Browse Category: Leading Well

Past issues of Leading Well ezine

Greetings and Gifts for You

It’s a busy time of year, and it’s hard not to wonder where the year went! But I know some of you are keen to know how the Leadership Coaching Club is going. PLUS Santa has some Special Gifts for you later in this Christmas issue of Leading Well (because we know you’ve been good this year!)Santa

First, thank you for allowing me to work with you this year. Whether I’ve coached you personally or your whole business team, whether I’ve spoken at your leadership conference or facilitated your planning event, or just visited each month via Leading Well, it’s been a privilege to work with you. We have some really exciting things planned for 2007, so keep an eye out early in the new year for details.

One of the biggest events in 2007 will be the start of the Leadership Coaching Club. You have told us exactly what you want and I’m pleased to say it’s coming really soon. If you want to be the FIRST to know, make sure you sign up now for priority notification. That way you won’t miss out on all the special offers and bonuses for getting in early as soon as it is available. It’s going to be a great value program that anyone who is serious about leading and managing people will want to be a part of, so you won’t want to miss it.

We also have a whole range of other products and programs that will help you on your path to easy, effective and effortless leadership, that I can’t wait to share with you next year.

But for now it’s time to take a break to focus on family, fun and festivity for a little while. We hope, like us, you can look back at lots of good things achieved in 2006, as well as being excited by everything to come in 2007.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at KMG Consulting and the Leadership Skill Center.

Gifts from santa…HO…HO…HO… And I haven’t forgotten … Here are some special Christmas gifts just for you.
Kind regards, Kerrie

PS. It’s Christmas! Of course you can share that link with anyone who would like a gift for Christmas.

The actual link is:
http://www.leadershipskillcenter.com/thankyou/xmas.php

How effective is your feedback?

One of the secrets to getting great results from your people is to learn the skill of giving powerful, effective feedback.There are three types of feedback I observe when I work with my clients: “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly”!

And there are three main problems that I notice with feedback. They are that Good feedback is often not given, Bad feedback can often be hard to give and Ugly feedback is often given at the wrong time or for inappropriate reasons.

To be effective, feedback (whether it is positive or negative) needs to be timely and it should always relate to an action or behavior rather than the person. Feedback about behaviors or actions is powerful and effective because it reinforces desired behaviors so they can be repeated in future, while other actions or behaviors can be modified in future.

Powerful feedback places the action or behavior in the context of a specific situation or task and links it to a result. If the feedback is corrective, it specifies an alternative action or behavior that would produce a different preferred result.

A simple example of good positive feedback could be:

“Jan – Yesterday when you were walking through the foyer I saw you clear away some rubbish that had been left there by someone else. Thank you. A clean entrance makes a far better impression on our visitors and clients than a messy one.”

An example of effective corrective feedback might be:

“Chris – Yesterday after you finished your lunch you were distracted by a phone call and you left your lunch wrappers in the foyer, which creates a poor impression for our visitors or clients when they arrive. Please take care to put your rubbish in the bin in future. That will keep the entry clean so we make a good impression for our visitors and clients.”

Feedback like this needs to be given to Chris promptly. If it is delayed for so long the situation or incident has been forgotten, it will be less effective. The feedback would be inappropriate if it was expressed as a criticism of Chris personally, for example, “You are a messy person” rather than as a criticism of an action or behavior.

Inappropriate (Ugly) feedback such as “you are messy” is dis-empowering and frustrating, because we can’t change who we are. It destroys morale and erodes results as well as being ineffective.

Feedback about our actions or behaviors is effective, empowering and helpful, because we can change our actions if necessary, or repeat them if appropriate.

Positive (Good) feedback should be shared generously. It is a powerful motivation, reinforcing the types of behavior you are keen to see repeated.

Corrective (Bad) feedback should be given promptly and sensitively. Ensure you give it in private and in a supportive, direct and open manner. Focus on the action or behavior that that needs modifying or correcting and describe exactly what actions and results you expect in the future.

Given appropriately and regularly, corrective feedback is a valuable learning tool and without it none of us can get better at what we do.

A good leader taps the power of effective feedback to motivate and coach people to great results. If you are generous with positive feedback while you are clear and consistent with corrective feedback you will be delighted with the value effective feedback delivers.

More on how to improve your feedback in the Quick Tips below:

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QUOTE OF NOTE

“Anything you are good at contributes to happiness.”

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

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QUICK TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

* Catch people doing something right as often as you can so you can deliver positive feedback “on the spot” in just a few words.

* While positive feedback might be delivered in public, negative or correctional feedback should always be delivered in private in a calm and sensitive manner.

* Think of feedback as fine-tuning. Try to establish a habit of giving your people more frequent feedback about smaller tasks, actions or behaviors, rather than waiting for a problem to grow into something huge.

* When you do need to deliver corrective feedback be direct and firm. Don’t apologize, make excuses or “beat around the bush” before you get to your point. Explain the situation or context, describe the unacceptable behavior and its results and say what will be acceptable in the future with the results you expect that will follow.

* Don’t invite discussion or drag out your comments when you deliver corrective feedback. If the action or behavior is not acceptable, that’s all there is to it. Check that you were understood and move on.

* Bear in mind that in some circumstances you may need to offer your people training, coaching or support to change their actions or behavior, just as you may need practice in giving more effective feedback before you always get it right.

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*** Do you have any questions about effective feedback?
http://www.leadershipskillcenter.com/allabout/?effective-feedback

The Leading Well Bottom Line:

You don’t have to do it all on your own. Coming soon – the new Leadership Coaching Club. Visit to make sure you are the first to know all the details.

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Services directory:

PLANNING FOR 2007 ALREADY? – We are already taking bookings for 2007 Leadership Teambuilding Programs or Strategic Planning Evaluation and Review Programs. Contact us now to lock in your preferred dates before it is too late. Call 03-9859 3924 or email info@kmgconsulting.com.au

DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE? – Special discount on fantastic website tools for the next couple of days only. Don’t delay. Only valid until November 16th – see details

FREE MARKETING PLAN WORKBOOK – Have a look at this: One of the best resources on the web for marketing your services is Action Plan Marketing. Check out the website and download your free Marketing Plan Workbook and the first chapter of the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.

ADD AUDIO TO YOUR WEBSITE FREE – Sonic Memo Lite is free. The catch? You have to agree to join a mailing list (but you can always unsubscribe) and you will be offered a one-time opportunity to upgrade to the Pro version (but you don’t have to accept the offer). My suggestion is, if you do your own website, grab it while you can. You may even decide to buy the full version, which is what I use. Unlike other web audio systems that you have to pay for every month, this is great value at full price as it’s a pay once and use for ever deal anyway. If you want it for free click here.

BOOKS ON FEEDBACK WORTH READING –

Effective Feedback: A Guide for Caring Professionals by Irwin M. Rubin and Thomas J. Campbell
Fast Feedback, Second Edition
by Bruce Tulgan
Giving and Receiving Performance Feedback
by Peter R. Garber

Motivating your team

HOW YOU CAN BUILD A MORE MOTIVATED TEAM

Imagine this scenario: You have just bungled your latest project…

You have so much work you need to do. You are becoming a workaholic, you have tensions at home, these new kids at work are getting smarter by the day and your next presentation deadline is looming large. Any normal person can make a mistake, but you know you should have known better.

You are sitting at your computer wondering if this major disaster will cost you your job, when your boss just happens to walk by. You are scared stiff, fearing the worst. But what does he do? He gives you an encouraging smile and says “I understand. Don’t worry. I know you will do better next time. You will get another chance”.

VOILA! Your whole world opens up for you. You feel the tension oozing out. You get the drive, the enthusiasm to give the project all your attention again and vow never to repeat your mistakes.
This is what good leaders do. They understand us and give us support when we need it. They understand the human psychology of motivation.

Imagine another scenario…

You boss comes up to you while you are with your colleagues and friends and gives you a tongue lashing in front of everyone, detailing everything you did wrong and trying to shame you into performing better the next time.

How angry, upset and embarrassed does that make you feel? Maybe you even feel like leaving your job then and there, just to show that you have some self-respect?

This is what bad leaders can do to us. They belittle and embarrass us, and criticize us in public. When people are treated this way it is de-motivating. Rather than being inspired to work harder and better, they are more likely to start looking for a new job.

To get good results as a leader, you need a motivated team.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to motivate your team. If your subordinates are not giving 100% then you need to look at how well you are motivating your people each time you interact with them. Are you lifting them up to new heights, building their enthusiasm and boosting their resolve to do better next time? Or are you dragging them down by diminishing their self-confidence and self-esteem?

We get more of the behavior we recognize and reward. If the only feedback you are giving your team is about the things they have done wrong, you may be unintentionally de-motivating your people. Look for learning opportunities, rather than problems to be corrected.

Your own outlook and attitude as a leader must be confident and positive, if you radiate a positive energy and create an exciting environment by your enthusiasm, you will not only get your own work done, but your team will be more motivated to help you get all the results you need.

There are many ways you can motivate people to do what you want them to do. One of the simplest is to just pass on all the praise you get for their work.

Everyone likes to be recognized and appreciated. This motivates us all to do better. When you motivate everyone on your team you will find it easier to get great results as a leader.

More on how to do this in the Quick Tips below:

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QUOTE OF NOTE

“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than knowledge that is idle”

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

Don’t just think about becoming a better leader. Take action. Join us for the Leadership Coaching Club today.

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FREE TELESEMINAR

Do you want to:
* motivate, influence and inspire others to produce better results
* get your message across every time
* make a good impression whenever you meet someone new
* get that job you want
* overcome resistance to change
* maximize sales while you minimize complaints?

Join me next week as I interview Australia’s expert in the Art of Influence, Paddy Spruce, for a free live teleseminar next week. You’ll discover:

* How to make a positive first impression so you connect with people and open up the way to a positive outcome right from the start.
* What the five different Styles of Influence are and when you would use each one.
* The four Stages of any Negotiation and how to apply them, even in a corridor conversation.
* The top mistakes 99% of people make and how you can avoid them.

Register now

There are a limited number of phone lines available for the teleseminar so don’t delay your registration.

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QUICK TIPS FOR MOTIVATING YOUR TEAM

* People are motivated by the needs they have and the values they hold. If someone’s values are not aligned with the values your organization actually demonstrates, they will never be motivated to support you. If you are struggling to motivate people on your team have a close look at whether your organization demonstrates the same values you talk about.

* People are motivated when they see the opportunity to fulfill their own goals. Look for those times when a team member’s personal goals can be enhanced or expanded to align better with your goals for the whole team or organization.

* The things that motivate you will not always be the same things that motivate your staff. The better you get to know the people on your team, the easier it will be to ensure you are motivating them in a way that is best for them.

The Leading Well Bottom Line:

You don’t have to do it all on your own. Join us in September for the next Leadership Coaching Club and leverage off all the wisdom, insight and experience of other participants plus your mentor Kerrie Mullins-Gunst.

Share Your Tips With Us:

* What are you doing to motivate your team to better results? Please let us know by adding your comments to this posting

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AND DON’T FORGET THE COMPETITION just for Leading Well Subscribers:

Enter now and you could win FREE registration in the Leadership Coaching Club Ten Week Intensive. All you have to do is sign up for Leading Well then email us and tell us in 100 words or less:
1. What is the best thing about our Leadership Coaching Club Ten Week Intensive?
2. Why YOU deserve to win?
*** Please don’t enter unless you will be able to participate in the ten week program, starting September 13. See the full Teleseminar Schedule for details.

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Services directory:

FREE MARKETING PLAN WORKBOOK – Have a look at this: One of the best resources on the web for marketing your services is Action Plan Marketing. Check out the website and download your free Marketing Plan Workbook and the first chapter of the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.

ADD AUDIO TO YOUR WEBSITE FREE – At the moment Sonic Memo Lite is free. The catch? You have to agree to join a mailing list (but you can always unsubscribe) and you will be offered a one-time opportunity to upgrade to the Pro version (but you don’t have to accept the offer). My suggestion is, if you do your own website, grab it while you can. You may even decide to buy the full version, which is what I use. Unlike other web audio systems that you have to pay for every month, this is great value at full price as it’s a pay once and use for ever deal anyway. If you want it for free get it here.

Your Five Key Areas of Leadership Focus

Sometimes leading and managing people can seem quite overwhelming with all the different things you need to do and problems you need to solve. At times even experienced leaders and manager can feel driven to distraction by all the details, decisions and dilemmas. Yet you needn’t be.There are proven ways to rise above the confusion and complexity and some leaders succeed, even making it all look easy.

In my many years of coaching, mentoring and working with some of the best and most dynamic leaders and managers – plus some who struggled daily – I have made a deliberate and detailed study of what works and why.

I was curious about what it was that made leadership easy and effortless for some, while others – frequently even with similar qualifications or experience – struggled constantly to overcome all the challenges.

I’ve distilled all my research and survey results, all the observations I’ve made of the many leaders I’ve worked with over the years and all the feedback from participants in the seminars and programs I’ve been running across the country and around the world since 1993, and found there are five key areas that all the best leaders constantly focus on.

That’s right – just five! With some of the most outstanding leaders managing thousands of people, hundreds of projects and a myriad of details, there are still just five key areas they focus their attention on to achieve exceptional results.

These five key areas of leadership focus offer you the power to simplify and prioritize your efforts as a leader. When you focus your actions and attention on just these five key areas you will discover how easy, effective and effortless leadership can be.

These five key areas of leadership focus are the foundation on which I have built our exciting new Leadership Coaching Club 10 Week Intensive because, when you focus on them, they really do become your fast-track to easy, effective and effortless leadership success. You can begin to focus on these areas today. So what are they?

Your Five Key Areas of Leadership Focusâ„¢ are:

1. Gathering support
2. Setting direction
3. Getting your message across
4. Getting things done, and
5. Getting results.

When you focus your actions and attention on just these five areas, you will be amazed at how much easier and more effective leading and managing people can be. And I know you probably already devote some time to each of these areas.

But the key to their power lies in HOW you focus on them and exactly what actions you take step by step as you lead and manage your people. That’s what we concentrate on in the Leadership Coaching Club 10 Week Intensive. So I really do hope you will join us in September to discover how easy, effective and effortless leadership can be.

But whether you join us for the Leadership Coaching Club 10 Week Intensive or not, please focus your actions and attention on these five key areas and I know you will reap the rewards.

If you would like to print out a small poster to remind you of what your Five Key Areas of Leadership Focus should be, I have left one for you to download free here.

Please feel free to pass on a copy to everyone you know who would benefit.

More on your Five Key Areas of Leadership Focus in the Quick Tips below:

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QUOTE OF NOTE

“I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life”

Charles Franklin Kettering (1876-1958)

When you invest in your own future you can avoid the failures and disappointments of the past. If you are a leader or manager the best investment you can make will be to join us in September for the Leadership Coaching Club 10 Week Intensive.

What results can you expect to see if you do join us in September?

When you work with us you can expect to see rapid, positive and sustainable changes in your capacity to mentor, manage and lead, even difficult team members.

You will quickly become aware of just how powerful the tools we teach you are. You will more easily influence and motivate not only those who report to you, but also those to whom you report. Your enhanced leadership skills will result in your team’s improved performance and productivity.

Your confidence grows as you see consistent results when you apply what you learn.
You not only become more effective at what you do, but your productivity grows when you focus on the fundamentals that make all the difference to your success as a leader.

Your new insight into how to handle the problems and challenges that come the way of every leader begins to pay dividends. You learn how to encourage your team members to embrace change, contribute willingly and participate more actively. Conflict is reduced and real results come with a lot less struggle and effort.

It’s not that all the problems and challenges which are a part of leading and managing people magically disappear. They don’t. But you now know the best way to tackle them. Instead of feeling drained and exhausted at the end of your day’s work you are energized and satisfied knowing how much you have accomplished. Your enthusiasm is refreshed and everyone around you is revitalized and stimulated by your energy and motivation.

Leading people CAN be easy when you know how! Join a dynamic network of like-minded leaders, build your skills and learn how to maximize your results as a leader and manager easily and effectively through the Five Key Areas of Leadership Focusâ„¢.

You can move from ‘just managing’ to effortless and effective leadership and management in only 10 weeks with the Leadership Coaching Club’s new 10 Week Intensive.

But you have to know how and you have to be decisive.

HERE’S YOUR AMAZING INVITATION TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH WITH US

Look I’m so keen to have you join us in September that I will make this amazing special offer – just for the next 24 hours.

If you register in the next 24 hours you can bring a friend or colleague for free! AND you will still only pay the super-special introductory rate!

But you will need to be decisive. I mean it when I say this special offer is only for the next 24 hours. I really shouldn’t be making it at all because it is already at a heavily discounted introductory rate, but I feel like celebrating the launch of the Leadership Coaching Club. So think of this amazing offer as being a celebratory launch party and you are invited! Good leaders are decisive. Are you?

If I receive your registration in 25 hours you will still get the super-special introductory rate, but you will not be able to split the low rate in half by sharing with someone else. Don’t delay or you will miss out! This really is an amazing invitation.

Be decisive. Register for the Leadership Coaching Club 10 Week Intensive within the next 24 hours and you can bring a friend for free.
Register now.

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QUICK TIPS for focussing on your Five Key Areas of Leadership Focus:

* One of the keys to effective focus is to make sure our actions align with our intentions. Each time you are about to undertake a task, ask yourself which of the five key areas it is critical to. If it isn’t critical for one of the five key areas it may be something you should set aside or delegate to one of your team.

* You will find it difficult to focus effectively on these five key areas unless you have the core knowledge and skills that you require. Invest your time and effort in acquiring and honing your skills and understanding. Ensure you have identified and developed just the central ideas that deliver real value in each of these five areas for maximum results.

* When you are learning new skills it is important to practice in a safe environment. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying out a new skill in a critical situation. Work things through with a mentor, coach or a trusted colleague before you apply a new skill in a critical situation.

The Leading Well Bottom Line:

You don’t have to do it all on your own. Join us in September for the next Leadership Coaching Club and leverage off all the wisdom, insight and experience of other participants plus your mentor Kerrie Mullins-Gunst.
Share your own tips with us:

* What are you doing to focus on these five key areas? Please let us know by adding your comments on the Leadership Skill Center Blog below.

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FREE TELESEMINARS

We will notify you when the date for our next teleseminar is finalized but you can keep an eye on what’s available (including details of how to access recordings of past teleseminars) click here.
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Services directory:

FREE MARKETING PLAN WORKBOOK – Have a look at this: One of the best resources on the web for marketing your services is Action Plan Marketing. Check out the website and download your free Marketing Plan Workbook and the first chapter of the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.

ADD AUDIO TO YOUR WEBSITE FREE – At the moment Sonic Memo Lite is free. The catch? You have to agree to join a mailing list (but you can always unsubscribe) and you will be offered a one-time opportunity to upgrade to the Pro version (but you don’t have to accept the offer). My suggestion is, if you do your own website, grab it while you can. You may even decide to buy the full version, which is what I use. Unlike other web audio systems that you have to pay for every month, this is great value at full price as it’s a pay once and use for ever deal anyway. Grab it while it’s still free.

The four things all leaders know

After a long life spent observing and studying leaders and managers, Peter Drucker decided there was no one leadership style, personality or character that marked an exceptional leader.

He observed that amongst the most effective and successful leaders he worked with or knew, some were shy and others were gregarious, some were excruciatingly vain and others were self-effacing to a fault, some were warm and friendly while others were aloof and stern disciplinarians, some rarely ventured out of their office and others were ultra-gregarious, some were quick and impulsive and others took forever to reach a decision, some were ostentatious and others were austere, some he knew were good listeners while others listened only to their own inner voice.

If there is no one personality, style or character required to be an exceptional leader, what is it that marks someone as a good leader? Peter Drucker believed that all the effective leaders he had ever observed or worked with all KNEW four things. As he said in the forward to the book, The Leader of the Future

1. The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. Some people are thinkers. Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers there can be no leaders.
2. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose followers do the right things. Popularity is not leadership. Results are.
3. Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set examples.
4. Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles or money. It is responsibility.

So how do you measure up? Do you accept the responsibility of your position as a leader? Are you setting the right example? Are your people generating maximum results? Do your people resist or follow your lead?

How well do you know, and do, these four key things? Please let us know what works for you.

More on what leaders know in the Quick Tips below:

QUOTE OF NOTE

‘Knowledge is the action of the soul.’
Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

QUICK TIPS

* Drucker was also a believer in action. He hoped to inspire every leader to ask ‘What in my organization could I do that would truly make a difference?’ and ‘How can I truly set an example?’ And then he hope you would do it! I hope you do too.
* Peter Drucker also firmly believed that while there are some ‘born leaders’, they are too few to rely upon, and for most of us, leadership not only CAN be learned, it MUST be learned!
* If you want to learn more about how to fulfill your leadership potential, have a look at our brand new online Leadership Coaching Club starting in mid September. It is the outcome of months of work translating our highly regarded live leadership programs such as Mentor Magic’ into a format that is available to leaders around the globe, thanks to support from the Victorian Government’s Telematics Foundation. Sign up now and reserve your place at a special discounted rate. We guarantee you will be glad if you do.

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YOUR FREE TELESEMINAR INVITATION

The Manager’s Mission: How to take all the complexity out of management and replace it with simple success

Join me as I interview the author of Success with Simplicity, David Brewster, for a free live teleseminar next week. You’ll discover:
* Why management doesn’t have to be so complex and how to make managing people look (and feel) easy, even when it isn’t
* The secret to dramatically improving your performance as a leader and manager and feeling better about what you do by understanding the role of reality and the control continuum
* How to apply the three critical dimensions of the Manager’s Mission so you can relax and start managing ‘in the zone’ from tomorrow
* The top 3 mistakes 99% of people make and how you can avoid them.
You can get more details, and register here right now

There are only a limited number of phone lines available for the teleseminar so don’t delay your registration.

If you are not sure what a teleseminar is, it is simply a seminar by phone. All you have to do is dial in to a special phone number that you receive when you register. And you can join us from where-ever you are located, whether you are in Bourke Street or the bush, on Fifth Avenue or an island in Fiji, all you need is a phone. For more details about teleseminars read our Frequently Asked Questions.

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SERVICES WE RECOMMEND

FREE MARKETING PLAN WORKBOOK – Have a look at this: One of the best resources on the web for marketing your services is Action Plan Marketing. Check out the website and download your free Marketing Plan Workbook and the first chapter of the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.
ADD AUDIO TO YOUR WEBSITE FREE – At the moment Sonic Memo Lite is free. The catch? You have to agree to join a mailing list (but you can always unsubscribe) and you will be offered a one-time opportunity to upgrade to the Pro version (but you don’t have to accept the offer). My suggestion is, if you do your own website, grab it while you can. You may even decide to buy the full version, which is what I use. Unlike other web audio systems that you have to pay for every month, this is good value at full price as it’s a pay once and use for ever deal anyway. If you want it for free visit.

Making changes stick

One of the hardest tests of your leadership can be how successful you are in managing change. Recently there has been some discussion at the Leadership Forum about how to create the sense of urgency that helps to embed change in your organizational culture.

I think some of the most practical suggestions for how to do this come from John Kotter. In his book Leading Change, he says that establishing a sense of urgency is the first step in his eight stage change process, and it’s a critical step.

To push up the urgency level, he says that the first task is to remove all sources of complacency, or to minimize their impact. He gives examples such as:

* eliminating signs or symbols of corporate success, excess or largesse (eg. sell the executive jet, move to more humble premises, cut back on lavish events for staff and clients and start counting the paper clips)
* set higher standards both formally in the planning process and informally in day-to-day activities
* review and tighten internal measurement systems
* vastly increase the amount of external performance feedback people receive (eg. ask for real feedback from customers and listen to their complaints)
* reward and encourage honest talk in meetings and genuine problem solving (this usually requires an external facilitator or consultant as it can be very confronting)
* cut out ‘happy’ talk from the top and replace it with ‘this situation is serious’ talk.

To really create a sense of urgency demands bold actions, many of which are risky and even unpleasant. Kotter would say if you are serious you should be doing all these things, and more, to ensure your message that things are serious just can’t be ignored. Many of these actions need to come from high up in the organization.

In general, people like to feel complacent and comfortable and will always resist your attempts to make changing more urgent. As the situation becomes more urgent, conflict will arise and people will become anxious and uncomfortable. You need to be prepared for this when you try to implement changes.

Many organizations find that it is difficult for the old leadership team (which has presumably had a role in creating the current situation) to shake people out of their complacency and create a new sense of urgency.

This is one of the key reasons why you might need to bring in an external consultant to help with a change program. And remember, we’ve helped dozens of leaders implement effective change programs. If you need to make sure the changes you are introducing to your organization are successfully embedded in your culture, call us on 03-985 3924 or email me kmg@kmgconsulting.com.au for details. You can download a brochure about one of our change management programs here.

More on how to successfully implement change in your organization in the Quick Tips below:

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QUOTE OF NOTE

‘If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (Italian Writer, 1896-1957)

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JOIN ME AT OFFICE 2006

You are personally invited to join me for the following seminars at the Office 2006 Exhibition at the Melbourne Exhibition Center:
* The MAGIC of Leadership – How to lead so people will want to follow you on Sunday 21st May
* Everyone Needs a Mentor on Monday 22nd May
* Seven Things You Can Start Doing Right Now to be a Better Leader on Tuesday 23rd May

When you register yourself as a visitor to Office 2006 you will receive a free ticket to these seminars, which would normally cost at least $35 each to attend. Take advantage of the free registration on the website now and save. I hope to see you there.

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QUICK TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

* To overcome complacency, make sure you are not giving out any mixed messages about how serious the situation you are addressing is. Actions, signs and symbols, processes and procedures all communicate as much as words do, and sometimes even more.
* Watch out for individuals who grasp the urgency of your situation quickly and understand what has to be done. Enlist them as allies in spreading the word to others who may still be resisting your changes.
* If your changes are critical, don’t try to do it all on your own. Bring in experts to guide you and help you avoid the mistakes that could cost you dearly if you make them.

The Leading Well Bottom Line: Don’t assume your change program will just stick automatically. You need to be deliberate and determined in what you are trying to achieve.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES WITH US

* How do YOU make changes stick?

* What are you doing to overcome complacency, create a sense of urgency and make change stick in your organization?

Please share your ideas with us by adding a comment. Just click the comments link at the end of this article.