectives being achieved. Communications is also essential to address any anxiety or stress people might go through when faced with major change. To keep people informed on how things are progressing will create more enthusiasm and self-confidence in the ability to achieve the desired results. It is also critical to allow for two-way communications. Not only should people be communicated to, there must be a way of people to communicate to the harmonic leader and other change agents and advocates when needed. The ability to ask questions and get honest answers will go along way in keeping people engaged in the change initiative.

4. Create a sense of urgency – Harmonic leaders must communicate that the need for action is "now" not later. When change is seen as gradual and far off, many people will choose to "wait it out" and "not engage", some with the hope that if they ignore it, it will go away. The harmonic leader must be able to persuade others in the organization that the time needed for change is now versus a gradual slow roll approach. It is important to explain the consequences of waiting versus the benefits of action. Many leaders rely on business cases to communicate the need to act now. Identifying a high return on investing in the change over time can go a long way to engaging and convincing others to "get on board".

5. Decide how you want to "chew the elephant up" then plan for early wins – Large change initiatives can take several months and even years to implement. With a large initiative it is important that the harmonic leader plan a strategy that allows for early and frequent successes along the way. As people experience success they gain more confidence providing them with more energy to continue. That's why it's important that the harmonic leader plan critical milestones of achievements to show progress to the plan and to provide an opportunity for people to stop and celebrate accomplishments. Also, by dividing the elephant into the right "bite sizes" the harmonic leader minimizes the feeling that the change is too large and unachievable.

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.’

— Alan Cohen

I just love this quote.....:)