In Elizabeth Strout’s new novel The Things We Never Say, the teacher Artie asks a memorable question that has stayed with me over the past few months:
“I wonder why people never say anything real.”
Later, he comes to understand that “it was a private thing to be alive”.
There is something recognisable in the distance between those two observations. Much of what matters inside an organisation remains private, even when many people are experiencing the same uncertainty. Difficult decisions are presented as settled. Experiments become success stories. Doubts are removed before the work is shared.
Perhaps that is why the most useful professional conversations rarely begin with polished answers. They begin when someone says something real about what is working, what is difficult and what they still do not understand.
Read moreOrganizational change is on the tip of many tongues these days, and CEO’s are investing more in culture change programs. Still, many feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, and don’t know how or where to start.
Read moreGallup found 90% of people in Western Europe are not engaged at work. If their study was conducted in the early 1800’s, during the first wave of industrialization which pushed millions of people into unrelenting factory jobs, you might expect it. It was carried out in 2017, which makes it almost unfathomable given the billions spent on culture, leadership and engagement annually.
Read moreEveryone is talking innovation, collaboration, intra/entrepreneurialism, agility, decentralisation of power, digitalisation, the VUCA world, but all to few realize the sort of changes we will have to make to achieve it.
Read moreHow often do standard change methods result in actual, deep rooted and lasting change?
According to the Gartner: 50% of change efforts are clear failures, 16% have mixed results and only the remainder are somewhat successful. If we want to create real, sustainable change, then top down classical methods for change may not work.
Read moreDeveloping Personal Resilience is not something that can be demanded and argued for through logic and reasoning. It is a change movement of profound personal impact.
Asking your colleagues to become resilient and then telling them why they should do it, is not going to cut it. Something else is required.
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