Page Title

Advice from "Thank God It's Monday!"

June 25, 2003

* "Walk your talk.
Practice what you preach, and let them see you do it when it counts.
* Don't drink the water.
Don't let negativity that infects the organization get you down.
* Fix systems rather than people.
Both problems and solutions have systemic roots, and the change process is easier when you concentrate on the ways a system rewards negative behaviors rather than the personalities of people trapped by that system.
* Changing yourself automatically changes others.
If you change, everyone else has to change as well.
* There is no such thing as neutral observation.
If you observe a problem or system long enough, you call attention to it, and the solutions start to arise.
* Look with peripheral vision; use a floodlight as well as a spotlight.
Look at all aspects of the situation.  Often, the smallest details make or break a change effort.
* Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.
Be open and flexible yet focused and hard hitting.
* Search for preventative opportunities.
It is easier to prevent a problem than to solve it repeatedly.
* Go slow to go fast.
Use consensus, and make sure everyone is included and heard.
* Change 'me versus them' into 'us versus it.'
Be hard on the problem and soft on the people.
* Do not stand between an addict and their substance.
Model a different way of approaching problems by seeing them as challenges and opportunities.
* Be optimistic in your heart and realistic in your head.
Hope for success, and recognize that it might not happen.
* Let go.  Give up your expectations.
The greater the openness, the greater the potential for change.
* Different strokes for different folks.
Allow room for diversity, and see differences as a source of strength.
* Change always takes longer than planned.
Double the planning time, and do not expect to make the target date.
* Learn from each other.
Your greatest teachers should not be change gurus but other people.
* Do not dominate the process; leave room for others.
The best solutions are those that people create for themselves, because it is a way of owning them.
* There are no magic wands.
Most of what actually happens in change is discovered as it unfolds.
* Do not be afraid of failure or success.
Do not let your self-doubts or fear of the unknown get in your way instructions (Cloke & Goldsmith, 2002, pp. 271-273)."

Reference:  Cloke, K.; & Goldsmith, J. (2002).  The end of management and the rise of organizational democracy.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

How can you use this advice?

The End of Management and The Rise of Organizational Democracy is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2008-12-22, Updated: 2009-01-09