The Art of Leading Transformational Change
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Table of Contents Part I: The Transformational Change Leader Chapter 1 The Importance of Leading Change Chapter 2 Incremental and Transformational Change Chapter 3 Being a Transformational Change Leader Chapter 4 Learning to Listen Differently Chapter 5 Implementing the Theory Chapter 6 The Role of Traditional Change Management Part II: Seven Common Mistakes Change Leaders Make...and How to Avoid Them Chapter 7 Driving Action without Dialogue about Thinking Chapter 8 Being "the Lid" Chapter 9 Failure to Help People Transition Chapter 10 Failure to Connect with People Chapter 11 Unclear Decision-Making Processes Chapter 12 Failure to Manage Momentum Chapter 13 Moving too Quickly to the Next Change Part III: Final Thoughts Chapter 14 The Look in the Mirror CHAPTER 1 The Importance of Leading Change Many artistic painters have innate talent. They see beauty in the ordinary world. They see the subtly and brilliance of color that many of us miss. Whatever innate artistic genius they possess, most artists find it useful to formally study artistic techniques and theory and the work of other artists. They learn how to blend colors on their palette, how to create depth and breadth in their work and how to work with acrylics, oil and watercolors. It is the artist that employs their imagination in combination with the techniques they have learned that creates timeless paintings. Leading transformational change is also an art. An art that is pursued by highly effective leaders that want to continuously achieve extraordinary results for the organizations they lead. There is no formula for driving transformational change. What successful transformational change leaders know is that at the core of their success is being an effective leader. It is the transformational change leaders that understand the theory, principles and practices of transformational change and who then engage in a creative, dynamic process with their people that drive successful, sustainable change. To equip you to successfully engage in the art of transformational change, this book is fundamentally about two topics: change and leadership. It is designed to increase your understanding of the dynamics of transformational change and to enhance your effectiveness as a change leader, skills essential in a rapidly changing world. The market dynamics in many industries are changing. The explosion of the internet has dramatically change how people access and share information and consume entertainment. For example, the video sharing website YouTube was founded in February 2005. On YouTube you can find training videos, videos of international rock bands and videos of just about everything else in-between. In 2009 it was estimated that twenty hours of video are added to YouTube every minute. (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). The DVD rental company Netflix inc. added more subscribers than ever during the first three months of 2009; however, in June 2009 its Chief Executive Officer predicted that as soon as 2013 the DVD rental business will begin to decline as internet delivery of movies increases. (Source: Wingfield, Nick. "Netflix Boss Plots Life After the DVD." The Wall Street Journal.) Companies are engaging with their customers and suppliers in whole new ways. In the October 2008 edition of Harvard Business Review there was an article about how companies are utilizing volunteers to build their business. While volunteers were once thought to be a resource only for charitable organizations, technology is enabling companies to tap the contribution of people that do not work for the company. eBay, a company that was founded in 1995, is a store that sells no products of its own. It is simply a conduit for others to market their products. While eBay began as a place to sell used items, many companies now utilize eBay as a primary mechanism to market their new products. In essence, volunteers stock eBay's shelves. Without even knowing that they are contributing, consumers on Amazon.com enable Amazon to make product recommendations to future customers. Amazon tracks consumers' shopping behavior and then feeds that information anonymously to future customers in the form of product recommendations. Consumers of Honda's InterNavi navigation system enable Honda to provide real-time traffic information to its customers based on the current traffic conditions encountered by other users of InterNavi. (Source: Cook, Scott. "The Contribution Revolution, Letting Volunteers Build Your Business." Harvard Business Review. October 2008.) Have you ever thought about how you could utilize people who do not work for you, volunteers, to help you grow your business?
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The market dynamics are changing in many industries. Businesses that were powerhouses in their industry have lost their position as market leaders.
Are you equipped to drive the changes it will take to be competitive in an industry where the rules are being re-written?
Leaders that continuously achieve extraordinary results understand that many of the changes they need to drive are transformational.
Highly effective leaders know the difference between incremental and transformational change, they know how to lead both kinds of change and they know what it takes to be a transformational change leader.
When embarking on a change initiative leaders are often told that they need to “go look in the mirror,” that the change begins with them. This is true, but it is not very helpful advice because many people do not know what to look for in the mirror.
This book teaches you what to look for in yourself and how to dramatically increase your effectiveness in leading transformational change. The concepts are practical, easy to implement and yet profound.
Once you understand the dynamics of transformational change and your role in leading it, the possibilities of what you can
create are limited only by your imagination and your energy for driving them forward.
About the Author
Patti J. Ayars, a former Fortune 500 executive with more than 25 years experience, is an executive coach, consultant and speaker. As President of Turning Point Consulting Patti coaches CEO's, vice presidents and other executives as they drive growth in their business, lead change, develop their leadership, acquire and divest companies and transform the culture of their organization.
Prior to founding Turning Point Consulting Patti was the Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Communications for Roche Diagnostics Corporation. She also spent 21 years with Monsanto Company in global and domestic strategic human resource, organization development and mergers & acquisitions positions.
Patti has been leading and coaching others on how to lead transformational change since the late 1980's. She is widely respected for her ability to coach leaders to think differently about the challenges they face.
The Art of Leading Transformational Change is Patti's second book on leading change. She is also the co-author of Mastering Momentum: A Practical and Powerful Approach for Successful Change. A complete biography and contact information for Patti can be found at: www.turningpoint-consulting.com.