Description
Book SynopsisConquer the most daunting change initiative with the right people, tools, and strategies. James Dallas'' Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change is an informative, insightful guide to effectively leading the transition through change. While most change management books present case studies about what happened at other companies, this book is based on the author''s own experiences managing over 10 transformational and turnaround initiatives, 15 acquisition integrations, and 5 operations/quality shared services centers of excellence. By relating personal lessons learned, how they were subsequently applied, and how you can benefit from them, this book provides a unique first-hand perspective on successful agents of change. You''ll learn the qualities and skills required to usher in the new paradigm, and how to break a large initiative into manageable chunks that are more likely to proceed as planned. By crafting your strategy based on proven methods, you''re far and aw
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: It Ain’t Easy Being Green xvii
Part I Priorities 1
1 Set a Course for Change 3
The Three Questions 4
Assessing the Culture 6
Ghosts, Hubs, and Mavericks 11
Wisdom from the Front Line 14
Measure Leaders by Their Front-Line Relationships 16
The Importance of Looking Outward 17
The Value of Conviction 20
2 Create the Core Team 23
Who’s Not on the Team 25
The Two Questions That Count 26
Picking the Program Leader 28
Two Key Roles That Are Too Often Ignored 29
Moving beyond “Off with Their Heads” 31
Don’t Partner with Cab Drivers 33
Team Diversity 35
3 Set Expectations and Decide Where to Start 39
A Tour of the Matrix 41
Part II Politics 51
4 Become a Communicator 53
Never Soft-Pedal 56
Brush Up Your Speaking Skills 57
When to Tell Tales 63
5 Craft Messaging That Motivates 67
Become an Amateur Anthropologist 69
6 Overcoming Resistance 78
The Many Faces of Resistance 79
The Fifth Type of Resister: The Machiavelli 81
Removing a Toxic Player 85
Cleaning Up the Sludge 86
Influencing the Narrative on the Front Line 88
Part III People 93
7 Reading Minds and Other Methods for Assessing Progress 95
Read Faces, Not Reports 97
Adjust for Culture 99
Never Kill the Messenger 100
Combating Groupthink with Anonymous Feedback 101
Third-Party Evaluations 103
Don’t Forget Your Hubs 104
8 Alignment and Group Dynamics 108
The Six-Pack Approach 109
Alignment Sessions 113
When and How to Make an Executive Decision 114
Brokering Deals 115
The Importance of Reaching Up 117
9 Master the Humble Art of Building Trust 120
Building Inner-Circle Relationships 121
Step Outside of Your Own Boundaries 124
Eight Practices for Building Trust 126
Put Your Pride to the Side 131
Part IV Perseverance 137
10 Put Out Every Fire 139
Forming a Crisis Management Team 140
Getting in the Trenches 142
In Crisis, Don’t Ever Make It about You 144
How to Elevate a Discontented Team 146
Step into Your Power 150
11 Institutionalize and Leverage Change 153
Why Organizations Lose Their Focus 154
Evolving the Culture 158
Making Metrics Matter 161
The Power of Documentation 162
To Leverage Change, Keep Tearing Down Walls 163
12 Developing Talent as a Sponsor 169
Whom to Sponsor? 170
Awaken New Leaders 174
Develop Their Personal Brand 176
Put Them in the Hot Seat 178
When Sponsorship Fails 179
Provide Air Cover for Risk Taking 180
Epilogue 184
About the Author 187
Index 189
