The other day I was explaining the results of a change readiness assessment to an executive and shared a piece of news he found disturbing. He believed that everyone wanted the change that he was leading because when he spoke with others in the organization about it, they all told him it was a great … More Making Change Fun
Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, tells us with his adman’s great hilarity, that we can be much more effective creating behavior change if we focus instead on changing perceptions. And that’s about more than selling the benefits of something new. It about tinkering with the way we define the symbolic, subjective and … More Sex, Potatoes and Smiley Faces: The Keys to Selling Change
You better start loving up your employees. As we begin to recover from the economic downturn, organizations will be relying on their workforces more than ever to help them return to stronger financial performance. But with recent studies showing that fewer than 1 in 3 employees are engaged and as many as 55% are passive … More Now What? Managing Well After Layoffs, Recessions and Other Corporate Stressors
Listening is an essential ingredient for innovation. Eric Lewis listens to the world differently than the rest of us, and as a result, is creating the next evolution of jazz. I had the joy of seeing him a number of years ago–before the hair–when he was playing with Wynton Marsalis. Then, he was electric. Now, … More Listening to Innovation
After reading yesterday’s post, my good friend, Jerry D’Ascoli, sent me the above video set to Bowie’s original. It’s from Hugh Atkin and I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. Side-splitting cynicism aside, the video makes you realize the difficulty moving from talking about change to actually creating change, especially in the province of the … More Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes . . . the strain (reprise)
“We need to discuss your performance.” There are few phrases that cast more fear in the hearts of employees. I was talking with a client last week about managing change for their implementation of performance management technology. After a quick technical chat about scope, the vendor, the timetable, resources and current tools and process, I … More The Folly of Performance Appraisal
“Listening Man” by The Bees I love this video! As anyone who reads this blog knows, it is an ode to one of my favorite themes. The song is by The Bees, an English band from the Isle of Wight, and the terrific actors are Mathew Bayton and Emily Fields. The poor guy listens patiently, … More Listening Man
John Kotter It is a big deal, as John Kotter suggests. The reason so many change initiatives fail is that they rely too much on fact gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations—the logic—instead of an approach aimed at grabbing the feelings that motivate behavior change. This reason for failure can be best understood with a … More More on the Importance of Emotion When Leading Change
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I enjoy the gathering of family and friends and look forward to the feast, especially the leftovers. More importantly, I love the reason for the day itself. It is a time to express gratitude for the abundance we have in our lives. Thanksgiving also is a change manager’s holiday because … More The Practice of Gratitude
http://video-api.wsj.com/api-video/player/iframe.html?guid=81170054-35BC-45E5-B46B-F051A9AD0963 Duke Energy CEO James Rogers One of the basic principles of most change leaders is that we can use rational discourse to influence the motivations and desires of people. Present employees with a sound, logical line of reasoning and they will develop a broader understanding of a situation and make both the … More The Power of Stories During Times of Change
Erik Van Slyke 