| Greeting!
Well, summer has officially come and gone and with the new fall season comes a plethora of change, most notably in the colors of nature, dropping temperatures, and even the impending snowfall that is never far away for those of us in the northern part of our great country.
To ring in the changing seasons we've decided to dedicate this week's newsletter to the ever popular and sometimes painful issue of organizational change.
Organizational change brings about a wide range of emotions from those who have to deal with and adapt to the change. While it can be scary for some, organizational change is essential to any organization's long term survival.
Three words sum it up nicely: Change or Die!
We've got a great newsletter this week with a QBQ! Personal Accountability Quicknote by John Miller about how to practice personal accountability when dealing with change, a great article by renowned organizational change guru Rosabeth Moss Kanter, as well as a pair of articles from us here at The Rainmaker Group.
Best wishes,
Your partners at The Rainmaker Group
Power quote:
"A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation."
-Andrew Grove, former chairman and CEO, Intel |
| Organizational Change Begins With Me |
Creating organizational change can be an incredibly difficult process.
Mankind by its very nature is adverse to change. We like to be in our comfort zone...especially when it comes to securing our livelihood in the workplace.
Add to this the unique melting pot of behaviors and personalities that compose an organization's workforce and it isn't hard to see why so many organizations have a difficult time implementing change.
So, as a manager, where do you start? The answer is simple and might surprise you...
CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME
Say it out loud... Go on, nobody is looking...
Did you do it? Good for you!
Understanding these four words, CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME, is the first step to making the change you want to see in your organization happen. You cannot change anybody but yourself.
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Strategy - Evolutions is the Answer to Dealing with Change |
 Chris Young - Founder, The Rainmaker Group
Successful businesses hate change.
We get the privilege of working with a lot of organizations from the Fortune 50 to companies of less than 50 people. Organizations large and small have one thing in common - change doesn't always come easily.
Once a "winning strategy" is identified - changing that dominant strategy becomes difficult, if not impossible.
As creatures of habit we like things in nice, orderly, predictable categories. Our competitors may like disruption more than we do - meaning they may make a strategic first move that is quite painful. Why? Because it's change - their way.
One answer to this "anti-change" mindset is "zooming". Zooming is a thought process coined by Seth Godin who wrote about it in his book - Survival Is Not Enough. Zooming is the purposeful making of small changes. After all... It's better that you make the changes rather than your competitors or some new startup forcing you to make that change.
Interested in learning more? You might start by reading Seth's December 2001 article for Fast Company that may be accessed here.
Or you might buy Seth's book - Survival Is Not Enough.
By the way, check out Seth's blog.
You might say I am a fan.
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| Featured Guru - Rosabeth Moss Kanter |
 Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a renowned organizational change guru and tenured professor of business at Harvard Business School where she holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship.
In 2002 Kanter was recognized by Accenture Consulting Company as #11 on their list of top 50 business intellectual and is one of only two women on the list.
Through her many years of professional experience Kanter has helped numerous organizations tackle one of the most difficult challenges they face: change.
Kanter has authored or co-authored 17 books and numerous articles on the issue of organizational change, including this week's Featured Guru article, Strategy as Improvisational Theatre.
In her article Kanter explains that the antiquated model of strategy formulation that takes place behind closed doors in the Ivory Tower is not the approach taken by organizations that are pacesetters in their industry.
Rather Kanter argues that industry leaders rely on improvisational strategic formulation that is almost always changing and allows these organizations to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and new competitive landscapes.
Using the improvisational theatre as a metaphor for organizational change Kanter illustrates how strategy formulation and organization change can benefit from uncertainty and improvisation.
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QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - "Why do we have to go through all this change?" |
 The world we live in is constantly changing. The recent arrival of fall brings with it changing colors and changing seasons.
Just as we can count on the leaves changing color, we can count on near constant change in our business environment.
New technology, new operating procedures, new facilities, new competitive threats, and new products and services are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the change we face almost everyday in business.
With change comes the inevitable question: "Why do we have to go through all of this change?" or even worse the seven deadly words: "We've never done it that way before!"
How we deal with change is a matter of personal accountability. Do we make comments like those above or do we practice personal accountability and ask better questions such as "What can I do to adapt to the changing world around me?"
The choice is up to you...
Creating a culture of Personal Accountability should be a top priority for all organizations. Team members who think and practice Personal Accountability can bring about incredible changes for an organization. The blame game disappears, morale increases, and customer experiences are enhanced all thanks to the power of Personal Accountability.
The Rainmaker Group is proud to offer powerful day long QBQ! workshops instilling the power of Personal Accountability into teams and organizations across the country. For more information about these workshops or to purchase John Miller's books, QBQ! and Flipping the Switch Visit our website at: http://www.personalaccountabilityatwork.com
John Miller is author of QBQ! The Question Behind The Question, the authoritative guide to practicing Personal Accountability. |
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 Is your organization living up to its full potential? Is high turnover hurting your bottom line? Do your team members create the powerful experiences your customers deserve? Do team members have difficulty effectively communicating with others?
Bring The Rainmaker Group in to your organization and start realizing your organization's full potential. Together, we deliver powerful and motivating keynote speeches, design customized training programs and workshops, help identify barriers to communication, and much more. We don't sell training out of the box, but rather insist on customizing it to your needs! For more info, send an e-mail to info@therainmakergroupinc.com
Or call 1-866-988-7246
About us:
The Rainmaker Group is a People Maximization and Development group located in Bismarck, ND. Our mission is to help those we serve make their difference in the world.
We hope you found this newsletter interesting and informative. If you like what you read, please give us a shout, we're here to help!
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Gandhi
Sincerely,
All of us here at The Rainmaker Group
1-866-988-7246
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| For More Great Articles and Stories: |
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The Question Behind the Question
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Recommended Reading:
Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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| The Rainmaker Group Experience |
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Start Maximizing Possibility in your organization today! We offer a variety of services to help your organization realize its full potential. Check us out today!
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Recommended Reading:
Seth Godin's
Survival is Not Enough
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