Management Summary
Separation competence, i.e. the ability to say goodbye to the status quo in order to make room for something new, is increasingly becoming a key competence for managers who want to actively shape change. Managers with a high level of separation competence recognise when structures, concepts and procedures are losing their effectiveness and hindering the company's success. They are also able to organise this separation process in a transparent and comprehensible manner in order to maintain the trust of employees.
How can separation competence be developed? Five aspects:
- Accepting change as normality
- Replace perfection with appropriateness
- Transform blocking beliefs
- Break down complex issues into manageable elements
- Evaluating the status quo
Coaching can help you to strengthen your separation skills.
Separation expertise as a success factor
Traditionally, managers are also measured by how well they keep an organisation stable and how successfully they implement long-term strategies. However, in a rapidly changing market environment, this attitude is becoming an obstacle. Agility and adaptability are crucial. As a result, proven strategies, structures, processes, decisions and competences must be regularly reviewed and, if necessary, revised.
Managers with a high level of separation competence recognise when existing practices are losing their effectiveness and hindering the company's success. They act proactively by changing their focus, making new decisions and moving away from ineffective practices. They also have the ability to make this process transparent and comprehensible. This enables them to maintain employees' trust in the change and in themselves.
The balance between stability and change
However, separation competence does not mean constantly turning everything upside down. Rather, it is about finding a balance between keeping and letting go and developing a sense for the right time to let go.
Practical approaches to developing separation competence
There are various ways to develop separation competence. Below I present five effective steps:
- Accept change as normality: Change is the "new normal". It is nothing special, it is part of and a prerequisite for continuous development.
- Replace perfection with appropriateness: There is no such thing as the perfect solution. Therefore, always understand all solutions and decisions as "good enough for now and save enough to try".
- Transform blocking beliefs: Beliefs such as "It has to be perfect" or "I have to have everything in view" can cause you to experience inner conflict and increased stress levels when you let go of the tried and tested. Therefore, invest in the transformation of blocking beliefs.
- Break down complex issues into manageable elements: Especially when it comes to making significant changes, it helps to break down complexity and examine which aspects can already be abandoned and which still need to be retained.
- Evaluate the status quo: Experience has shown that it is easier to give things up if you know the price you are paying to maintain them. Therefore, take the time to evaluate what the current situation is costing you and what you will gain if you decide in favour of a new path.
Stable self-confidence as the basis for solid separation skills
Self-confidence plays a decisive role in the ability to break away from the old ways. Managers who trust their intuition and their abilities are able to initiate change appropriately, even in a dynamic environment, and to make and implement the associated decisions.
Conclusion: Letting go as part of effective leadership
In a rapidly changing world, separation skills are becoming a key qualification for managers. Those who are not prepared to let go of outdated structures risk being left behind. Effective leadership today also means accepting change as a normal development and actively shaping it. This also requires the courage to let go of what no longer works in order to make something new possible.
Coaching can help you to strengthen your separation skills.
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