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Is Your Organization’s Energy Working For or Against You?
Imagine your organization has a unique opportunity. If you move fast, you can enter a new market before your competitors even knows it exists. You’re in a meeting exploring this challenge when a question is raised: “Should we focus more on centralizing or decentralizing to gain a foothold in this new market?” The “Either / …
Mergers Fail More Often Than Marriage
What Can You Do To Avoid Becoming Another Negative Statistic Divorce rates vary according to country, educational levels and income, though generally hover between 40 percent and 50 percent in North America and Europe. A 2004 study by Bain & Company found that 70 percent of mergers failed to increase shareholder value. More recently, a …
A Cultural Advantage: Making People Feel At Home in Your Organization
On my recent trip to the Nexus Africa conference in Johannesburg, I found my first intriguing lesson in the time spent with my host family. I was welcomed into the home of Ivan and Yolande Overton, founders of ChangeWright Consulting, and their three-year-old son Mathew. I was struck by how comfortable they made me feel …
Authenticity as a Core Competence of Leadership
“Write for five minutes about yourself.” That was all. They were the only instructions we were given. Then we sat together in small groups and read to each other what we had written. I sat with the faculty members who were part of this Catholic healthcare system. They called the five minutes of writing and …
Use the Power of Paradox to Achieve Successful Organizational Change
I was on my way this past Sunday morning to pick up my weekly batch of donuts. Later in the day I made sure I stopped at the store on my way home from an In ‘n Out burger to get my potato chips and pint of ice cream. Call it my Sunday ritual. It’s …
Why You Should Bother Putting Yourself Out of Business
Imagine you were your competition. Now – as your competition – create a plan to put yourselves out of business. This may not seem like the question you would want to be asking yourself. One goal of every organization is at the least to stay in business, if not even thrive. Because we never do …
What do you need to not change?
Several years ago I was working with an organization that was taking on a major transformation effort. They were restructuring the business, changing how people worked, and shifting the culture to one of “open communications.” Information had been power in this business so at face value, these goals made good sense. I was meeting with …
How Fast Is Too Fast to Change?
My 115 pound black lab Theo spent most of yesterday re-asserting his dominance among our small pack of dogs in the house (3 dogs, 2500 square feet…don’t ask). He spent the day knocking our new scrappy puppy Bonnie to the floor, growling to keep her in her place, and generally got back to being the …
Complex Organizational Change Made Simple
“That’s what I do. It’s what I love to do. It’s what I do best.” My wife looked at me, happy that I had started my Thursday morning on such a positive note. She’s used to my exuberance and confirmed my self-assessment: “I make complex things simple that helps others get clear and take smart …
