Change Leadership: Check assumptions

Shaun Cassidy, 1977

“How did I go bankrupt?… Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” – Ernest Hemmingway, The Sun Also Rises This always pops into my mind when I’m thinking about how change happens. And not just the grim series of changes that leads to financial desperation, of course, but also the kind of change that leads to game-changing insights, […]

Soul of wit, etc.: A brief-but-mighty workplace lesson, learned at home

It is not in my nature to be brief. Fortunately, I have a dear friend and colleague who does a much better job.  After hearing me describe in detail a big, hairy change challenge my partner and I are taking on together, she grew silent. “This isn’t a coaching conversation,” she said, “but two questions come […]

How do I get them to LET GO? Launching organizational change

Here’s a familiar puzzle, but with a surprising answer – an answer that points toward an essential ingredient essential, often overlooked, for launching a change effort. You probably know the instructions. Not long ago, we flashed them on the screen at a conference of leaders charged with leading a game-changing shift in how their company […]

How do I make sure they’re committed? Launching organizational change

Q: Why did so many dance with Matt? I learned about gaining commitment the hard way. (The same way I learn just about everything.) Some years ago, I had an inspiring vision for the work some of my colleagues and I were doing. Well, I was inspired. To communicate this vision, I rented an empty […]

Organizations that think (and what they do that others can’t)

After what seems like a seriously long time – more than a decade – helping leaders lead change, I feel like I’m just breaking the surface of the water. And in my 3-month-old job as doctoral student (which already seems seriously long to those around me; last night, I overheard my partner say, “yeah, Julie’s […]

Burning question: I want to create this meeting dynamic back at work – but they weren’t here and don’t get it. How on earth do I do that?

You’ve just been part of an intense offsite experience on communication styles. YOU get the value of uncovering diverse perspectives, being willing to be changed, and taking risks so you can learn together – but next week, you’re facilitating an important conversation about emotion-rich issues with people who weren’t here. How do you get them […]

That was then, this is now

By being unrealistic and crunched for time, I recently discovered a new way to start a follow-up meeting. The session had been rescheduled several times. Stragglers were making us late and, frankly, I was getting irritated. Because I’m a champion eavesdropper, it was easy to overhear that the team’s memory of our last meeting was dim […]