In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.
Many years ago, I think I got my first insight on how an incredibly diverse team can work together and do astonishing things, and not just misunderstand each other and fight.
Never underestimate the magnitude of the power of the forces that reinforce the status quo.
Neurologists say that our brains are programmed much more for stories than for abstract ideas. Tales with a little drama are remembered far longer than any slide crammed with analytics.
Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better.
Commercial organisations that operate responsibly have benefitted by increased revenues of 682% compared to 166% for those that don’t.
Analytical tools have their limitations in a turbulent world. These tools work best when parameters are known, assumptions are minimal, and the future is not fuzzy.
Motivation is not a thinking word; it’s a feeling word.
No vision issue today is bigger than the question of efficiency versus some combination of innovation and customer service.
One of the most powerful forms of information is feedback on our own actions.
Valued achievements connect to people at a deeper level – and a deeper level can change behavior that is generally very difficult to change.
Overcoming complacency is crucial at the start of any change process, and it often requires a little bit of surprise, something that grabs attention at more than an intellectual level. You need to surprise people with something that disturbs their view that everything is perfect.
We are always creating new tools and techniques to help people, but the fundamental framework is remarkably resilient, which means it must have something to do with the nature of organizations or human nature.
Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success.
Great leaders motivate large groups of individuals to improve the human condition.
Great leaders understand that historical success tends to produce stable and inwardly focused organizations, and these outfits, in turn, reinforce a feeling of contentment with the status quo.
The heart of change is in the emotions.
We see, we feel, we change.
A culture truly changes only when a new way of operating has been shown to succeed over some minimum period of time.
We keep a change in place by helping to create a new, supportive, and sufficiently strong organizational culture.
If the culture you have is radically different from an ‘experiment and take-risk’ culture, then you have a big change you going to have to make – and no little gimmicks are going to do it for you.