Newsletter #9 - How Cooking, Tennis, and Wine Improve My Change Management Skills – And Can Enhance Yours Too!
How Cooking, Tennis, and Wine Improve My Change Management Skills (6 min.)
Did you know that grilling the perfect steak on a Santa Maria BBQ and acing a service return can make you a better leader during times of change?
Bottom Line Up Front
🔥 Grilling requires precise heat control, mirroring the detailed attention needed for successful strategic adjustments in change management.
🎾 Tennis enhances strategic thinking and adaptability, which is critical for navigating the dynamic challenges of organizational change.
🍷 Culinary experiments boost creativity, while wine tasting develops an appreciation for subtleties, essential for crafting unique strategies and understanding diverse team dynamics in change processes.
This week, I'd like to share a different side of change management that intersects with the seemingly unrelated world of personal hobbies. From perfecting paella on my Santa Maria grill to strategizing in a game of tennis, I've found that my leisure activities enrich my professional approach significantly.
Exploring the Precision of Cooking with a Santa Maria Grill
Cooking demands precision and adaptability, especially on a Santa Maria BBQ grill. Adjusting the grate to control the heat just right for each cut of meat teaches me the importance of attention to detail—a skill equally vital in overseeing complex change initiatives. Like adjusting the flame, successful change management often requires meticulous strategy tuning to meet an organization's evolving needs.
Strategizing through Tennis
Each tennis match presents a new set of challenges, like the dynamic environments we navigate during organizational change. Developing strategies to respond to an opponent's moves has sharpened my ability to anticipate and adapt to the unexpected in business scenarios. This sport reinforces the need for flexibility and quick thinking, which are essential for effectively steering change.
Cultivating Taste and Appreciation through Wine Exploration
Exploring wines has opened my eyes to the subtle complexities and variety of flavors, much like understanding the diverse perspectives within an organization. This hobby enhances my capability to appreciate and navigate the nuanced dynamics of corporate cultures, enabling more empathetic and effective change leadership.
Unleashing Creativity with Culinary Experiments
Experimenting with new recipes and techniques in the kitchen stirs my creativity, encouraging innovative solutions to professional challenges. This creativity is crucial when crafting unique strategies that align with specific organizational needs during transformation processes.
Conclusion
As we navigate the complexities of change management, integrating the lessons from our hobbies can provide fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. Please reflect on your hobbies and consider how they might offer valuable insights into your professional practices.
What hobbies have boosted your professional skills?
How have your hobbies influenced your professional life? Have you found unexpected lessons in everyday activities that translate into business acumen? I invite you to share your experiences and reflections. Let's discuss how personal passions can continue to shape our professional paths.
Integrating the lessons learned from hobbies into professional practices enriches our work and makes the journey more enjoyable and fulfilling. I look forward to hearing your stories and discussing how we can all bring more of our whole selves to our professional endeavors.
Miguel Guevara
When you are ready, I can help you in three ways:
📞Book a 1:1 Planning call with me (Miguel)
👀 Follow me (Miguel) on LinkedIn
🎥 Take our free Change Management Fundamentals for Project Managers Course
I help business leaders deliver complex projects and write about how to:
- Navigate difficult changes confidently using battle-tested strategies to plan, implement, and win.
- Lead resilient teams by building change management skills and strategies to facilitate change and thrive.
- Reduce risk and boost outcomes using a simple and proven change management framework.
- Excel in your role by gaining insider perspectives and powerful strategies about the corporate world.
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