Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change: Inspire the People and Succeed Where Others Fail

Conquer every change initiative by inspiring the right people with the best strategies and tools

Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change provides managers with an informative, insightful guide to leading a transition through change effectively. This motivating guidebook shows you why change agents aren′t the same as project leaders, and how to get the tools, strategies, and people you need at the helm of your initiative to build a much stronger, more effective organization.

This practical guide gives you hands–on learning experience by sharing the author′s firsthand experiences some at Fortune 500 companies formulating and implementing the set of philosophies and practices that became the ultimate approach to leading transitions that gained him broad recognition in the industry. From modeling your own strategy based on his proven methods, to executing an initiative in manageable parts, to ushering in the new paradigm this complete road map fully prepares you to lead with confidence from start to finish by showing you how to:

Internalize the critical skills all accomplished change agents possess Assess and navigate the difficult aspects and politics of a change initiative Identify and manage the productive and challenging types of personalities involved in a change initiative See past obstacles and lead effectively in a crisis

Leading from where the action takes place is one of the remarkable traits that make the author and his approach so successful. Keep Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change at your side from your first planning sessions in the boardroom until you roll up your sleeves in the final days of the transition, and you′ll never be in doubt.

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 toMake 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

H. James Dallas is an accomplished senior executive with extensive experience as an agent of change in large domestic and international corporate settings. He has more than 30 years of experience bridging the gap between strategy and execution, using IT for competitive advantage, and developing leadership.