Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there.
One of the most common ways to overcome resistance to change is to educate people about it beforehand. Communication of ideas helps people see the need for and the logic of a change. The education process can involve one-on-one discussions, presentations to groups, or memos and reports.
The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.
The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.
Producing major change in an organization is not just about signing up one charismatic leader. You need a group – a team – to be able to drive the change. One person, even a terrific charismatic leader, is never strong enough to make all this happen.
Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.
Without credible communication, and a lot of it, the hearts and minds of others are never captured.
Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles.
A higher rate of urgency does not imply ever-present panic, anxiety, or fear. It means a state in which complacency is virtually absent.
In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.
Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome.
Anyone in a large organization who thinks major change is impossible should probably get out.
We learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.
Great communicators have an appreciation for positioning. They understand the people they’re trying to reach and what they can and can’t hear. They send their message in through an open door rather than trying to push it through a wall.
Most US corporations today are over-managed and under-led. They need to develop their capacity to exercise leadership.
Leadership produces change. That is its primary function.