Level 3 Resistance and Support describes the impact trust and confidence (or lack of it) can have on our ability to build support for our ideas.

How to Build Support for Change During the 11th Hour

This post is an unproofed work in progress. I welcome your input. How to Build Support for Change During the 11th Hour You may find yourself months into a project and realize that this major change is slowing to a …

Get the Boss to Embrace Your Ideas

Get the Boss to Embrace Your Ideas Sarah Murray’s fine article Get the Boss to Embrace Your Innovation in 4/23/12 Financial Times got me thinking about the question implied in that title. Here is my comment on that site. Breaking …

Bad Media Training and What You Can Learn From It

Dan Janal, an expert on working with the media, just published the following in his newsletter. I like the way he takes what politicians do as a guide to what we should avoid. If you need to communicate with others …

The Challenge of Merger Integration

The Challenge of Merger Integration The Point (a blog) posted an interesting piece that lists the number of mergers in big pharma over the past few years. It’a a big number. The post discusses the risks of merger integration. it …

The Risks of Outsourcing SAP Support

The Risks of Outsourcing SAP Support I just came across a thoughtful blog post on the risks inherent in outsourcing SAP (or any other ERP software implementation).  The points he raises are worth considering as you consider outsourcing or as …

Change Management: Death by Conference Call

 

20 Signs of an Unhappy Workforce

20 Signs of an Unhappy Workforce Interesting post in the ASSIEM blog of 20 signs that signal unhappy workers. I wouldn’t take the list at face value (see my reply to that post below) but it sure is a good …

Positive Feedback and Change

I just responded to a post in which the author mentioned how much his son’s sticky note about him being a great dad meant to him. Here is my reply: You sticky note story reminded of when I attempted to …

Change Management: It’s Still Why Before How

 Change Management: It’s Still Why Before How I was taking part in a conversation on LEAN. Someone posed the question about what incentives people needed in order to support LEAN (a waste reduction process). As I read through the thoughtful …

Financial Performance and Organizational Identification

(This first part of this went out in my newsletter this morning, and then I cam across the research on employee engagement.) They go hand-in-hand. (Photo of Matthew Lesko. Gawker.com) Probably no surprise, but employees that identify with their organizations …

Don’t Shoot – Lessons on Leading Change

Don’t Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America (David Kennedy. Bloomsbury USA. 2011) is a powerful and important book. Harvard researcher, David Kennedy wondered why our approaches to dealing with gang violence were …

Why Emporer’s Leading Change Need Fashion Advisors

If you’ve read almost anything I’ve written, you know that I am a big fan of listening to people in the organization when it comes to leading change (and most anything else for that matter.) I just came across a …

Leadership, Resistance, and the Penn State Scandal

I believe it was Ernest Jones who wrote, “All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they are getting.” I think about that quote as I read the unfolding details about the conditions that allowed the Penn State scandal …

It’s the Wisdom of Individuals First (not Groups)

I just read a helpful reminder about the limitations of groups on decision making.  (Why Brainstorming Doesn’t Always Work. Jena McGregor. The Washington Post 11/6/11) It’s pretty common for a group to meet and someone asks, “Any ideas on how …

What’s Your Communication Plan About the Change Initiative?

What’s Your Communication Plan About the Change Initiative? Late breaking news: communication requires giving – and receiving – information. The “and receiving” part of communications plans is often missing. Corporate communications departments salivate at the thought that they can create …

How to Prepare the Message You Want to Communicate Around Change

  Note: This is a companion post to What’s Your Communication Plan About the Change Initiative?), I discuss the range of things that need to be covered as well as the need to make certain that communication is a conversation …

Planning Change Checklist – The Things You Must Include if You Want People to be Engaged

Planning Change Checklist – The Things You Must Include if You Want People to be Engaged Here are some guidelines for holding a planning meeting. Follow these Guidelines for Planning Meetings Many of the tools for getting people involved have …

The Secret of Employee Engagement is No Secret

The Secret of Employee Engagement is No Secret Last week I was working with all the senior leaders and middle managers for a large city government.  They were launching a number of challenging new programs for their city. They knew …

Why Don’t You Want What I Want?

I just posted two free Podcasts about influence on the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland site.  It is my way of introducing you to a new program we are offering called Influence. Action. Change!. But don’t worry, no salesman will call. …

Rick Maurer | How You Can Avoid the Pitfalls of ERP Implementation

Rick Maurer Discusses How You Can Avoid the Pitfalls of ERP Implementation Depending on the study you read, the failure rate of ERP projects can be somewhere between 60 and 90 percent. Although recent studies put the failure rate nearer …

Digging Deep: Why People Support Your Brilliant Ideas and Why They Resist

Free Podcast on May 2. 10 Am and 8 PM Eastern (-4 GMT) Digging Deep: Why People Support Your Brilliant Ideas and Why They Resist My buddy Jacquie McLemore and I are conducting a free 60-minute Podcast through the Gestalt …

Influence. Action. Change! Video

Here is a link to a 5-minute video in which I try to put into words my excitement about Influence. Action. Change! ™, a new program at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.  I helped design the program and will be …

Supply Chains, Resistance, and All that Jazz

Niels van Hove writes a good blog called Supply Chain Trends.  I particularly like his recent post. Perhaps its because he quotes me, or perhaps its that he is a good writer and has important things to say. (I’d like …

Influence. Action. Change! ™

Influence. Action. Change! ™ is an exciting new program that I helped design for the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.  (And I will co-lead the program with my buddy and co-creator of this program, Jacquie McLemore.) It is designed for people who …

Spiderman Meets Shakespeare (and the Bard Wins)

Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark has been in previews longer than some Broadway shows ever even get to run. Production costs are running at about $65 Million. But even under the direction of Julia Taymor (The Lion King), the show …

What Corporate Leaders Can Learn from Navy Sex Tape Incident

US Navy Capt. Owen Honors was relieved of his command. Adm. John C. Harvey Jr. said that the sexually charged videos “calls into question his character and completely undermines his credibility to continue to serve effectively in command.” (NYT 1/5/11) …

What Organizations Can Learn from No Labels

On Monday, No Labels was kicked off in New York. The intent is provide a forum where people of all political stripes can discuss (not hector) issues and look for common ground. I wish them well. But already, those with …

The Chilean Minors and Open Book Management

The Chilean Minors and Open Book Management The minors were trapped for six weeks before rescuers were able to punch the first hole through. This allowed people on the surface to lower food as well as messages from family and …

Must We Focus on Why Changes Fail? Yes, We Must.

Question: Must we focus on why changes fail? (drum roll) Answer: Yes, we must. Over the past couple of days, I was engaged in conversations about the emphasis on the failure of change in organizations. They believed that focusing on …

Reasons why so many changes fail #15 Fail to understand why people support – and why they resist change.

Reasons why so many changes fail #15 Fail to understand why people support – and why they resist change. When a former chairman of the ill-fated Eastern Airlines was once asked what he thought of employee involvement, he replied, “There …

Reasons why so many changes fail#14 Relying on the Three Most Common Ways of Communicating Change

Reasons why so many changes fail#14 Relying on the Three Most Common Ways of Communicating Change Most leaders rely way too heavily on the big three ways of communicating change: PowerPoint e-mails memos

Reasons why so many changes fail #13 Making Them Learn Your Language

Reasons why so many changes fail #13 Making Them Learn Your Language Old MIS (Management Information Systems) departments often had the reputation of speaking some foreign language when they worked with senior management and other departments. They made the critical …

Reasons Changes Fail #12 Taking Time Will Waste Time

Reasons why so many changes fail #12 Taking Time Will Waste Time Our research found that when people made a strong case for change, the rest of the project often went much more smoothly. In other words, they didn’t face …

Carolyn Lukensmeyer and the Power of Conversation

My friend (and former teacher) Carolyn Lukensmeyer believes in democracy. She has dedicated her life to it. Fifteen years ago she founded AmericaSpeaks, a group dedicated to getting people from across the political and cultural spectrums together to talk about …

Reasons why so many changes fail #10 Moving to How Before Why

Reasons why so many changes fail #10 Moving to How Before Why Moving to how before people know why a change is needed. People need to know why something is important before they can get interested or even be willing …

Reasons why so many changes fail #9 Lack of Trust Can Kill Change

Reasons why so many changes fail #9 Lack of Trust Can Kill Change Leaders fail to acknowledge how even a slight lack of trust and confidence in leaders can kill an otherwise fine idea Trust can make or break a …

Reasons why so many changes fail #8 Leaders fail to appreciate the power of fear

Reasons why so many changes fail #8 Leaders fail to appreciate the power of fear Fear of change is deeply personal. The thought of a big change can evoke pictures of relocations or downsizing. People worry that they may be …

Reasons why so many changes fail #6 Assume Understanding Equals Support

Reasons why so many changes fail #6 Assume Understanding Equals Support Leaders assume that understanding equals support and commitment It is common to introduce change by making a PowerPoint presentation to a large group. Leaders may schedule time for Q&A, …

Reasons why so many changes fail #13 Making Them Learn Your Language — instead of learning theirs.

Reasons why so many changes fail #13 Making Them Learn Your Language — instead of learning theirs. Old MIS (Management Information Systems) departments often had the reputation of speaking some foreign language when they worked with senior management and other …

Reason Why so Many Changes Fail #1

Reason why so many changes fail #1 I think Abba Eban (statesman 1915-2002) got it right when he said: “Nations and men may behave wisely once they’ve exhausted all other alternatives.” Somehow we believe we are immune from the rules …