From Fear to Empowerment: Lata Hamilton's Expert Tips for Navigating Workplace Change

Debra Coleman [00:00:09]:

Hello once again, and welcome back to another exciting episode of Have a Seat, Conversations with Women in the Workplace podcast. I am your host, Deborah Coleman. I am so excited you joined me again this week. So looking forward to sharing this conversation with you. In you have probably heard me say this many times both in solo episodes and with episodes with guests. I believe we have officially entered in post 2020 into a new workspace. There is no returning to any sort of normal. That's gone.

Debra Coleman [00:00:42]:

Right? At least what that's what I believe. And so with, with that, post 2020, we have been many of us have been subjected to A lot of change. Of course, personally, I'm sure many of us have, but definitely professionally. I'm sure there have been some changes, Some minor, some major, a little bit maybe in between of your work circumstances, your organization, your company, maybe your own career path. It looks different for everybody, but change has definitely been along for the ride. It has definitely been, I feel, our copilot front and center since 2020. So that is why I was so excited to talk to my guest this week, miss Lotta Hamilton. Lata is a change management consultant, yes, leadership trainer, and Confidence coach.

Debra Coleman [00:01:36]:

She is such a burst of energy, and she has such a wonderful way of breaking down it means to be an agent of change in the workplace. Lata is the founder and CEO of Passion Pioneers and the creator of the Leading Successful change program. I mean, brilliant. Who else can we talk to about change other than miss Lotta? Lotta has worked with some of Australia's biggest companies, she has moved from marketing to the world of organizational change management and developed her own style of inspiring change leadership. She's worked on changes that have impacted over a 100,000 people, global cultural transformations, Operating model changes and digital transformation that is literally changing the way we work. Latte believes it doesn't matter where you started. It's where you're going and the lives you change for the better along the way that counts. I love what she stands for, and I love the way she approaches change management.

Debra Coleman [00:02:38]:

It was such an enlightening and empowering conversation. I am excited to bring that to you this week. So enough for me. Without further ado, here is my incredibly engaging conversation with change management consultant, Lata Hamilton. Well, welcome back to another episode of Have A Seat, Conversations With Women in the Workplace podcast. And Joining me this week is the delightful miss Lotta Hamilton. Lotta is the founder and CEO and leadership coach of her own coaching platform, and I'm so excited because she really focuses on one of the things she focuses on how to lead and execute successful change in our lives and professional lives. So very excited to have this conversation with miss Lata.

Debra Coleman [00:03:24]:

Thank you for joining me this evening.

Lata [00:03:27]:

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited.

Debra Coleman [00:03:29]:

Me too. Me too. I, as we chatted a little bit before I hit that record button, there was so much that I wanted to talk to her about, and I just finally, you know, kinda narrowed it down to change. But I think it was, as I mentioned to her prior to recording that, It seems to be in my little personal universe lately that I've been countering many friends and colleagues who are looking to make a career change either by their choice or not. And so I thought, you know, wow. Good timing. We can kind of pick Lata's brain a little bit this week and see what She, you know, has to say on the subject. So with that being said, welcome once again, miss Lata.

Debra Coleman [00:04:06]:

And, let's see. To get us Started. I just have a few questions because I can't I just really wanna give you the space to to get us in the right mindset in accepting and executing on some change that we may encounter in our professional lives. But your mission, if I'm not mistaken, is to help everyone, but specifically women, carve out their past for to make a change in their career and possibly in their life because we know sometimes that does intersect. 1 bleeds into the next. So what, I guess, inspired you to really niche down into this journey of helping to empower women to embrace any sort of change or make those necessary changes in their lives.

Lata [00:04:50]:

Yeah. Thanks so much, Deborah. It's it's a great question, actually, and probably one that maybe I haven't reflected on as much, but I guess for me, like, I just never wanted to settle. You know, I was really academic at School, I was really academic at university. And when I came out of university, I had already been working, like, a day a week Just kinda casually for this, like, advertising agency, which was amazing. Like, I really enjoyed it, and then they wanted to put me on, like, a full time sort of contract. And I was like, yep. That's amazing.

Lata [00:05:20]:

Like, I kind of was like, oh, I'm so lucky. And then when I saw what they were offering me, it was like I could have Made more if I'd gone and just, like, left uni straightaway and started stacking supermarket shelves. Like Oh, boy. It was that low of an offer. And, like, they were a small small business, so that that was the best that they could do. Mhmm. But I was like, why have I done, like, all of this this work and and worked so hard and gotten such great results? And then, like, Where's the return off that investment? And so for me personally, like, I I've probably been changing careers from the get go, really. You know, like, when when I find myself in a career that hasn't necessarily served me either from a lifestyle perspective or from a pay perspective or from a promotion perspective and being able to step up and step up in roles or even from, like, a fulfillment perspective.

Lata [00:06:08]:

So I've Absolutely changed careers when I've just been like, this this actual career doesn't necessarily fulfill me personally, But especially on the pay front, because exactly what you mentioned where it's like so the way that we're able to fund our life and our lifestyle, like, is from our career. We don't go to work for a hobby. We don't go for free. We are going in order to be compensated effectively and appropriately for the work we do, which then goes to fund our life and our lifestyle. And, you you know, like, you think of, like, a career, it's called, like, a livelihood. So it's like, you know, that is your life. So when you make change in your career, it can have these flow on effects into your life. And, you know, I did that from from advertising into marketing, $20,000 pay rise.

Lata [00:06:53]:

I did that from marketing into change management, and I got, like, a $15,000 pay rise, and then I doubled my salary. And so within the space of 3 years, I tripled my salary to almost $200,000 a year simply by changing careers and moving to careers were more lucrative generally, like like as a base level standard, but also careers that could really help me Expand, that could help me grow, that could help me step up and be a leader. And so they would, like, tick a lot of the other boxes for me too, like variety and growth and challenge. And so those career changes have been probably, like, the biggest factor to my success. And I think, You know, as humans, we are hardwired to not necessarily, love change. We like things to stay the same. We like things to stay stable because that keeps us safe. It means that we know what's coming.

Lata [00:07:45]:

You know, we we we aren't gonna be surprised by anything. But when you actually step up and own your own career change, when you step up and Actively decide what it is that you want, what you're worth, what value you bring, and what you can do. You can absolutely make big changes not just in your career, but in your life and in your lifestyle.

Debra Coleman [00:08:05]:

I love that. I love the own it and actively decide for yourself. I think that Says a lot because maybe there's a part of a part of us those of us that don't really, embrace change quite as readily as others, Maybe it's that sense of loss of control that, makes us sorta go run screaming from the room when when the word change is whispered. But and that really is a beautiful segue into my next question. But first, I wanna backtrack just slightly and say, well, congratulations on you for such a tremendous, upward mobility in your career. That's amazing. What a

Lata [00:08:43]:

Thank you.

Debra Coleman [00:08:43]:

Inspiring. Yeah. Absolutely. And I know it's it's it's of course, it's the It's a compensation increase, but it sounds like it was also fulfilling for you, like, in your career, your own personal career ladder, where you wanted to see yourself, Like, all the all the all the dots aligned, and that's a really wonderful feeling. I can imagine. Mhmm.

Lata [00:09:02]:

Yeah. It absolutely is. And, You know, beyond what I ever thought was possible, because I just kind of assumed you had to, like, you know, stay in a career for life and just keep, You know, working hard and getting, like, step up after step up and, you know, I was kinda very loyal. That was the model that I had from my father who was in corporate career, and I kinda just Unconsciously modeled his career. And, you know, pretty soon into the workplace, into my career, I realized that I'm not a 50 year old white man. I absolutely am a millennial, and I really wanted to be able to, you know, expand what was possible for me, reach my potential, But also have have more impact with people and step up into leadership a lot sooner than a lot of my my own leaders were, were saying was possible, so I Capture my own path to do that.

Debra Coleman [00:09:50]:

I love that. Oh, I listen. I absolutely am a team change. Like, I am a cheerleader for change. It's definitely I my personally, you know, my husband and I have moved a lot, so there's that factor. But then in my own career, I am not afraid to either move up as you beautifully showed us in you like, the career path, but also, like, maybe within my organization, if there's, You know, a major change in terms of, you know, resources that we use, tools that we use, you know, programming, that sort of thing, like, you know, institutional changes. I'm usually one of the first ones that's, like, signed me up for training, and then next thing I know, I'm, like, considered a super trainer because I embraced it so quickly. Now I can help others get on board.

Debra Coleman [00:10:33]:

Right? That kind of thing. So, I mean, that's just a really small example. But

Lata [00:10:37]:

Us chain managers love people like you, Deborah. Oh, yay. You you were like, please, can we have more deference in the room? Right? Oh, I love it. Yes.

Debra Coleman [00:10:47]:

I am definitely that type and, but I I can appreciate, though, as you touched on too earlier, that there are others who are probably hearing us right now and are like, oh gosh. That's good for you guys, but no. I can't. I really struggle. Like, honestly, it's a challenge for me. I hear the word change, and I'll I immediately tense up, and Here comes the hammer. Right? Like, what what now kind of mentality. How or or maybe why? You know? Help us understand why someone might think that way or what challenges may be, you know, presenting themselves for somebody who that's their knee jerk reaction when The word change is even uttered or mentioned.

Lata [00:11:27]:

Yeah. Look, I think the big one really is about loss. It's Like you mentioned a little bit, it's like loss of control, loss of, especially in a workplace. Like, it's like, am I gonna look silly? Am I not gonna be able to do the new thing? For some people, let's just say it's a new system that's being put in. I should probably actually explain. So so if you don't know what change management is in an organization, so change management It's simply the process of moving people from doing things in one way to doing things in a new way. And so it could be, anything From a new system, a new platform, a new technology, a new application, a new team structure, a new operating model. It could be, a new site, a new product, a new service, a new process, the move to remote work, the move back to the office, a regulatory change, a compliance change, Anything that's changing in an organization, we can support with change management, and we do that through communications, training, and business readiness.

Lata [00:12:22]:

And we do it in order to realise the business benefits of the change. So we actually want people to not just change, but to actually get what we thought was going to be the return on investment of us doing that project or that initiative or making that change in the organisation. And so what we do from a change management perspective is is we She helped people feel informed, confident, ready, and inspired by the change because most people in an organisation when change comes knocking on their door, which happens all the time in organizations. Like, that's literally the nature of working in a workplace, especially in the modern day to day and Since COVID, you can't exist now in a workplace or in an organisation without experiencing organisational change Multiple times a year, usually. Like, we often think about it with the big changes, like a new operating model or a restructure or layoffs, or we think about it, you know, with big Big digital transformation. But anytime a little process change in changes in your team, people can have exactly the same reaction of that Fear, that gut reaction, that freeze, that, I don't I don't know what this is going to mean for me, and I don't know what it's gonna mean for my future. Am I gonna be able to Step up and show up and be be successful with this, and that's really what the sort of processing is. It's really that survival instinct being triggered.

Lata [00:13:43]:

And so like, the freeze, flight, fight response. And so for most people, that's the reaction that's coming up. And even for me, like, you know, I'm I'm a human. It happens to me too. Like, if something is going to change, I I have that initial reaction. I'm just able to move through it quicker because I do love change, and I do advocate a lot for change. I'm a bit like you. I like to jump on board with things earlier.

Lata [00:14:06]:

And so when people having are having those reactions, it's usually because they're worried about losing control. They're worried about losing, you know, their status. They're worried about losing their grasp or their handle on how they do things. Maybe they are the technical expert In their field, and despite being that they don't have that status anymore, they people won't come to them anymore. And then in some very real cases, you know, it is often about people losing their Like, you know, this whole thing around okay. Cool. We're bringing in this technology in order to save time. That's what The business is saying.

Lata [00:14:40]:

That's what the organization is saying. That's what the leaders are saying. But what people are hearing is if we save time, then that means that you don't need like, that things are gonna be more efficient, that means that you're not gonna need as many people, that means I'm gonna lose my job.

Debra Coleman [00:14:54]:

Mhmm.

Lata [00:14:55]:

So even if they don't consciously think that at a deep kind of processing level, that's that's the, result that they get to. That's the outcome that they get to, Which might not be the case. Like, this technology might mean that we actually end up with, like, more customers and more clients, and so that means that we end up having to build teams or that we're gonna shift our teams in a different way. So it really triggers that survival instinct. Like, your career is your livelihood, and so in organizational change, it's Why it's so important to really support organizational changes with the change management approach is because we wanna help people move through that. We wanna help people move past the The fear to actually just open their ears to get the information, to start thinking about what it could mean for them, to start inspiring them about the possibilities, And then have them be confident and ready to actually accept the change, make the change, and sustain the change moving forward.

Debra Coleman [00:15:48]:

That is really wonderful. And it really sounds like also that change managers, correct me if I'm wrong, sound like sort of the middleman And the bridge, because many times maybe, like, individual contributors might feel a little intimidated to go to their leader or their direct report with some of these concerns or questions. However, if we are assigned a change manager to our project or to the, you know, to to the change that's happening, if there's someone who's of overseeing it, as you said, and helping us find our way, that individual might be easier to express some of our concerns to or to Learn about what like, you just beautifully explained. Well, I know this is what you heard, but this is really what it could mean for you realistically in your role. So is that what my understanding? Am I getting close?

Lata [00:16:36]:

Yeah. Absolutely. We definitely advocate for the people experience. Like, it is all about people. And it's not to say that it's so fluffy and wishy washy and that we don't care about results. We actually as change managers, we care deeply about the results. We wanna make sure that the organization or project or the business gets the results that they have invested sometimes, you know, 1,000, 100 of 1,000, 1,000,000 of dollars into These, you know, transformations and projects, we wanna make sure that they get the result, and they'll only get that result if people come on board with the change, if People come on the journey if they believe it for themselves and they actually, like, embed and sustain the change after the project is finished. So we care deeply about the results, and we do it, you know, alongside people.

Lata [00:17:20]:

We wanna we wanna do it through the people experience. So a big part of what we do in change management is stakeholder engagement. It is about actually building those relationships with the business. And so, like, it's really funny. Like, sometimes we'll be matchmakers. We'll actually be like, you know, this person over here is doing exactly the same job as this person over here, but you've never talked to each other or, you know, like, you might have, like, a HR person in one country of the business and then another HR person in another country of the business. They've never spoken to each other, and so sometimes we also kinda like help to create those connections across a business because, Ultimately, everybody's there for the same thing, and when you're able to collaborate and cocreate together, it means, again, that the Outcome and the solution is better, but then also that commitment to that shared future is stronger as well. So we do a lot of advocating for people, and, you know, like, we we'll often be Cating for an engagement survey or a pulse check to really feel what people are doing or, like, you know, we'll be like, okay.

Lata [00:18:25]:

Cool. Let's make sure that we have a, a support inbox for the project so that if anybody has any queries or concerns, they can send it through somewhere, that it's not either like, it's not just kind of like, This high level thing that people feel like they can't ask about, because sometimes people don't feel comfortable asking their own their own leader. So we really try to create those mechanisms, create those channels of communication, those channels of, like, a safe Space to ask questions and queries, make requests. It doesn't mean that every request that somebody makes is gonna happen, But at least for a lot of employees, it really is about, about them feeling like they're hurt, feeling like it's a two way street, feeling like it's transparent. That goes such a long way to building trust, and then, again, that trust helps people come on board and come on the journey. So you might have people at the very start of the change who do have that gut reaction that are just like, this is gonna be the worst thing ever. Like, this is, Like, the worst thing for our business, they'll they'll might be saying to you that they're really excited and they can't wait, but then their behavior is that they're not Coming to the party. They're coming to meetings late.

Lata [00:19:39]:

They're, you know, not cascading communications down to their team, like any of those resistance behaviors. And so it's really that pro like, change management is a process of helping to get closer to the people of the organisation, What their hopes, dreams, and fears are, how we can actually move them to be supportive of the change or just even even just understand what it actually is, Sometimes it's just a lack of understanding or a lack of awareness, and then and then really supporting them to to kinda step up and and, I guess own the change a little bit for themselves, which is one of the reasons why, like, change in the organization and change in your personal life are so intertwined. Like, the same skills that you can use to make a change in your personal life or in your career, is exactly the same process. You're just doing it on a bigger scale in an organization.

Debra Coleman [00:20:32]:

That is so beautifully said. Exactly. You're right. Thank you for for acknowledging that they do intersect. But I also really I really appreciate also that you pointed out, it's building trust in terms of change management and accepting, changes in the workplace. And I I agree the few times okay. I'm not always poly positive. There are there have been A few times where you're right.

Debra Coleman [00:20:59]:

I hear this is going to change or this team structure is going to change and, uh-oh, You know, that's my knee jerk is what does it mean to me? I guess we get a little selfish in those moments. Like, how is this going to affect me? And I realized, Like you, I I quickly I I tend to quickly kind of to put a bow around it, get over it, but, I mean, I don't you know, I still leave myself open to learning about it. But I find when I stop and actually ask questions or go to, like, the, town halls to learn more or, you know, Any type of, like, material that's sent out or meetings that we have, information sessions. The more information that I'm that I gather and that I'm told and that I'm able to Ask about the less my fear is. Can you offer maybe a simple strategy one can use If they are feeling if they're still feeling a bit apprehensive about change, is there anything they can do on a personal level to help them maybe process and work through it?

Lata [00:21:58]:

Yeah. Absolutely. So this is a fantastic question and often it is about us moving ourselves to that place. And so sometimes there is that need to To take that level of ownership for yourself. And if you are a leader, it might be that you actually have to do that in order to be able to authentically lead your team through the change. So this can be a really powerful thing to do. So what I'd really recommend is to actually sit down and work out what what matters to you. Like, what are your values and what are your career goals? Because if you can understand, like, what matters to you and then you can ask yourself the question, how will this help me achieve it? So it's kind of like you're Mappy.

Lata [00:22:35]:

You're kinda going a bit selfish almost because, like, that is probably why the why the issue is being triggered in the first Right? Like, why the fear is being triggered is because you're thinking about yourself. That's okay. You're allowed to think about yourself, about your needs, about your livelihood, when organizational change comes knocking. So think about think about that. Like, take ownership of that and go like, well, what are my career goals? What are the things that I wanna achieve? What are the what's the that I wanna have in my career or in my workplace, what are the, Goals that I'm setting for myself and then ask yourself the question, how could this help me get there? And So, like, so you're making that connection for yourself, and I actually call this the engagement formula. So what it is in organizations is a lot of organizational Change and the way that a lot of organizational change is taught is to be top down leader led. So it's like, you know, the Senior leaders or the head of the project or the head of the change or whatever is going to create, all of these incredible reasons why you should come on board with the Change all of these amazing benefits that we're gonna get from this, how it's gonna, you know, help us reach our strategy. And it's so lofty, and it's so high level that a lot of people cannot understand how that's to truly benefit them.

Lata [00:23:51]:

Like, I can see how it'll benefit the organization, but we've lost the individual in that. Yep. So I really advocate for the engagement formula, which is leader led, so top down leader led, but then also grassroots bottom up, which is actually helping leaders and teams working out for themselves what are their career goals, what are their career objectives, what do they want to experience, What do they want to achieve in their career on a personal level? And then the magic happens in the middle. The magic happens when you meet in the middle, when that Top down leader led meets the grassroots bottom up, and then you you have that synergy and you have that alignment. It might not be a 100% alignment, But if you can find, like, 1 to 3 things even that align, that could help those things align where you're like, yeah. Like, the organisation wants to achieve this. That's something that I want to achieve for myself too, or I know that that would help me achieve what I need to. And then if, as an individual, you're looking at Your list and you're looking at the change and you're going there is no matching here, like this is a complete and utter misalignment, Complete and utter mismatch, you really need to be asking yourself, is this the right place for me? Like, is this the right team, organisation, industry for me? Like, Because if you're feeling that at a at a deep level where, like, you know, your values and your objectives, the experience that you want is not matching where the organization is going, Again, take ownership of that.

Lata [00:25:20]:

That can be such rich information for you to be able to go like, I understand, and it's okay that the organization wants to go and do that. It doesn't mean that I have to go on the journey with them. I think where we get a lot of Pain, a lot of resistance, and a lot of confusion, and it actually slows the change down, is when people haven't done that work And they haven't realised that maybe they've outgrown the company. Maybe they don't align anymore with where the company is going. The the company is a business. It needs to achieve its goals. It needs to go and do its its future. And, like, you need to treat yourself as a business 2, and it's okay if you realize that maybe that's this is the time to exit.

Lata [00:26:04]:

That is okay. In fact, it's probably Better for you from a health perspective, better for the organization from a engagement perspective and from, you know, their culture and the rest of the people in their organization, If you're able to come to that, understanding on your own, that doesn't mean that you have to, like, walk out the door. Like, you might be eligible for entitlements or, You know, things like that, especially if it is like a restructure, operating model change, downsizing or layoffs, but it's more it's more the energy that sits behind it. It's more That awareness that comes when you've actually done that work yourself, which I think is so powerful and which is missing from a lot of organizational change.

Debra Coleman [00:26:45]:

Such an incredibly empowering statement that you just made there. I I mean, am I I have a page of notes here that from what you said. What I think my biggest takeaway and why I say they weren't empowering is because I love the question that you you post to us, what matters to you? How can this help Get me where to I want to go. That is so key on so many levels because I think with organizational change, especially, We feel like a part of the sheep. Like, okay. We just have to, you know, go along with it. You know? We don't have any control. This is just what's happening.

Debra Coleman [00:27:19]:

And, yes, as you said, as an organizational change, that may be true, but let's go down, bring it down, And just see how that's affecting me, like, in my own personal career path. And as you said, if it comes to having to leave, then it comes to having to leave, you know, if that's a a decision. So thank you. That really, really clarified it a lot. And and for me, it kind of broke it down a bit and made it less intimidating. So I appreciate that because, you know, since 2020, I mean, my gosh, change is just seems to be at the forefront of so much in the workplace right now. And so This is why I'm I'm incredibly, grateful for this conversation right now with you, Lata. Thank you so much.

Debra Coleman [00:28:02]:

So that's a beautiful segue, though, into if you wanted to, would you like to tell us a little bit about your leading successful change program that you offer?

Lata [00:28:12]:

Yeah. Absolutely. So I have my own course. It's an online course you can join from anywhere in the world. It's called Leading Successful Change. And really what it is about arming people, arming anybody, you know, whether they wanna make the move into change management, and it's a highly paid Female dominated career, and there's not that many careers out there. It's obviously got a growing appetite, as you just mentioned, ever since COVID. It's become Much more of a growing profession all across the world, because organizations were sort of very blindsided during COVID, around The like, realizing that they didn't have any change capability in their organizations.

Lata [00:28:47]:

They didn't have anybody who was really competent at leading change. And I guess, like, a lot of the way that train just traditionally led has been very kinda like, you know, follow the bouncing ball methodology, tick the box Because a lot of the projects were very planned, had long time lines, you could kind of get away with doing a lot of that deep planning, but that's not the way that our organizations are experiencing change anymore. Change is coming thick and fast. We are Often not even being able to deliver a project before we're having to, like, pivot Yeah. And completely either change the project or pause it and start a new one because what We were going to do is not relevant or not appropriate anymore. Like, it's not the right thing to do anymore. So the way that I teach change is very practical and fit for purpose. It's really about providing you with the tools, the templates, and techniques to lead change with confidence, whether that is as a change practitioner, Or as a leader within a business, you know, regardless of whether or not you have the title of manager or the title of leader, you are absolutely leading Change.

Lata [00:29:55]:

Whenever you are helping people to transition from doing things in one way to doing things in another way, you are absolutely leading change. So it kind of provides all of that real sort of technical skill, the practical technical skill of how to lead change. But then because I'm so passionate about About really owning your career, about using, like, the career of change management or whatever is your career and stepping up into, like, your leadership in your light, Using that as a launchpad for your life and your lifestyle, kind of the other side of leading successful change is really about the personal transformation. It's really about you understanding who you wanna be as a leader, understanding, you know, your value and your worth, understanding the Expertise that you bring, the transferable skills that you have, and how you can make the transition either to change management or anything else that you wanna do. And that's really what most of my students walk out with. They're just like, you know, I've I've just come out of this with so much confidence, and it's that confidence that really Creates leaders. It's that confidence that really has you step up and able to to lead others, to lead yourself, and to step up and shine. So You can go and find more about it, at, lathamilton.com/lscforleading successful change.

Lata [00:31:14]:

And, yeah, go and have a read about about the program and and find out a little bit more about change management. It's a field that I'm so passionate about. Absolutely love it. I love helping, women and people across the world, you know, make the move into change management, and I've helped a lot of people do that. And what I would also say is, like, you know, if you are just looking for that next step, like that pay rise or that promotion, I also have a free, I have a free underpaid and overlooked coaching action guide that you can go and grab. It's got my 5 step career change formula, and that can be a really nice place start, it's completely free, so you can get that from lathahamilton.com/worthit. And, yeah, that's a really helpful kind of, like, Very practical. If you just need to make a change, you know, urgently now, you can absolutely go grab that too.

Debra Coleman [00:32:03]:

Wonderful resources, and you you're not lying. Your website is chock full of wonderful information that absolutely just Mimics ex everything that you just spoke about, and your program stands amazing. And I've seen I've I've seen the the, reviews or the thoughts on it, and it is So successful. It thank you for giving us a little behind the scenes and a little free, you know, information session on that. That is fantastic. But you also have, like, a blog on your website too that I just it's so I I adore it. It the the titles are so relatable and very like, it's just very, I I don't know, chatty and casual and almost like, you know, hey. You you have the vibe of, I've been there too.

Debra Coleman [00:32:48]:

Here's what I've learned, and let me share it with you.

Lata [00:32:53]:

Yes. Absolutely. Thank you. No. The blog is Super fun, and it is it can really resonate. And, you know, like, so much of the time I get people coming and they may not have ever worked in change management before, But then when they read the experiences as they read the examples, and then they look at the ideas and the solutions, they're like, oh my goodness. Like, I can I've had people, like, literally be like, I've gone and applied this straight away, because it is very practical. Like, I just love the practical side, and they're like, you know, I've gone and applied this straight away even if they're not working in change management.

Lata [00:33:22]:

So it's super, yeah, just super useful, I think, for anybody who's in a workplace or anybody who's leading Any type of people in any type of way, there's some really, you know, useful resources, out there, and you can absolutely, You know, like, dabble, I guess, in change and and start to start to own it and lead it for yourself.

Debra Coleman [00:33:45]:

Absolutely. Oh, beautifully We said absolutely. It really can. It you may think, oh, no. I'm not really a change manager, but aren't you though? I think all of us in some Small way or maybe a larger way, we all sort of dip our toe or intersect with that in some way, shape, or form, I would think, along our career journey. So Excellent resources. Wonderful website. I will absolutely have a link to that in the show notes.

Debra Coleman [00:34:10]:

And, just 2 more quick questions for you, miss Lata, and then I will let you get back your your evening. Speaking though, as you just mentioned, like, change management and being an agent for change, I am an executive assistant by day. I support a vice president, and many of my listeners are also executive assistants. In your career journey and in your experience. Do you feel that executive assistants can play a a crucial role in helping to Execute and manage change within their organizations. And have you seen that actually in action, or what are your thoughts on that, on support staff helping to implement that.

Lata [00:34:49]:

Oh, absolutely. Definitely. And, you know, it's not even a secret That there might even be instances where the leader that you support is not actually on board with the change. And, like, you Helping that leader to get on board with it, so you actually doing a little bit of coaching up with your leader that you support, could be such a value add to them and then that, again, because a lot of changes lead are led, that would have flow on effects to the rest of the organization. So what I would really say is like if you are an executive assistant, if you are supporting a leader or you're in some sort of Port roles, you might also be in, you know, like, a lot of roles like HR or ops or anything like that, is for you to to really go and try and understand the change So you can obviously, you know, when when there is somebody who's leading change on a project or on an initiative, we'll often be running kind of like information sessions or briefings or anything like So make sure that you attend. You could also, like, summarise that for your leader. You could also then, you know, really encourage your team to attend and really help your team get on board with it, and and kind of create the time and create the space to be able to understand and absorb What this change is gonna be about, and potentially even start leading it for your team. And and, you know, like, your leader would be so appreciative of that Because you're helping them to do the hard yards.

Lata [00:36:17]:

You're helping them to bring the team on board the journey. And also for yourself, like, if that is something that you want to have a bit more exposure to, if you wanted to have a bit more experience, You could potentially put your hand up, and, you know, we we get a lot of EAs being our change champions, for example. Mhmm. When we are looking for people across the business who, can really advocate for the change and really support others in their teams through it so you could put your hand up and and start to get some exposure and some experience from that leadership side.

Debra Coleman [00:36:46]:

Excellent advice. I love change champion. That is so great. I just I love that. It it think yeah. I think you You mapped that out beautifully as, definitely the leading up angle for sure. I have been in that position myself in my in my career journey. And you're right.

Debra Coleman [00:37:03]:

The more information I had, then I was better able to support my leader in, you know, Getting on board, so to speak, and, and then others. You know? Because that's when I was in office. And so, you know, you get those little flybys, those little visits to your desk where, You know, you're in the safe zone, and so people sometimes feel like they can come to you and and share, you know, some of their concerns or, you know, and And so if you are somebody who's in the know, so to speak, you'd be, like you said, attending those information sessions or, you know, reading the material, trying to really, like, beef up your knowledge of what's going to happen, it really helps because then you can maybe help alleviate some of those concerns or at least share accurate information to help Spell any water cooler or myths that are out there about what's going on. So, yes, thank you. Yeah. Oh, well, that's great. Thank you. Fantastic.

Debra Coleman [00:37:53]:

Again, highly, highly relevant answer, information today, especially. I mean, my goodness. So much is going on, so thank you for that. Well, this I mean, goodness. I could just keep you on the line for, like, another hour going into there's so many more I'd love to dive into, but, I wanna be respectful of the time and and, and and, that you've given us today. Miss Lata, one more question. Are you ready for it? It's a silly bonus question.

Lata [00:38:21]:

Yay. Let's go.

Debra Coleman [00:38:22]:

Alright. Fantastic. Okay. So you, as you have clearly shown, are an incredibly busy and successful owner a business owner yourself, entrepreneur, and you are Such a champion for change, and you we spoke earlier. You just hopped off 1 call. You're on this call with me. Busy lady, none to to say the least. When life gets a little crazy, what do you do to help you reset and rebalance and sort of bring things back to Ground, like, group to center, to kinda zen bring back to zen.

Debra Coleman [00:38:54]:

What do's what does Lata like to do to kinda bring herself back?

Lata [00:38:59]:

I really love just a good Netflix binge. Duh. So, yeah, like, when I just, Like, when I've had a really busy period and I just wanna, like, veg out, yeah, I'll just watch something really just easy watching. I kinda set myself up and, like, have rugs and pillows and kind of like that real sort of self care, and just do a really nice Netflix and just kinda switch off from everything because we can, I think, often feel like our energy is going out, out, out all the time, and that kinda can leave us feeling very empty and drained? And so when I kinda wanna see it and just recharge, you know, and and kinda, like, just just kinda go in with a little bit, yeah, I just kinda, like, Receive from Netflix instead and just really enjoy that.

Debra Coleman [00:39:45]:

I love that answer. Absolutely. Yes. For sure. Let someone else do all the talking and all the

Lata [00:39:50]:

figuring out and all the, you

Debra Coleman [00:39:52]:

know, this yeah. Well, good for you. I hope, that you get plenty of that balance in your life because, selfishly, we are the recipients of you finding that nice balance for you and that self care moment. So wonderful. Good for you. Go, Netflix. Oh, well, miss Lata, this has just honestly, this has been such a joy. Your your champion for change, I'm right I'm sending it right back is incredibly contagious, and I think one of the reasons why that is is because you speak to us in in in reality, And you break it down into practical into a practical way of thinking and embracing change.

Debra Coleman [00:40:29]:

And I just I really thank you so much for this conversation about around change today.

Lata [00:40:34]:

You're so welcome, Deb. Thanks so much for having me.

Debra Coleman [00:40:37]:

And that wraps up my conversation with the delightful miss Lotta Hamilton. Such good advice in terms of change management, in terms of finding the strength Within yourself to recognize maybe when but when embracing change in the workplace might be a bit of a challenge for you, but then also finding ways within yourself to confront that challenge and maybe reframe it into something that could be possibly a more positive experience for you. Just so that was just one of many wonderful tips and advice that Lata shared. I hope you found incredible value out of this conversation. If you are experiencing change within your organization or know that change is coming soon for you, I hope that you Hit replay on this episode and get your notepad and paper out, because Lata really shared some amazing tips and, incredible advice for embracing change. If this res if this episode landed and resonated with you, as always, I will have links in the show notes on ways to learn more about Lata's programs and to learn more about Lata herself and to connect with her and to possibly, share with her or work with her on leading change management within your organization. Once again, I thank you so much, dear listener, for listening this week and tuning in. As always, I ask you to please stay safe, be well, And remember, keep having those conversations.

Debra Coleman [00:42:07]:

Thanks for listening.