How Does an Engaged Work Culture Thrive for 25 Years?
Twenty-five years ago the ground broke in a cornfield in Indiana for an innovative new type of steel mill. Nippon Steel of Japan and Inland Steel of the U.S. partnered with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) to construct I/N Tek and I/N Kote. The mill broke new ground both in its “technical” system, […]
Work Culture Maintenance & Renewal
A company’s work culture is a living, evolving entity. At least, it should be if you want to effectively meet the many challenges that your organization will no doubt face, regardless of your industry or business model or geography. Change Intelligent leaders know they need to remain agile and continually adapt to stay relevant […]
Leading Through Transition: 3 Powerful Tools to Equip Your Team
Dr. Bridges, a giant in the field of change management, shows us the distinction between “change” (what happens on the “outside” – be it a harrowing tsunami or a hostile take-over) and “transition” (what happens on the “inside” – our psychological and emotional reactions). As Dr. Bridges demonstrates, transitioning from the old to the new […]
4 Questions about Change Intelligence (so you can apply it today)
To help illustrate how CQ is relevant to change leaders like yourself, I thought I’d share with you some of the questions I’ve been asked about how to apply the principles of the book to your team or organization: With all the leadership books out there, why was it important for you to write this […]
Nurture Yourself Towards Optimism
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 warped […]
Women’s Voices at Work
From Marissa Mayer’s high profile people-management decisions in her role as Yahoo’s CEO to Sheryl Sandberg’s provocative assertions in her book Lean In, there continues to be a lot of debate about leadership and the sexes – and whether men and women lead differently. Although there’s some hype and “drama” surrounding this topic, it’s a […]
What Can Change Leaders Learn from Salespeople?
When you think of “sales” and “salespeople,” what words leap to mind? While some have positive perceptions, many would respond with choices such as, “sly, slick, and smarmy”! Regardless of your formal role or job title, we’re all in the business of sales and we’re all salespeople – whether we like it or not. This […]
“Painful” Change Can Be a Springboard for Professional Development – But Only If You Are Open To It
Here’s an old story to contemplate: A boy from a wealthy family receives a pony for his birthday. The townspeople say, “what a lucky boy.” The Buddhist monk says, “we’ll see.” The boy suffers a crippling injury while riding the horse. The townspeople say, “what an unlucky boy.” The Buddhist monk says, “we’ll see.” An […]
Change Lessons from “The Innovation Pipeline” at AT&T
I want to share a real-life example of an organization leading change intelligently to help you on your leadership journey. Through their process, “The Innovation Pipeline” (TIP), AT&T has been able to overcome abysmal 70% change failure rate and achieve continuous innovation. Although it sounds too good to be true, let’s take a closer look […]
Is Organizational ADHD Derailing Your Change Project?
Sound familiar? “Here we go again – another program of the year!” “Another reorg – who’s my boss today? And I’m expected to pick up the slack – again?!” “Our company slogan should be, ‘All swirl – no strategy’!” As an “organizational doctor,” when I hear clients vent such frustrations, I know they are symptoms […]