One of the more popular topics among organization types is leadership development. Countless books, articles, conferences and training programs are focused on the subject, the abundance of which suggests that most people feel there is a perpetual gap between the behavior they want and what they get from those in roles designated as “leadership.” The … More Leadership . . . Development?
Throw out all your change management books and methodologies and theories. Burn every PowerPoint presentation filled with diagrams and flow charts and tools and templates. Delete your change project plans. Forget agonizing over deliverables that your change work team must produce. Fire every project manager or internal auditor or procurement specialist who minimizes your change … More Reality Check for Change “Managers”
Derek Sivers, the founder and former president of CD Baby, shows in this funny and revealing video that while a leader gets things started, it’s the courageous follower that transforms the “lone nut” into a leader. It’s the follower’s choice to follow and encourage others to follow that makes the difference between an isolated incident … More The Courage of Followers
In my personal life, I am an optimist. I believe fully in the power of positive thinking and the value of spreading good cheer wherever I go, if only because it makes life more fun and enjoyable. But when it comes to managing change, I believe in realism. A key component of the Architecture of … More Despots, Group Think and the Ugly Side of Institutional Optimism
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
A number of years ago I had a boss who was so focused on staying on schedule during meetings that he forgot we were actually gathered to accomplish something. He thought nothing of interrupting a productive dialog to remind everyone that we needed to move to the next agenda item. The poor fellow thought “accomplishment” was … More Review Meetings: When Talking Is Effective
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
It’s been fascinating to watch the attempts at U.S. healthcare reform over the last year and beyond. The change management requirements for this monumental effort make multi-process, enterprise outsourcing implementations look like a piece of cake! Ross Douthat’s column in Sunday’s New York Times presents an insightful summary of the challenge, highlighting the complex web … More A Change Manager’s View of U.S. Healthcare Reform
Industry Week published a terrific article yesterday called Outsourcing Point/Counterpoint that captures the key challenges of the industry over the past decade. It questions whether outsourcing should be the automatic solution it has become and offers strong suggestions for those considering its use. In the US alone, the industry has grown to an estimated $500 … More Listening to the Results of Outsourcing
Will Smith I believe in the power of New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions represent our desire to be better than we are, to grow, and to improve. They represent our dreams, our hopes, and our aspirations. No matter whether they are big goals like changing our life or career direction, or more focused objectives, … More Inspiration for New Year’s Resolutions
Erik Van Slyke 