Change thrives on contrast—the sharp divide between the status quo and a bolder future. To accelerate the shift, we must name what’s different, illustrate it vividly, and then embody it fully. This sequence sparks momentum at the start and sustains it all the way to the summit (or the next milestone on the journey). For […]

In today’s budget-conscious environment, the call to “control costs” often leads to the refrain, “Now is not the time to spend.” While this sounds prudent, it’s not always the full picture. Pausing or delaying organizational change to save money can come with hidden costs that outweigh short-term savings. To make informed decisions, we must weigh

Every day brings fresh challenges and navigating them can feel daunting. For lessons on driving change, we can look back to childhood days on the playground, specifically the overhead ladder. Perched high above the ground, this playground feature challenges kids to reach forward, swing with strength, and let go to grasp the next rung. It’s

In Management by Motivation (1968), Saul Gellerman highlighted a gap in the effective use of personnel that echoes our Quote of the Week by Jay Forester.  Where Forester put the effective use of personnel at only 10%, Gellerman qualitatively describes the opportunity to get much more and better results from personnel, calling it a “reservoir

If a company’s competitive situation worsens or technological changes require new products and new processes, the organization may need the help of its own employees. Unfortunately, if it has trained them to be indifferent and apathetic, it is unlikely to be able to elicit their cooperation. Even if the employees have information that would be

Everywhere, the Power Paradox ensnares.  We assume that others are powerful, and we are weak. The truth is that others are less powerful than we think they are, and we are more powerful than we have imagined. We take these assumptions of who does and doesn’t have power for granted and never test them. We