When an organization makes an announcement they are letting people go, how should an organizational change coach respond?
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A Whole New Solar System
Rarely do we question existing management paradigms. We just accept them as a foundation that can’t be changed or moved. Maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit.
“I’m tired of change…when will this just go away?”
For those on the front lines of an organizational change I’m sure you’ve heard this a time or two. Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself. A typical response is, “It never ends. Look how fast the world is changing…it’s here to stay.”
Knowing how stubborn organizational silos can be and how rarely they are actually removed, we will need to tackle them with fresh perspectives.
This is part one of a four-part series on Organizational Barriers. Look for part two, “To Remove Organizational Barriers, Start Here,” part three, “Designing Future-Proof Organizations” and part four, “In Practice, Removing Real-World Barriers” soon. They sneak up on us with a whisper but resonate loudly for decades. It can be hard to explain how […]
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On Having the Tough Conversations
Throughout our coaching journey, scenarios are encountered when we will be called upon to have an uncomfortable conversation. It’s not if it will happen, but when it will happen. There’s a good chance it happened to you already today. Someone is not allowing others to speak. Someone else is dominating the airspace of their team […]
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Meeting Them Where They Are
As coaches, we will be encountering and interacting with people all day long. At least I hope we are. And all of these people are on a journey of change just like ourselves. Some just starting out, some who have been on it for a while, and some who don’t want anything to do with […]
One of the things I am often asked about is how should we assess the performance of a coach. Some days I wonder this about myself…“Am I living into my full potential? What kind of impact am I really having?” To answer this question, it’s important to first define the North Star of what a […]
Our role as change catalysts often involves introducing fresh thinking about how the nature of work is evolving and how people in organizations will need to evolve along with it. These ideas can sometimes feel radical to folks as we bump up against the comfort of the status quo and the gravitational pull of “this […]
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The Far-Reaching Impact of Leaders
Recently, someone very close to me had to leave a leadership position at their company due to health reasons. This person invested deeply in the relationships of her team and created deep and long-lasting bonds with them. She inspired them, cherished them, cared for them, and fought for them. She empathized with them and created […]
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The No Good, Very Bad Day of Coaching
A couple of weeks ago, I experienced what Alexander would describe as a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” of coaching. I know I am exaggerating…it probably wasn’t as bad I thought but it felt awful to me. I stumbled on words. And the words I was able to speak fluently didn’t feel like […]
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The Pace of Change
When will we be done? This question, often asked within the first few days of starting a change initiative, puts those involved with catalyzing change in quite a bind. Share an ambitious or aggressive date and deep down we all know it’s not really possible. Share a date too far in the future and people […]