Sustaining Change Archives

Creating Conditions for Success: A Fresh Look at Leadership Development

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. […]

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Change Management, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Sustaining Change, Teams

Think Global, Act Local: A Leadership Perspective on Navigating Change During Turbulent Times

Newsletter

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

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Inclusion, Leaders, Leadership, Sustaining Change, Teams

Navigate Your Organization’s Next Big Change with Confidence: Four Power Moves for Change Leaders

Newsletter

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

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Change, Change Management, Communication, Effective Teams, Growth, Impact, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Stakeholders, Sustaining Change, Teams

The Hidden Cost of Success: Why Your Company is Losing Employee Buy-In Harnessing Psychological Safety to Reignite Workplace Passion

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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,

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Adaptive Leadership, Capable People, Change, Change Management, Communication, Culture, Effective Teams, Engagement Paradox, Growth, Impact, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Psych, Psychological Safety, Sustaining Change, Teams, Transition

From South Africa to the United States: A Leader’s Guide to Navigating Political Uncertainty

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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

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Adaptive Leadership, Belonging, Capable People, Change, Change Management, Drivers of Sustained Change, Growth, Impact, Innovation, Leaders, Leadership, levers for change, Resistance, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Transition, Trends

How to Have a Team of ‘A Players’

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“When I reviewed my staff, I noticed that I scored 50% of them at 4 or 5 on a Trustworthiness scale, with 5 being the highest score. 40% of the staff were at a 2 or 3, and I worry about their work quality all the time.” This is what I heard from an executive

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Adaptive Leadership, Capable People, Change, Change Management, Communication, Effective Teams, Impact, Organizational Growth, Sustaining Change, Teams

The Wisdom of the Crowd!

Blog, Change Management, Leadership, Tools

Unleashing Collective Wisdom: Using “Wise Crowds” to Supercharge your Leadership In today’s fast-paced environment, leaders are continually confronted by new and unfamiliar situations. This means that they are also looking for guidance on how to deal with these novel challenges. When you are facing something you’ve not encountered before, where do you turn for

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Habits, influencing others, Innovation, Leaders, Leadership, Sustaining Change

Lead with Confidence: Mastering Purpose and Identity for Organizational Readiness

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When was the last time you critically examined your organization’s Purpose and Identity? If it’s been a while, you might be missing out on crucial opportunities for growth and adaptation. Don’t make the mistake of viewing your company’s Purpose and Identity as fixed and unchangeable… Let me tell you a story about a little paper

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Adaptive Leadership, Capable People, Change, Change Management, Effective Teams, Facilitation, Growth, Impact, Innovation, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Plans, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Transition

Team Retrospective – a tool to learn at the end of an organizational change initiative

Blog, Change Management, Team Development, Tools

What happens at the end of an organizational change initiative? If you search online or through books and articles on managing change, there are surprisingly few resources to guide change leaders. organizational change leadership However, the ending phase of change (the Harvesting phase in the RCA Seasons of Growth framework) plays an important role in

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Change, Change Management, Effective Teams, Facilitation, Stakeholders, Sustaining Change

Podcast Adventures! Sharing Lessons in Leading Change

Newsletter

I’m doing something quite new for me—using guest appearances on several podcasts to offer lessons to a wider audience about leading change! organizational change examples Yes, the rumors are true! You can now listen to me as I tell stories and share insights about what works in organizational change. I started doing this a few

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Change, Change Management, Effective Teams, Growth, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Sustaining Change

Choppy Waters Ahead!

Newsletter

Being a leader means that you will always be facing uncertainty. There are so many variables that can impact on your organization and the work that you do that it is – frankly – impossible to anticipate and manage all of them. One thing is certain – there will be choppy waters ahead! This nautical

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Adaptive Leadership, Change Management, Growth, Impact, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Sustaining Change

The Surprising Gift of Resistance

Newsletter

“Why am I getting all this pushback on our new organizational change?” Have you had to ask yourself this question? You’re not alone in doing so, unfortunately. Because change work is hard! It upsets the status quo. It disrupts established relationships. It challenges secure identities. It’s also hard because it asks people to accept something

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Effective Teams, Resistance, Sustaining Change