I’ve never given out homework before, so this post will be a first. Here’s your assignment. Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen. Now close your eyes and visualize some change you want to make. Open your eyes, pick up the pen and take one minute to write down all the endings […]
Seeing What’s Possible Read More »
Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was the woman gifted with prophecy, the ability to hear or see the future. Apollo, denied her love, placed a curse upon her so no one would believe her predictions. Her tragedy was her deep understanding and her powerlessness to make it known. As you work at driving change, as you
Deep Understanding and Powerlessness Read More »
Today I challenge you to find something in your day that you can claim as a win. Did you arrive on time to the meeting you’re always late for? Win. Did you smile at your co-worker that always has a frown on his face? Win. Did you work up the courage to tell that annoying
Often change efforts stall during the summer months. People go on vacation. The daylight is longer and people’s attention for work seems shorter. Here are four rules to beat the summer lull: Rule 1: Don’t fight it. The lull happens. It’s what you do with it that matters. You could tidy up your project files
I slumped in my chair, closed my eyes and sighed under my breath, “Ugh!” What else can you say when you watch a truly urgent plea for transformation closely followed by a detailed paper directing the recipients to perform typical incremental improvement behavior? What can you do when a valiant call for new, purposeful action
5 Steps to Save A Transformation from the Incremental Monsters Read More »
When I’m sitting around a table after work with my friends sometimes it’s fun to go around the table and tell our “the only one” stories about how one of us has been the only one who’s done something, knows something or has seen something at work. A few of my favorites to tell are:
Today I attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new local child development center. Just a year ago, hardly anyone thought building a center would ever be possible. Yet years ago when a few gathered to discuss if, when and how to gain a new child development center, there was a unifying thought that gave our
A 24-hour clock has the numbers 13 through 24 written inside the typical clock dial to allow someone to rapidly read PM times as their 24-time equivalents, e.g., 1 pm is 1300 and 10 pm is 2200. A few weeks ago I noticed a 24-hour clock just like this one on a conference room wall.
What I learned about driving change from a 24-hour clock Read More »
Seth Godin’s post “Seized of the matter,” referring to how the U.N. Security Council has a method to seize and hold issues that they refuse then to allow the full body to debate, got me thinking about a few of my pet peeve statements that can slow down or stop change. 1. “When did we
When did we decide that? Read More »
Driving change is about choosing a change for yourself and clearing the obstacles for others to internally choose the change too. In a recent Harvard Business Review blog post, Jon Katzenbach and Zia Khan introduce us to the concept of a fast zebra: someone who, “can quickly absorb information, adapt to new challenges, and get
Your thoughts: Are you a fast zebra too? Read More »
