Ask Dr. Change

How we think drives how we act and what we produce. It is rare that the specifics of this statement is addressed in how we shape change project consulting. What is your leaders’ mindset about the project and its end-users? How are the inevitable emotional reactions to the change dealt with? What is the level of receptivity to new information that impacts project success? Opening this discussion with project sponsors and teams is key to setting up a project for success. Your own mindset is also at play. The Mindset Quadrant episode explores all of this and guides you to know what Mindset questions to ask and how to use the data you receive for project success.

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Season 4. As valuable as Change Management is to the success of major change and transformation, many of its standard practices are in fact limiting its ability to have the level of impact that change projects need to be launched, well led, and fully adopted. This episode is an opportunity to reflect on your CM practices and determine if you can expand, alter or reposition them to contribute more value. We discuss many current practices, including driving change using tools vs a full-scale change process, being tactical vs strategic, and not being positioned to directly influence sponsors, leaders and the change strategy from the beginning. Listen in to assess your current practices and how you might up-level them for greater success and satisfaction.

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Season 4 of Ask Dr. Change Launches Today - with a new episode on Culture, which has a profound impact on how people relate and work. Organizations that assess culture typically do so using assessments that largely focus on values or observable behavioral patterns. There are other dynamics of culture that underlie these patterns and have a significant impact on how people operate. They are the underlying dynamics that are either invisible, or even well-known but never overtly addressed. This episode describes several of these dynamics, such as “the price of nice” or “territoriality.” I invite you to discover those at play in your organization, which are having an influence but may not be “revealed” or on the culture change agenda—and need to be!

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Dr. Richard McKnight, author of “When We the People Lead, the Leaders Will Follow,” describes his efforts to inspire everyday Americans to step out of apathy and despair... and into their proactive agency to heal the challenging dynamics facing America today. This episode is a unique one for "Ask Dr. Change", focusing on how the strategy to make social and political change informs approaches to organization transformation. Rick outlines the underlying dynamics at play in America today and how each of us can “light many fires” to catalyze making a difference in the state of our lives. It is not only relevant to society, but to how we lead transformation in large systems. Think meaningful engagement, taking initiative, and acting on our commitments.  Listen in and prepare to take this message personally!

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Most organizational change efforts rely on the tried-and-true approaches of Project Management and Change Management. However, when a project is transformational, it requires an expanded approach, beyond these two. Transformational change has a unique set of requirements that need attention before, and after, these standard approaches come in to play.

This episode outlines the distinctions of transformational change and how you can lead and consult to it so it is launched, designed, implemented, and adopted for sustained results. This requires Conscious Change Leadership. Building off the value of traditional approaches, Conscious Change Leadership executes the start-to-completion strategies for transformational success. How can you expand your role to take on Conscious Change Leadership?

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Best of Ask Dr. Change. The role of the Change Process Leader is a breakthrough strategy for successfully leading transformational change. Beyond Project Management and Change Management, this role oversees how a transformation is stood up, led, and adjusted to achieve sustained results. Kate MacDonald, Executive Director of Professionalism, Leadership & Inclusion at York Regional Police (YRP), has fulfilled this role for the past several years, co-leading YRP’s culture transformation.

Many breakthrough results were achieved and have been sustained. Come hear about Kate’s inspiring experience, her successes and challenges, and what it takes to fulfill this essential role in a complex transformation. This live experience will illustrate what’s possible in your own change work, in policing and beyond!

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Most leaders are rightfully focused on getting the best content solution designed and implemented to satisfy a need in the organization. However, this focus requires additional attention on how the stakeholders will be impacted and engaged, and how the change process is designed to ensure the best solution is generated, implemented, adopted and sustained. Many change consultants are not positioned to directly Influence leaders to expand their attention to strategic People and Process dynamics when leading initiatives. This podcast episode describes the types of attention needed and ways to reach these leaders - so they begin to appreciate and take on influencing how people are affected and the change process is designed. Come learn how to get the attention of leaders to go beyond the content solution to set up their initiatives and stakeholders for success, so they achieve sustained business benefits.

Guest Question – Margrete Eva – Change Leader 

“How do I help leaders to see people and process (especially process) instead of just content?”

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Best of Ask Dr. Change - Season 1.

Leaders have a critical choice to make when initiating change. How they frame and communicate the change impacts how it’s received and embraced by the organization. Understanding the motivation behind change – whether it’s a wake-up call, a threat, a vision of something different, or an inspiration – is paramount. 

Our episode begins with a thought-provoking question from Charles, a seasoned change management consultant. Charles is grappling with a challenging scenario where leaders have framed a crucial change in negative, threatening terms. The fear and uncertainty this has generated are casting a long shadow over the change process. Rumors are rife, fear and anxiety fuel decision-making and communications, and progress seems to have stalled. 

So, how can we navigate this situation? What strategies can we employ to shift the narrative from fear to possibility? These questions are at the heart of today’s discussion.  

We’ll explore the human dynamics when change is announced in compelling and positive terms versus negative terms. We’ll discuss strategies for how to turn things around if the initial launch message is threatening and delve into the rationale for leaders consciously focusing on what is possible to co-create when the outcome is successful. 

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This episode surfaces several important issues about how we as consultants and coaches can best support the people tasked with making change. It is critical to consciously shape our role and style so that we meet the needs of our clients in the best way possible. Too often, consultants and coaches have been trained in a specific approach that becomes “one size fits all.” In the context of major change, that doesn’t always work! It is our job to help our clients see what they don’t see, in ways that support them to be successful.

Come hear about the various choices we have about our roles — and styles of executing them — so we can best meet the needs of our change clients, be they leaders, project managers, or change project teams. Come learn a powerful technique for doing so. Expanding your ability to see what is needed, adjust your approach and provide invaluable guidance can produce a breakthrough for you!

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Best of Ask Dr. Change - Season 1.

Do your too-busy leaders miss seeing important information that they know they need to make? Many leaders miss, ignore or side-step information that serves as a wake-up call… and instead press the snooze button until things get painful.  

In today's episode, I answer the question: "What triggered the major changes you are leading, and how do we get leaders to pay attention to it earlier?"  

We’ll explore what constitutes a wake-up call, how to illuminate the earliest indications that a change is needed, and the importance of engaging leaders in this crucial first step toward making their most critical changes.  

This episode is a must-listen if you want your leaders to be aware and listening for the changes needed in your organization. 

To watch the full video version of this podcast, please visit AskDrChange.com

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