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.   ..read more

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.  ..read more

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

We’re trained to think big, to go for that big hairy audacious goals, to go big or go home. But when it comes to making complex changes in your organization, tiny  may be the way to go. Explore more about micro shifts: Steering Signals https://changebyattraction.simplecast.com/episodes/steering-signals Four Questions for Evaluating Experiments  https://www.estherderby.com/4-questions-for-evaluating-experiments/ Change Artist Super Powers: Experimentation  https://www.estherderby.com/change-artist-super-powers-experimentation/   ..read more

Adaptive Capacity is the ability to respond to change—whether that change is an adverse market event, a fabulous opportunity, or learning from experience. Unfortunately, many organizational habits sap adaptive capacity.  ..read more

Usually, I talk about how to nurture change, once you are already in a position to do that. In this episode, I’m going to talk about contracting. Because contracting can make the difference between a successful engagement and a disappointing one—whether you are an employee or an external consultant or coach. Contracting sets the tone ..read more

What the organization came from and what it is like now, influence where it can go. Organizations don’t leap forward toward some abstract potential.  They shimmy and mosey to the next best thing they are capable of—based on what is and what has been.  In this episode I’ll share two of the things I try to learn about when I enter a new organization to understand where they come from:  the latest change, and the persistent stories. I mention the SEEM model, one of the lenses I use to understand what I’m seeing in organizations. You can download an introduction to the SEEM model he ..read more

I recently had a fascinating conversation with Matthew Carlson, a senior consultant at Industrial Logic. We talked about what is different about adopting agile methods in 2021 vs. 2001… and how those differences play out for the people who work in organizations and those who hope help them adopt agile methods.   Join me and special guest Matthew Carlson for a rich conversation about considering context and respecting the structures and pressures that shape the adoption of not-so-new-innovations.    Read more about Matthew here: https://www.industriallogic.com/people/matthew ..read more

Some people think that empathy has no place at work…that work requires hard-nosed logic and checking your emotions at the door. They believe empathy means never hurting anyone’s feelings.  But empathy doesn’t mean you have to coddle people or feel the same way they do. It means acknowledging other’s feelings, thoughts and view are valid, whether you agree with them or not. Most importantly, empathy smooths the road to forward movement and problem-solving ..read more

When making a change or fixing a problem, most companies consider the outcome they want to achieve—what will be different—and how they’ll measure that. But outcomes can take a long time. In the meanwhile, how do you know things are going the way you hoped?  How do you make adjustments if needed?  That’s where steering signals come in. Interim measures and subtle signs that help you find the way ..read more