Why I am Optimistic for 2016
Watch the news and it’s easy to be cynical – wars, crime, disease, natural disasters. And yet, is this the reality of modern life, or the interpretation of it that’s reported? Considering violence, as Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker notes, “things really are getting better…..headlines are a poor guide to history. People’s sense of danger is […]
Your New Year’s Resolution: Time to Recalibrate?! – January 2016
Invest in yourself – make 2016 the year you take charge of change! Did you make a New Year’s Resolution for 2016? For those who did, unfortunately, 80% have already given up on their goal, before the calendar turns to February. How does this happen? Habits are hard to break, but the science of habit formation […]
Crisis of Confidence? You Are Not Alone
“What is my goal for this coaching process? To have more self-confidence in myself as a leader. I know I’ve been successful in my career so far. But there are some huge challenges looming on the horizon. I’m not as sure of myself and my ability to lead at this next level.” Guess who said this to me? […]
Be a Change Leader – Not “Just” a Change Manager!
Unfortunately, most change-based training programs focus exclusively on “Change Management” and exceedingly few on “Change Leadership.” Change Management is the methods and tools of change: and these are critical to get the job done. Yet, being savvy in deploying a Change Management Toolkit is best viewed as a baseline competency – what we need to […]
Consultant of the Year Award! – October 2015
I was thrilled and honored to be presented with the Change Management Consultant of the Year Award this month, during the first-ever Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) Midwest Chapter Conference. In the words of John Barker, Chapter President (pictured with me): This award honors the change management practitioner who has contributed to the success […]
CQ + EQ: A Potent Combination for Leaders (and what it means for you)
Assuming you’re familiar with CQ, let’s take a step back and look at EQ. When introducing the concept to clients for the first time, I often get a response such as, “we base our decisions on logic and facts – we don’t bring our emotions to work.” Or, as one of my more colorful clients, […]
Top 10 Trends in Project Management (for ALL Change Leaders!)
ESI International, the project management training company, published its views on the top 10 trends in project management for 2015. ESI Managing Director, EMEA, Alan Garvey comments “Organisations will increasingly begin to view strategic execution as a core discipline….The impact on project management is significant. Project managers, who used to just be accountable for delivering […]
Winning the Race for Change: Lessons from the Iditarod – July 2015
During our family vacation to Alaska last month, we got the chance to meet the fabulous and frisky decedents of the Alaskan huskies who led Susan Butcher to victory in the Iditarod (the 1,049 mile dog sled race between Anchorage and Nome, through Alaska’s treacherous sub-Artic terrain). The story of Susan and her favorite dog, […]
What Can Winston Churchill Teach Us about Leading Change? – June 2015
First off, here’s a shout out to new readers of this newsletter who I met for the first time at the PMI EMEA Congress in London last month! It was thrilling to meet so many change leaders from around the world! While in London I had the pleasure of visiting the Churchill Museum, an extremely […]
Top Ten List! Is Your Change Leadership Missing One of These? – May 2015
In honor of David Letterman’s retirement and his love of “Top Ten Lists”, I took some time this month to reflect on my work with change leaders and on the qualities, behaviors, and mindsets that allow “Change Intelligent“ leaders to get results, build relationships, and be effective in their demanding roles. Here’s my version of […]