I’ve been told – as most leaders are told during their careers - that taking action is critical to success. We’re rewarded for doing. We’re rewarded for results. The unfortunate flip side of this prejudice for action is that leaders are not typically rewarded for stopping and thinking before taking action. . I’ve also noticed [...]
Work Out Your Brain, Change Your World and while you’re at it, Stop Saying That! Today’s collection of articles range from tips on how to be more creative to a pair of lists of self-limiting things we all need to quit saying. Enjoy the insights and pass along any links you think would be worth [...]
Sometimes it takes a lot of tolerance to be a Change Agent. Expect to Face Some Heat: As people go through their natural reactions to change, we get bombarded from time to time with negativity, insecurity, doubt and frustration. We might be surprised to hear these emotions from people who had previously been quiet or even [...]
. Today’s batch of change-related links covers topics that range from improving your company’s culture to being a better leader and practicing what I call “the art of showing up”. . Enjoy the articles and make it a great week! . 1. Cultivating Change By Showing Up: Change Agents know that it’s hard to generate momentum [...]
No single factor can make or break your success as a Change Agent more directly than the attitude you choose to bring to your work. An honest, upbeat attitude can help you be helpful to others. It can enable you to create your own luck and build unseen momentum for your change. [...]
I was flying cross-country the other day after a long week of work when I noticed this beautiful scene out the window. It reminded me that most things worth doing involve some hidden elements. They may also be bigger and more complex than they first appear. But that shouldn’t frighten us away from taking them [...]
“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” – Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke (as paraphrased in The Swordbearers : Studies in Supreme Command in the First World War (1963) by Correlli Barnett Resistance to change, unexpected stakeholder challenges and failed adoption are all enemies of successful change. Change Agents should heed the Field Marshall’s insight and expect that they [...]
As promised, today’s post is a quick collection of links related to Change and other topics I found interesting. Click around to read more and use the comment feature to let me know what you think. Without further ado… … 1 … Change Or Die: This article by Alan Deutschman came out a while ago [...]
When it comes to tracking change adoption, identifying levels of change support or uncovering pockets of change resistance, data may be king, but information should rule your decision-making process. In my last article, I introduced a way for Change Agents to gather and apply accurate data related to change support, adoption and resistance. It all [...]
I love pineapple upside down cake. If you’re a pineapple fan and you haven’t tried it, you need to. When it’s done right, there are few better desserts on the planet. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I plan to bake one of these beauties the next time I have a bit of time and access [...]
The last article on theBigRocks was authored by our first-ever guest writer. Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan is an accomplished Change Agent who worked for several decades in the field before capturing his methods in a book called “Change Friendly Leadership“. He shared part of his new book in that post. I would encourage you to [...]
I’m up in the mountains today and even though the calendar and the weatherman predicted it, one of this year’s first blasts of wintery weather caught me off guard. It also looks to have altered the clothing choices of most folks – including me. A nice, warm coat is definitely this week’s hot fashion accessory. [...]
Ugh. It’s election season in the United States and the rhetoric is flying in every direction. Since I live in the “swing state” of Florida, it’s nearly impossible to watch television for five minutes without being told who’s going to raise my taxes or destroy my future. Regular readers of this blog know that I [...]
Few professional skills will correlate more closely with your ability to lead change as your ability to facilitate influential groups through critical discussions and timely decisions. Being able to guide people as they define their goals for a given interaction – and then consistently reach those outcomes – is a big part of helping your [...]
So far in this series, I’ve focused on how Change Agents can be more effective by learning and applying the art of facilitation to their routine work. We’ve talked about different ways that people think and how good facilitators pay attention to this variance as they guide group discussions and decisions. Over the next few [...]
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I found a great illustration that might come in handy when it comes to helping Facilitators understand how creative people and logical thinkers can work together to get things done. Check this out: This cartoon really demonstrated for me the vast differences in the way that [...]
As a Change Agent, one of my most common roles is that of “Facilitator”. One moment I will be asked to guide an executive team as they make tough decisions. The next, I’ll help resolve a personality dispute that’s blocking team success. As a neutral Facilitator, I’m often called to help an individual or a [...]
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