“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.” – Robert M. Pirsig, from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I lived this quote tonight. There I was vacuuming my house and sensing something was wrong, again, with my vacuum. I […]
Quote of the Week: Start with you Read More »
It doesn’t matter if you’re right. It doesn’t matter if the change you’re proposing is the exact thing your organization needs to do to thrive or even survive. If you can’t get anyone to listen to you or anyone to implement the change, no one will ever know you were right. Driving change is about
So what if you’re right? Read More »
Once you’re great at driving change, I bet people watching you will say you’re: setting an example, being a good listener, but not compromising on your values, continually teaching other people, and helping people pull away from their current practice and beliefs and move into the new philosophy without a feeling of guilt about the
Geocaching to Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge Read More »
If you want to succeed a driving change, practice drawing pictures. Specifically, practice drawing pictures of either what the future looks like or what the journey to the future looks like. Why? Because people think in pictures. If you can draw a picture in their minds that they can put themselves in, look around and
The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” – Albert Einstein As an implementer, an engineer, someone who turns ideas into practical applications, I enjoy this quote. I enjoy the quote because within it I hear a challenge to do more than absorb information. I hear a challenge to apply my knowledge,
Quote of the Week: Learning Read More »
…not that it should matter to anyone that I agree with him, but I do. So why should you care that Deming was right? Because just as other authors have discovered the mechanisms at work in creating empowered cultures (Gallup’s strengths work) and transformational change (Kotter’s Leading Change), so W. Edwards Deming cataloged beautifully the
Today I read a story about Gallup’s new book about the quest for personal happiness, Well Being: The Five Essential Elements. In the book, Tom Rath and James K. Harter share Gallup’s worldwide research on personal wellbeing, reducing the extensive data to five broad categories: Career Wellbeing Social Wellbeing Financial Wellbeing Physical Wellbeing Community Wellbeing
Tim Sanders, in his post, “The problem with devil’s advocates” highlights an important feature of an idea generating, change driving organizational culture: few devil’s advocates. With one visit to a work group I could tell you if they are capable of driving change or if they are stuck. One of the first things I look
Be an idea collaborator Read More »
I’ll admit I’m a fan of Covey’s 7 habits. I’m a fan for two reasons, 1) the habits seem to work as advertised and 2) most people have heard of the 7 habits, making the habits a ready language for discussing personal and organizational improvements. Do you know the 7 habits? If you don’t, or
Do you know the 7 Habits? Read More »
Nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson What can you achieve with your enthusiasm and your willingness to drive change? Just imagine!
Quote of the Week: Enthusiasm Read More »
