Get a clu - stories of business - by Caroline

Don't you just love the expression "herding cats"? I do. Cats do as they please. They are their own person. So are members of an organization who resist a transformation. I can relate. As an employee, I have certainly been a rebel. What can you as a change manager do to get this group on your side? How can you leverage their creative potential?

Jeanne d'Arc is known as the 15th century warrior who supported Charles VII during the war of 100 years against the English. She rallied the troops and lifted the siege of Orléans. As much as her military wins and her whole demeanor are admirable, I warn against exhausting oneself like Jeanne did. Change managers should strive to become a 2.0 version of her: strategic thinkers who remove themselves from the arena and ensure they stay centered.

As management thinker Peter Drucker famously said: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast". When startups scale, they have to organizational address culture. But how do startup founders - often unaware of the informal culture that rules and how their professional identity impacts it - become cognizant of culture? They have a myriad of priorities address, from product innovation to making customers happy and keeping the venture capital community happy. I reflect on the interplay of increased pressure due to scaling, leadership personalities, team happiness and getting culture right.