@rebelsatwork | @Lois Kelly | @milouness Oct. 2, 2015

Necessary But Not Sufficient:Ideas for Leading Change

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Poll #1:Which one of the following best characterizes you?

1. Trying to affect change from a non-leadership position2. Trying to affect change from a leadership position3. Learning about change in general

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Poll #2: Which one of the following best characterizes your change efforts?

1. Influencing people resistant to change2. Leading a group of committed change agents3. Trying to get complacent people to care

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Poll #3: What are your top three challenges in leading change?

1. Afraid I might hurt my reputation/career

2. My boss resists most new ideas

3. hate dealing with conflict and controversy

4. Working through approval processes makes me crazy

5. My ideas go against the culture of my organization

6. Don’t know enough about how to lead change

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Mindset Communicating Habits

6Source: MP Bumsted, Biocultural Science & Management

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Urgency and good solutions are necessary but not sufficient.

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Magical thinking Assumptions

Fears

Love way it wasCertainty

Discomfort

Why is change so hard?

Time

That which we’re afraid or unable to admit

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The real resistance is often hidden.Make sure you get the problem right.

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“The single biggest failure of leadership is to treat adaptive challenges like technical problems.”

Heifetz and Linsky, Cambridge Leadership Associates

ADAPTIVE CHANGE:stretching into

a new way of being.

TECHNICAL CHANGE:receiving and using helpful

new information.

vs.

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Issue Technical solution to complex, human issue

Student learning Standardized tests

Motivated workplace Employee surveys

Adapt more quickly to industry changes

Learning platforms

Necessary but not sufficient

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• If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.• If you’re not part of the problem, you can’t be part of the solution.

Make a MAP – or Xray -- to help uncover your organization’s own hidden IMMUNE SYSTEM – its powerful resistance to change.

http://mindsatwork.com/

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Make a MAP – or Xray -- to help uncover your organization’s own hidden IMMUNE SYSTEM – its powerful resistance to change.

Get bigger clients

I micro- manage my team.I’m involved in all client decisions. I don’t have time to meet with larger clients.

I am committed to not getting bigger clients because my team might make a mistake without me.

I don’t trust my team.

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16What problem are you trying to solve?

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..and what do people need to be able to do that?

1. We apply technical solutions to adaptive/people challenges.2. We get the problem wrong.3. Our “immunity” system prevents us from seeing real resistance to

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Poll #4: Which of these has happened in your organization?

1. We applied technical solutions to adaptive/people challenges.2. We got the problem wrong.3. Our “immunity” system prevented us from seeing the real resistance to change.

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Opening mindsets• Avoid creating threats• Know the org• Consider thinking styles• Understand your group• What’s behind objections• Foster optimism, grit• Turn to wonder

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Avoid creating threats

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Status How do I stack up relative to others?

Avoid making people look bad. Acknowledge achievements.

Certainty Am I able to envision my future?

Give people as much information as possible about changes, as soon as possible.

Autonomy Am I in control of my own life?

Give people choices. The more control they feel they have, the less threatened they feel.

Relatedness Is this person friend or foe?

Develop good social connections. The more people can relate to you, the less they’ll resist your ideas.

Fairness Am I being treated as well as other people?

When we feel decisions are being made fairly we’re more receptive to them.

SCARF Neuroleadership Model: David Rock, Quiet Leadership

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Understand the organization

What does the organization really care about in its gut?

Look for aspirations, anxieties, beliefs

How do new ideas get approved?

Look at someone who has succeeded. What does she/he do?

EMOTIONAL HOOK

HOW THINGS WORK

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WHAT IS THE THINKING STYLE?

Self-esteem from Validated thinking Goals achieved Celebrated ideas

Known for Minimizing risk Getting things done Coming up with new approaches

Needs Information, data to understand meaning of things

Rules, structure to guide processes and organize things

Options, flexibility to imagine new outcomes

Driven to Know Organize Change

Lives Cautiously Practically Spontaneously

Works best with Data Processes Ideas

Guided by Rationality Practicality Intuition

Past Thinking Present Thinking Future Thinking

Source: MindTime

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What’s the dominant style in your organization?

What might that mean to how you introduce new approaches?

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Understand your colleagues

• Cohesive?• Tenured?• Afraid?• External Pressures?

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Objection Meaning ResponseThere are no resources

It’s not a priority Explore importance, acknowledge

How will THIS affect THAT in future?

Desire for certainty What is known. What can be learned. Discomfort of unknowables

Where’s the ROI? How will we know it’s working?

Create measures

Let’s develop some consensus on this

Uncertain of its meritsSCARF issues?

What would it take for you to see value?

What’s the most common objection in your organization?

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SCARF* Neuro-psychological threats: Implications to social media adoption, execution

THREAT Military culture External environment

STATUS Hierarchy: per the General Democratization: who cares

CERTAINTY Compliance: predict outcome Responsiveness: some knowns, many unknowables

AUTONOMY Control: use our own channels There is no control

RELATEDNESS Culture: this is how we work Not how we connect

FAIRNESS If they knew all the facts… Need to reveal more, get comfortable with discomfort

*Dr. David Rock, Your Brain at Work (Harper Business, 2009)

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Optimism developstenacity

What’s the self-talk?

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I wonder why…I wonder what we might..

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WHAT HOW

Avoid creating threats SCARF Model

Know the organization Hooks and levers

Consider thinking styles Past, Present, Future

Understand your colleagues What is normative?

What’s behind objections Questions to uncover real issues

Foster optimism, grit Stories we tell ourselves

Be more empathetic Turn to wonder

MINDSET SUMMARY

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Poll #5: Which of these mindset approaches might be most useful to you?

• Avoid creating threats• Know the organization• Consider thinking styles• Understand your colleagues• What’s behind objections• Foster optimism, grit• Be more empathetic

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Communicating

• Connect to what’s familiar• 3 essential messages• Be real: address challenges• Create worst practice list• Go for 10%• Tailor: buy-in or follow through• Be specific

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Connect to what’s understood

It’s a new magazine that combines the best of Rolling Stone and Harvard Business Review….

It’s an executive car service with wings…

It’s the love child of Sharepoint and Facebook…

It’s like a conversation over coffee and texting

Framing your idea

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WHATKey in on what’s at stake.

Show how the idea relates to what people want.

SO WHATPaint a picture of what could be.

Make the status quo unappealing, and the future enticing.

NOW WHATShow how the idea can work.

People support ideas they think can work.

3 essential messages

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“I think you should be more specific here in Step 2.”

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Be real. Show it can likely work.But share the doubts.

• What’s needed to succeed?

• What might impede progress?

• What preparation is needed?

• How will you evaluate progress?

• What can team stop doing or do less of?

• What might not work?

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Create “worst practices”

list

People pay attention to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information.

Downside information is also more memorable and gives more weight in decision making.

“Bad is Stronger Than Good” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 99, Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Fikenauer, Vohs

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How well do you know mistakes have others made in introducing ideas similar to yours?

When just 10% of the population holds an unshakeable belief, their beliefs will always be accepted by the majority.

10% tipping point

Network research scientists, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

http://news.rpi.edu/luwakkey/2902

Aim for 10% initial adoption

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complacent resistant

Yeah, whatever.These people are so stupid..

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complacent disruptive

Yeah, whatever.These people are so stupid..

Open minded

I wonder if.

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Find your creative wild pack.The 10% superpower.

Who and where is your 10%?

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Ban the rhetoric and blah blah.Talk like a human.

Make ideas easy and inviting.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Albert Einstein

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HBX CORe is an online program that allows college students and early career professionals to learn the fundamentals of business on a highly engaging and interactive platform designed by Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty. HBX CORe consists of three critical business topics: Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting.

The partnership with HBX affirms our commitment to student success, providing rigorous and flexible offerings that our students can fit into their busy lives. CORe is taught by faculty from the world’s premier business school and our collaboration with HBX is a testament to the caliber of our Extension School students and their capabilities. We continue our efforts to work closely with other Harvard Schools and academic departments to bring our students the high quality learning opportunities that make our degrees strong.

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We fall in love with talking tactics…and forget to connect ideas to strategy, beliefs, aspirations

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Are you trying to get buy-in or follow through?

Buy-in: make steps as flexible as practicable. Emphasize flexibility when announcing program. Ask to commit to change at a time in future vs. now.

Follow through: detail structured order of what needs to happen. Explain how program will proceed in straightforward, uncomplicated way.

The Small Big: Small Changes that Spark Big Influence,Martin, Goldstein, Cialdini, 2014

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Persuading people to make behavioral changes: BE SPECIFIC

1. Ask people to do commit to specific actions.

2. Ask people to form specific plan for when , where and how they will go about doing what they’re committing to.

3. Give specific deadlines: 13 days vs. two weeks, 3:19 on Thursday vs. by Thursday.

4. Provide explicit thanks.

5. Indicate % of people in other organizations or in same region who have committed.

6. Give people two choices; point out what would be lost if they don’t choose your preferred choice.

Specific BOOM request: Employees rallying employees

WHAT• Can you publish the letter to the CEO on the communities you’re a member

of, at this exact time? We need to create a ‘Boom’ effect by posting on many channels at the same time.

HOW• If you’re a community manager, use the “Announcement” feature. If you’re

just a member, post a message. Do not hesitate to post on SharePoint as well.• Feel free to be creative to share the message widely J You can post the letter

alone or with a comment, as a text (easy to read) or an attachment.• Speak with your friends who might want to post too (or like and comment).

WITH• PS: Here are some materials: 1) Letter in English, 2) Letter in Spanish 3) A

picture (feel free to use it or not, or use another picture. Posts with pictures have better reading rates) and 4) the original text for copy-paste.

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WHAT HOWFrame your idea Connect to what’s familiar

3 essential messages What, so what, now what

Show it can work Be real: admit challenges

Prove you know risks Create worst practices list

Enlist support from core group Go for 10%

Tailor for intent Buy-in or follow through?

Improve commitment Be specific

COMMUNICATING SUMMARY

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Poll #6: Which of these communicating approaches might be most useful to you?

• Frame your idea• 3 essential messages• Show it can work• Prove you know risks• Enlist support from core group• Tailor for intent• Improve commitment

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New habits• New questions• DIT vs. DIY• Work out loud• Howl out Fridays• Listening to empower• Follow curiosity• Show up as you

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• We can’t do that because….• We can do that IF

New Questions

How might we?I wonder if…

Swim down together!DIT vs. DIY

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Work Out Loud:Narrate how it’s going, ask questions, get new perspectives

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Build people’s capacity to solve problems and find ideasby listening in new ways.

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What’s the difference between listening to solve someone’s problem,and listening to help someone find their own answers?

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What’s the best possible outcome for you?What’s in the way of that?What’s a good next step?

How committed are you to changing this on a scale of 1 – 10?Do you want to explore a few ideas for how to move this forward?What are some different ways we could tackle this?

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Developing an attitude/culture of gratitude is one of the simplest ways to improve satisfaction with life and work.

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Forget about the notion of passion, and give your attention to your curiosity. Passion burns hot and fast, which means it can come and go. Curiosity is so accessible and available, every single day. Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

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You are enough..Discomfort is necessary.

Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity.

Brene Brown

Share your real life storieshttp://www.nakedhearted.com/writewhatsreal/

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WHAT HOWPossibilities vs. problems New questions

DIT vs. DIY Work Out Loud

Gratitude for what’s working Howl out Fridays

Build problem solving capacity Listening to empower

Where to focus Follow curiosity

Show up as you Accept vulnerability, discomfort

NEW HABITS SUMMARY

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Poll #7: Which of these new habits might be most useful to you?

• Possibilities vs. problems• DIT vs. DIY• Gratitude for what’s working• Build problem solving capacity• Where to focus• Show up as you

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Advice for leaders

• Status quo• Support• Space• Structure• Spiral of Silence

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Imagining and leading change may be the most important professional competency you can practice.

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