"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

-Margaret Mead
 

"You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell how it's going to begin"

-Neo, The Matrix
 

"Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything.”

-George Bernard Shaw

"Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal."

-Arthur Schopenhauer

April 2005 - Leading Change

Hello and welcome to the April e-briefing on Leading Change!

This month we are introducing a new component to The LEADERBOARD.  Based on suggestions from a number of readers, each month will now include an executive coaching summary case based on the topic selected for the month.  The cases will be short, high impact examples of executives who dealt with a challenge associated with the month's theme and the outcome of their approach.  Coaching Cases will be short and to the point.  We hope that you find them a useful addition.

Now, on to this month's topic on Leading Change.  When I first met Janet Harvey, this month's guest contributor, she was an executive at Charles Schwab & Co.  Janet was then accountable for the rollout and adoption of all change initiatives in the Retail Brokerage unit.  Her multi-disciplinary team were the strategists and program leaders for changes that impacted literally thousands of employees and billions of dollars in revenue.  Janet is now a coach and OD practitioner residing on Whidbey Island in Washington.  Her article on Influential Leadership, discusses a critical leadership skill- and one especially important to leaders of change.

And, a little housekeeping from last month.  In my article on making tough decisions, I introduced a framework for thinking about Right vs. Right decisions that I learned at the Georgetown Coaching program.  The instructor who introduced it, Randy Chittum, set me straight.  It comes from what I now know to be a wonderful book by Rushworth Kidder entitled How Good People Make Tough Choices.

One last item.  The Principals at Entelechy Partners will be out of the country for a fair amount of April and May.  The company is facilitating planning meetings between a cooperative of Rotary clubs in Cluj Napoca, Romania and Little Rock, AR and Heifer International.  This project has established a farming economy in rural Transylvania capable of supporting orphanages and hospitals with dairy and meat products and represents a wonderful example of the power of visionary leadership.  Our contribution to guiding the next chapter of this project unfortunately means that we will have to take a month's hiatus from publishing The LEADERBOARD.  We will see you again in June!

As always, your comments, ideas and responses are welcomed at info@entelechypartners.com.

Cordially,

I. Barry Goldberg
Entelechy Partners

Influential Leadership: The Next Frontier

Janet Harvey
Clarity International

Janet's credentials as a change leader are impeccable.  At Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. she lead the team accountable for all business change in the Retail Brokerage.  She has since coached and consulted to a wide range of organizational leaders in industries ranging from banking to steel.  Her article, first published as a chapter in A Guide to Getting It: Powerful Leadership Skills (2004,Clarity of Vision Publishing) discusses the importance of influence for effective leadership.

Read the whole story here

Successful Change Leadership

I. Barry Goldberg
Entelechy Partners

This PDF version of power point slides is a précis of successful change leadership.  Presented at an executive retreat for change leaders last year, this overview provides context to the change leadership process and a peak into the methodologies that sustain successful initiatives.

Read the article here.

The Leadership Bookshelf: Leadership and the Art of Conversation

Kim H. Krisco

This is an odd little book.  The kind to catch you by surprise.  At first, it reads like another new age reframing of how the world works.  But Krisco introduces the use of "speech acts" to make conversation, something we take for granted, both powerful and purposeful.  I have seen organizations reinvent their culture based on adopting the conscious use and practice of these tools.  This is not an easy book to find- but well worth the search.

Read our review here.

Coaching Cases: A Change Leader Hits His Stride

This case revolves around a change leader who came to grips with the difference between pushing project teams for short term sprints and creating long term value through vision.

Review this month's case here.

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