I often talk about the ability to adjust the environment as a key skill for leaders… and by this I mean small L leaders, not just those who have a formal position.  When you can adjust the environment, you can make work and collaboration more effective.. without waiting for someone who has power to act or give permission.

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It is not always easy to speak up in organizations. People may think twice before brining up ideas, issues, risks, concerns.  They may wonder,  Will the boss take it the wrong way? Will I get  picked to pieces in public?  Does the manager only listen to senior people?  If the answer to any of those questions is “Yes,” the organization is going to miss out on useful information.

In this podcast, I discuss the importance of voice and three things that you can do—form a position of formal or informal power—to make it easier for people to speak up.

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When leaders decided to make a change, they hope it will improve performance. But, while it may do so, there’s almost always a dip. Maybe a small dip, but sometimes a large one. When that happens, the first impulse is to make another change. And then you’ve got churn.

Sorry this episode is late!  I had a bad cold and wasn't up to recording.  

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Why don’t ppl want to change?   I hear this question a lot.  

The assumption behind the question is clear: the impediments to change exist within people. But there's often friction in the context....situations that counter-motivate change.  I find it more useful to ask: "How to reduce the friction for people to change?"

I'll talk about some of the sources of friction, and what you can do about them, in this episode.

For more on the adoption of antiseptic practices (ad other really interesting ideas about change, see Slow Ideas, by Atul Gawande. 

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Blame shuts down problem-solving. Curiosity leads to greater insight. But the response to problems is often the former.

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You may think someone else needs to change. But approaching that topic is a delicate matter. If they haven't invited your input, your advice is likely to cause a rupture, especially when hierarchy is involved. 

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Changing the paradigms—beliefs and assumptions about how things work—can be powerful in changing systems. But how can you do that?  Sometimes it as simple as shifting what people focus on.   

If you are interested in learning more about the SEEM model, drop me an email and I'll send you a copy of the paper where I first published it.  esther at estherderby dot com.

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Systems reflect the beliefs and assumptions of the ppl & societies who create them. Changing those beliefs is a powerful way to change a system. So, it follows, if we want to change management, we need to look at the beliefs and assumptions behind the dominant system of management.

Donella Meadow's Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System

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Even when you have a big idea, you get there with little steps. This isn’t always satisfying to people who are in a hurry. It is understandable that people want big results and want them fast. But it doesn’t work that way. You have to cross the zone.

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There are a handful of things, that if you manage to shift them, you can start a cascade of goodness in your organization. Trust is one of them.

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7 Rules for Positive Productive Change is available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or from the publisher.