What happens when a leader invests in coaching — not for their team, but for themselves? Michael joins Sarah Olivieri to explore the underappreciated value of executive coaching for nonprofit leaders, including how coaching accelerates leadership development, reduces decision fatigue, and creates the reflective capacity that drives sustainable high performance. Michael draws on his work […]
The Benefits of Coaching for Leaders Read More »
Culture change is one of the hardest things a nonprofit can attempt — and one of the most expensive to get wrong. Michael speaks with Haley Cooper about what culture change actually involves (beyond the posters and values statements), the real costs of staff turnover during change transitions, and how leaders can hold teams together
Navigating Culture Change Read More »
Associations face a unique set of change challenges — balancing member expectations with the need to evolve, often with volunteer boards and distributed governance structures. Michael joins Elisa Pratt and Andrew Chamberlain on the Association Transformation podcast to explore how association leaders can stop fighting resistance and start listening to it. A must-listen for association
Embracing the Gift of Resistance Read More »
When a headline reads “Director removed after staff complaints,” it’s natural to feel a ripple of concern. What’s really going in our organizations? And what does it mean for leaders like you? Beyond the Headlines The story itself is straightforward: A museum director was removed following concerns about their behavior and treatment of staff.
Creating Conditions for Success: A Fresh Look at Leadership Development Read More »
Have you heard our clients describe what happens when they work with us? Unlocking Potential: From Resistance to Cohesion When Sam stepped into his new leadership role at a global pharmaceutical company, he inherited more than a team—he inherited a tribe. With deep loyalties to their previous leader and established ways of working, the
Unlocking Potential – How External Insights Transformed This Team Read More »
Dear Fellow Change Leader, In times of significant social and organizational disruption, I often reflect on a principle that has guided me through decades of witnessing and facilitating change: “Think Global, Act Local.“ I first encountered this phrase in 1990, during one of South Africa’s most turbulent periods. As Nelson Mandela emerged from 27 years
How hard can it be to develop a plan? You’d be surprised at just how challenging it can be! There are so many things that can go wrong – both in the process of developing the plan, and in the process of implementing the plan. But I think there is one common issue that shows up
Planning the Work – a practical tool for teams Read More »
When was the last time you had space to truly think through a major organizational change before you were in the midst of it? It’s probably been a while, right? What’s Going On? To be fair, there are occasions when there truly is limited time to plan and prepare—like a crisis or emergency that
Leadership Transitions can be hard. Even The Walt Disney Company has stumbled, as this article points out, highlighting its efforts to land on the right path. types of organizational change The problem: companies are not aware that they are engaging in ‘magical thinking’ when it comes to leadership transitions. Organizations, rightly, put a lot of
Steps to a Successful Leadership Transition Read More »
Why do smart, well-intentioned leaders keep making the same change management mistakes? Michael returns for a second conversation with Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken to go deeper on the psychology of resistance, the structural reasons change initiatives fail, and what leaders can do differently from the very first day of a change effort. Practical, evidence-based, and grounded
Mastering organizational change management: unveiling leadership mistakes Read More »
In a world where company growth and success should fuel employee satisfaction, 67% of staff are not positively engaged. Here’s why, and what you can do about it. The Engagement Paradox I recently heard from an executive-level leader at a growing company. This company was good at what it did, it had a sterling reputation,
I’d never witnessed this before. A national election was threatening to tear a country apart. A high risk of violence by supporters of the losing party. Uncertainty about how the work of our organization would be impacted by the new government. I was unsure who I could trust in the workplace to speak about my