Making a Change? What is 1-Degree of Transformation?

What a ride! In the past month, I've been to Minneapolis, MN; Long Beach Island, NJ; Decatur, IL; and St. Louis, MO. The PLA - "Turning the Page" Tour (and one team building retreat) really made me qualify for road warrior status! It's been fun, though. I love traveling the country and meeting my rowdy librarians -- and, yes, they know that's how I refer to them! :-)

The sessions I facilitate help public library directors and trustees demonstrate how they help solve community issues. I help them develop compelling stories about residents who have benefited -- or whose lives have been transformed as a result of a library service (like FREE access to computers).

Over the past year, I've talked a lot about transformation with participants. And, I've cautioned them to not be overwhelmed or disheartened by the word or concept -- because it can seem really big. "How can I find people in my community whose lives have been transformed?!" My advice has been to focus on the impact of even the most basic of services.

What do I mean? The person who submits a successful online job application via a free computer at the library may have experienced a significant economic, personal and/or professional impact from a "basic" service (computer access). The transformational story shares the before & after situation of this person - with facts and anecdotes that will "hook" us into wanting to know more about what the library does.

In St. Louis, we also discussed the challenge of transforming opinions or perceptions. "If the people in my community think our library only has books, how can I let them know we do so much more?" Again, we cannot be discouraged because the task seems daunting or too much to take on. We can focus on making the smallest change first -- the 1-Degree of Transformation (not to be confused with 6-Degrees of Separation, LOL!).

I began using this phrase and participants really seemed to respond. What's the 1-Degree of Transformation that will begin moving things in the right direction? I think it's a relevant strategy to consider for your work with other people, as well as for your own goal setting and personal development. For example, here are some questions to think about:

• Clients/Colleagues/Supporters:
• What small change in behavior/perception would be most relevant right now?
• What would making that small change do for your working relationship? 
• How can you help facilitate that small change?
• Goal Setting/Personal Development: 
• What small change in your behavior/perception would be most relevant for you right now?
• What would taking that small step do for your outlook on your situation?
• How can you make that small change?

What do YOU think? Let me know your thoughts and reactions to this 1-Degree of Transformation. And, as you try it out, let me know how it goes -- either comment here on the blog or tweet me at Coach_Colette.