What's In It For Them?

The most common question I'm asked, when I begin working with a company to support their change initiative is, "how do we get people to do what we need them to do?" When the stakes are high and time-lines are tight, answering that question is key to moving any project forward. So, why is it so hard to get people on board, and what can leaders do to help people dig in and support the change?

All organizational change requires individual behavior change. I think people drag their feet and resist engaging in the new behaviors that change requires of them because they can't see the personal benefit of cooperating. They don't get the WIIFM (what's in it for me) and until that question is settled in people's hearts and minds, very little happens.

Now, I'm not saying that we humans aren't capable of altruistic behavior on the job. Most employees are happy to contribute to the United Way campaign or pitch in for an ill team member when necessary. The WIIFM in these instances is easily identified; there's a good feeling attached to helping those in need. What I'm talking about is that committed, sustained behavior change that's required to transform an organization.

Here's the deal - People need incentives to make real change happen. That new outfit for loosing those last 10 pounds, the degree for slogging it through all your classes or a medal for being the first to cross the finish line. Incentives give us energy when we're tired, a boost in morale when we're discouraged and a reason to go on - when we're not sure we can keep going.

Basking Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream. Do you offer thirty-one different reasons for employees to engage in your change effort? People want different things, and incentives generally fall into five categories:
Power or status activities
· Unique Opportunities
· Recognition
· Compensation
· Opportunities to Pay it Forward

Incenting employees can be as easy as asking them how they see their part in the change, where the jazz is for them, and what reward or pay-off they see for helping their team or department achieve the new goals. If you ask, people will be happy to tell you what's in it for them. Short - sighted leaders sometimes think that the only employee incentive (WIIFM) should be keeping a job. Not enough with today's war for the best talent.

In the spirit of Christmas, I've got a gift for you. Clink on this link Incenting & Rewarding and you can download four pages of possible incentives. You may find some that fit with your culture and change effort. Or maybe the things on my list will spark an idea in your mind, or your employee's minds. I encourage you to get familiar with exactly what's in it for your employees to get on board. Help them find their WIIFM early on in the project - and you'll see a greater degree of engagement all along the way.

Let me know which of the incentives you like best. Better yet, add to my list by posting to my blog.

Veterans

As I write this it's Veterans Day in both Canada and the US and the airways are full of stories of determination, sacrifice and heroism. I think it's fair to say that, regardless of our national or political affiliation or beliefs, in our hearts, we all applaud the kind of courage it takes to be willing to risk it all to gain an important victory.

On CNN tonight, soldiers represented the major historical US military involvements from World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War, Iraq and the current efforts in Afghanistan. When Lou Dobbs asked the Navajo 'Code Talker' from WWII to articulate what he thought Obama should do now he hesitated, swallowed hard and then softly spoke of the need to work towards peace. As each Veteran, in turn, gave their perspective on the current military actions I couldn't help but think how valuable their perspectives are. Each one spoke of the need for sober second thoughts and wisdom filled choices.


No armchair quarterbacks here; these are men and women who have lived it. They've been in the thick of battle and have stories to tell and wisdom to share. They've seen the enemy and faced em down. There is no real substitute for on the ground experience - in war and in leading change.

Hindsight really is 20/20.

When I get called into a company to help with a new change initiative I'm aware that there is often an underlying cynicism about how valuable the stories from the past will be in moving forward. I witness the slight rolling of the eyes as long term employees are described as naturally resistant to change and not to be counted on as Change Champions. Really?

What if we took another look? What if we honored long time employees as our 'Change Veterans'? What would happen if we asked them to share their perspectives on past change efforts, their knowledge of the enemy (change failure) and their strategies for coping with fear, stress and the uncertain future that most organizations are facing. They might just have something to share with us; they might hold a viewpoint that could inform current choices and temper risky plans.

The best way to move beyond superficial indicators of a person's ability to make change, and get to the core of their true capacity, is to assess their change style. Hundreds of organizations have done this by using my Change Style Index - an individual, self-assessment tool that reveals both transitional strengths and limitations. I designed the Change Style Index to be used in conjunction with a team or organization's change planning activities. If you'd like to find out what kind of changer you, and your team, really are - let's talk!

Who Are These People and Why Are They Driving Me Crazy?

Change initiatives bring out the best - and worst - in all of us. From senior leaders to front line staff, we often need very different things from each other to make a transition successful.

A few of the most common Dimensions of Diversity that can derail an organization's change plans are:

Values: Shaky and/or not shared by the entire group
Vision: Fuzzy and/or not embraced by key leaders
Competencies: Risk tolerance disparities among leaders
Attitudes: Resisters working along side of Change Champions
Personal Style: Thinking and responding styles colliding


I know that ethnicity, age, gender, education and such are the big markers of diversity. Fair enough, they affect many aspects of our work life. But, I think our approaches to change, both helpful and not, go deeper than that.

Personal biases towards change, risk tolerance and individual style run deeper and can cause more headaches than the obvious points of difference when groups are in transition.

The first step in leveraging differences is to make the unknown, known. Speak it, share it, and make it visible. Create opportunities for people, at all levels of the organization, to declare their perspectives and preferred approach to change. Than make the plan fit the folks!

By making differences transparent, everyone has the opportunity to get their own needs met, while learning to flex their style to accommodate the styles of others. When push comes to shove, as it often does in the throws of intense change, understanding each other is Job #1.

The tool that my client's tell me is the most helpful at really uncovering differences is DISC Personal Profiles. I've done dozens of DISC Team Workshops that are fun and interactive, and get at the core of differences among team members - highlighting how they can work together more productively. The Dimensions of Diversity list above acts as the backdrop in the workshop to understanding group norms and uncovering both strengths and gaps.

If your team is launching a change initiative, let's talk about what you're really going to need to be successful. Individual diversity can 'choke out' or 'lead the charge' to success...you get to decide!

Learned Anything Lately?

The Toronto Star has declared that the recession is officially over. Really? Whether the financial wizards at the Star are right or not, every new day brings more signs of people and routines returning to their pre-recession normal. As the financial dust is settling, the big question on everyone's mind is, of course, will the buying public adopt a new, more rational, sane approach to lifestyle purchases and debt, or will they resume their forty-year spending spree?

The recession has been tough on millions of people: lost jobs, foreclosed homes and retirement dreams have vanished. It's also been devastating for thousands of companies, and sobering, to say the least, for governments on both sides of the American border and abroad.

The big question is really this - have we learned anything from the events of the recent past? Will individuals, companies and governments change their ways? And, can we collectively learn from our mistakes? Conventional wisdom says, 'those who change best are those who must'. So, do we really need to change our ways, now that many are going back to work, credit is being extended and the fear mongers on CNN has moved on to other 'Breaking News'?

My hope is that we all transform our recessionary experiences into lessons learned. To do that we are going to need to:

Stop/Reflect: What's happened for you and to you in the past few months? Ask yourself, what's clear to me now that was hard to see a year ago? We hold more power than we're generally willing to own up to. How many times has your personal or professional history repeated itself? What part have you played in the creation of, or participation in, the recent economic storm, and what part could you play now to move yourself, your team or community forward?


Claim Your Victories: What's worked for you this past year, in spite of the circumstances? What have you done well? And, who and what helped you get through this mess? If you've weathered the past year and are still standing - then high-fives all-round! And don't - as my uncle used to say- forget to, dance with the ones who brung ya. Give a shout out to all your friends, family and colleagues that have helped you keep your stick on the ice.

Draw Some Lines: Learning from the past means bringing what you know now into your future. For a whole lot of folks, that's going to mean drawing a line in the sand and learning to live within their means and making better buying and business decisions from here on. For companies it may mean watching more carefully for 'moving cheese'. In the now famous fable, "Who Moved My Cheese?", Hem & Haw were caught off guard when their supply of cheese vanished bit by delicious bit. Maybe you were too.

So, right now - write down three things you will stop doing and three you will start doing that can ensure that those 'predictable surprises' are kept to a minimum!

Don't waste a good crisis! Make some decisions about how you want your life and career to be - then call me, and together we'll make sure you don't back over your new line.

Learned Anything Lately?

The Toronto Star has declared that the recession is officially over. Really? Whether the financial wizards at the Star are right or not, every new day brings more signs of people and routines returning to their pre-recession normal. As the financial dust is settling, the big question on everyone's mind is, of course, will the buying public adopt a new, more rational, sane approach to lifestyle purchases and debt, or will they resume their forty-year spending spree?

The recession has been tough on millions of people: lost jobs, foreclosed homes and retirement dreams have vanished. It's also been devastating for thousands of companies, and sobering, to say the least, for governments on both sides of the American border and abroad.

The big question is really this - have we learned anything from the events of the recent past? Will individuals, companies and governments change their ways? And, can we collectively learn from our mistakes? Conventional wisdom says, 'those who change best are those who must'. So, do we really need to change our ways, now that many are going back to work, credit is being extended and the fear mongers on CNN has moved on to other 'Breaking News'?

My hope is that we all transform our recessionary experiences into lessons learned. To do that we are going to need to:

Stop/Reflect: What's happened for you and to you in the past few months? Ask yourself, what's clear to me now that was hard to see a year ago? We hold more power than we're generally willing to own up to. How many times has your personal or professional history repeated itself? What part have you played in the creation of, or participation in, the recent economic storm, and what part could you play now to move yourself, your team or community forward?


Claim Your Victories: What's worked for you this past year, in spite of the circumstances? What have you done well? And, who and what helped you get through this mess? If you've weathered the past year and are still standing - then high-fives all-round! And don't - as my uncle used to say- forget to, dance with the ones who brung ya. Give a shout out to all your friends, family and colleagues that have helped you keep your stick on the ice.

Draw Some Lines: Learning from the past means bringing what you know now into your future. For a whole lot of folks, that's going to mean drawing a line in the sand and learning to live within their means and making better buying and business decisions from here on. For companies it may mean watching more carefully for 'moving cheese'. In the now famous fable, "Who Moved My Cheese?", Hem & Haw were caught off guard when their supply of cheese vanished bit by delicious bit. Maybe you were too.

So, right now - write down three things you will stop doing and three you will start doing that can ensure that those 'predictable surprises' are kept to a minimum!

Don't waste a good crisis! Make some decisions about how you want your life and career to be - then call me, and together we'll make sure you don't back over your new line.

What's Your Legacy?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've no-doubt heard that, the 'King of Pop' has died. The tributes, memorials and media specials of the past week have shone a spotlight on a music-loving world, processing the loss of a favorite son.

It's been interesting to watch this mass farewell unfold. Like Elvis and Princes Diana before him, the life story of Michael Jackson is, minute-by-minute, morphing from being a tale of an undeniably talented, but bizarre man, into an account of an iconic star - a King. His life story is being re-written right before our TV watching, YouTube surfing eyes. Negative facts and events are being minimized, while recording achievements and triumphs are being highlighted and re-run, over and over. The Jackson family spin-doctors are hard at work and the result is a stunning demonstration of a legacy in the making.

With any change comes loss; and when the final curtain falls on a major celebrity, whether one of your favorites or not, you may find yourself feeling a sense of sadness, remembering the 'good old days'; replaying happier times.

Michael Jackson's music helped define a generation. He's a youngish Boomer who blasted on to the music scene in the 70's and deepened his star power in the 80's. He changed a generation's music landscape and now he's gone. Forever silenced. He was planning a comeback tour - no one will ever know if he actually could have 'come-back' or not. The question on everyone's lips now is - what will his legacy be? When the dust settles and the collective tears have dried, how will he be remembered?

Maybe you're a Boomer too. If so, you likely 'burst' onto the working scene in the late 60's or 70's. You may have rocketed to the top of your professional game in the 80's and 90's and now you may be easing out of the work force, or at least beginning to think about it.

Let me ask you - what will your legacy be? How will your clients and colleagues remember you? What contributions have you made to your workplace, industry or profession? And, how will your community, family and friends remember your work - and you?

Whether you plan on working only till RSP values return, or you adhere to the, retirement over my dead body philosophy, it's not too late to do something to create your own lasting legacy.

You can start today to:
Mentor younger colleagues. Those less experienced, newer folks at work need your encouragement, your support and the occasional nugget of wisdom that only age and experience can supply. Who can you take under your wing?

Document key company history and knowledge. You may be the only guy or gal left from when the company was first formed, or first went public, and you may be among only a handful of people who fully understand the rationale behind key decisions made, decisions that still affect business success today. What do you know that you need to get down on paper?

Look for opportunities to demonstrate core values. The new generation of employees is hungry for meaning and significance at work. What values have you stood for in your working career? Why are they important and who needs to see you 'walk the talk' now?

Think about it. Where do you, and your contributions, fit in the fabric of your company, industry or profession? Then do more than think about it - actively engage in legacy leaving activities. Get busy ensuring that your work outlasts your presence. Who knows, maybe your picture will be blasted across the company intranet on your last day. Hey - it could happen!

What's Changing For You?

I don't usually say much about what's happening for me personally in this ezine, but it's been an exciting few weeks for me - and I'm just itching to tell you all about what's changing in my world.

I was recently selected to be the Chapter Chair for the Women President's Organization's two Toronto groups. The WPO, headquartered in New York and boasting 86 chapters world-wide, is a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies.. My role as Chapter Chair is to meet monthly with these fabulous women and facilitate, or 'coax the genius' out of the group; my task is to help them grow their businesses to the next level. I'm pumped about this opportunity. These gals are savvy business women and I'm looking forward to spending time with them and creating high-value interactions for their meetings. I'm anticipating that, while I guide their round-tables, I'll have my own thinking challenged as well!


My next Big News is that I've been awarded the National Speaker's Associations' highest earned designation - Certified Speaking Professional! I've been working towards this goal for the past five years, and on July 19th in Phoenix, Arizona I'll walk across the main stage and grasp it in my hot little hand! Less than 10% of the nearly 5500 Professional Speakers in the association have achieved this level and I'm honoured to be receiving it.

Lastly, and this is the part that involves you-all - I've been listening to you. In response to your requests for services to make personal- change more successfully - we're spinning off a new web site in the fall, designed to help you do just that! The site will provide you with a truck-load of resources and allow you to join with other 'Changers' to learn more about the nuts-n-bolts of transforming, and give you an opportunity to buddy- up with others, to change what you thought you couldn't. Oh, and there's even going to be a Biggest Changer Challenge! So, stay tuned, we'll be telling you more about this exciting venture over the next few months.

Ok, so enough about me. What's changing in your world? They say that, "a change is as good as a rest", and I'm a believer. With my recent changes I've been infused with a new sense of excitement and energy.

So, what could you change that could re-boot your enthusiasm? What behaviour, habit or way of thinking and/or responding could you transform that would juice up your career or personal life? Think about it - then get busy doing it! If you want a personal guide to help you, check out my "Just Change It!" book and the accompanying Workbook. They have been designed to walk a would-be changer step-by-step through any change, personal or professional. If you get started today - where could you be by this time next month?

Crisis? What Crisis?

Just when you thought it was safe to take a deep breath...the Swine flu shows up! This has been quite a year so far...hasn't it? The United States has officially declared a public health emergency, and Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, told a teleconference just this week that more cases in Canada are, in his words, "just a matter of time."

So, let's see....we're in an economic climate we haven't seen since the 50's, we've got an ongoing terrorist threat, a looming pandemic, and, in Ontario at least, a Spring that just won't seem to commit. Hum....I think we have the making of a perfect storm here.

When a whole whack of things all become unpredictable at once, fear becomes the emotion of the day. And, savvy leaders know that, as the environment changes, their leadership style needs to change along with it. In times like these, change leadership needs to morph into crisis leadership.

What can you do for yourself and your people now?

During a crisis people need three things. They need to feel safe, the need to have hope, and they need to know that someone is doing something about the situation! Now, let's establish some foundational truths here; you didn't create the conditions that are rocking everyone's boats - but, as their leader, you do need to take steps that will help them settle down and maintain productivity at work in the middle of the storm. So, an effective response isn't one of defending or necessarily 'fixing' the situation, it's more about communicating and supporting people. Now remember, during crisis, keeping the business going is job #1.

Feeling safe at work is a basic human need. Many of your employees likely have concerns regarding their potential for exposure to the Swine flu, at work, and will want to know the steps that you're taking to ensure their well being & safety. Communicating what you DO know and what you ARE doing will help everyone's comfort level. Here are four practical things you can do to help your employees:


1. Communicate: You can't over communicate in a crisis. Communicate to your employees that you're following the situation closely and will take all necessary steps to ensure their safety and health. Oh, and watch your language. Use words like 'the situation' in place of 'the impending death of thousands' and, 'our response' in place of 'the only thing we can do', etc. Words are powerful, choose yours wisely.

2. Have a Plan: Ask people to report to their supervisors/managers right away if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms. In the US - OSHA has a special site for the pandemic influenza. OSHA recommends that, if you don't already have a pandemic flu plan, you get one- quick!

3. Review & Adjust Your Policies: Review and adjust your leave of absence and telecommuting policies and adjust them, if you need to. And, for everyone's sake - encourage employees to stay at home if they experience flu-like symptoms.

4. Utilize Your EAP Program: If you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), remind employees that these services are available to help them cope with the stresses that often result from this sort of medical crisis.

Being pro-active in this way will give your employees hope and reassure them that you are on top of things. Your staff are adults, they know you don't control these 'situations' - but knowing that you're thinking about them allows everyone to get back to their work.

For those of you who may not know, I am certified in Critical Incident Response Debriefing and have been called into companies to help with everything from a 9/11 type occurrence to a brewing scandal. If I can be helpful to you over the next while, don't hesitate to call me. We're all in this together...

Ready For Some Fun?

On June 10 and 11, 2005, at Yale University, Dorothy Singer, Roberta Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek hosted a conference called PLAY = LEARNING.

They reported that, “We held the conference because of the pressures on young children NOT to play but to learn disembodied facts, even in the crib. (sounds like many training programs – doesn’t it?) We lament our culture's increasing emphasis on drill and practice at the expense of play…. we hoped to do our bit to counter the trend that makes PLAY a four-letter word in our society.”

I wish there were a similar effort to marry play and learning for grown-ups. I believe that learning happens best for adults when they are introduced to a concept and then given some ‘play-time’ with it.

Research tells us that children move through five distinct stages of play as they develop. Babies begin with Exploratory Play; they pick up things and shake them, bang and turn toys around and taste everything. This reminds me of what adults do with ideas; they ‘pick them up’, bang them against what else they know and see how they feel.

Then children move on to Functional Play; they use objects the way they were meant to be used; they roll a ball, stack blocks, and listen to a toy phone. This type of activity could be correlated with adults trying out the new idea or skill against their own set of experiences and testing out whether they new idea or skill will really work in their world.

As toddlers race towards the terrible twos, they begin to use Creative – Symbolic Play; that is, they may pretend a box is a train; the box symbolizes a train. They make one object creatively serve the purpose of another known object. Could adults be doing a form of this when they begin to substitute what they are learning for what they have known previously?

Between the ages of three and four children discover the delight in Pretend Play; they ‘act like’ other people, they take on other’s behaviours and mannerisms for short periods of time. This sounds like role-playing and improvisation to me; both effective methods of embedding a new skill.

And finally, by the time the kids they reach school age, they are ready to engage in Sequenced Pretend Play; they can interact with others with their newly developed skills and they can adjust their behaviours and reactions when encountering a new environment or circumstance. I think this is what we all do when we get back to our offices after a training session. We begin to practice the new skills in short spurts, at first, with our colleagues and later embracing them as our own.

So, is there any fun in your change initiatives? I developed Transition Poker to help you with that. When folks in my Leader’s Summit sessions are learning how to be strong change leaders, we take those ideas and, well… play with them. They get dealt a ‘hand’ of change realities and then they place their bets. By the time the game is over, players have a much fuller understanding, and confidence, about exactly what, and how, they will navigate the high-risk, high-reward territory of organizational transitions.

Does your team or organization need to know how to respond to people’s resistance to change, invite collaboration and work around the barriers that missing resources and stakeholder apathy present? Then the Transition Poker Workshop just may be for you. If you want to bring some fun to your organization’s learning programs, find out how you can use Transition Poker to fire-up your next training session, call me today.

Are You Hopeful?

I was talking with a colleague this morning and asked how, and what, she was doing in this tough economy. She said she was seeing clients, fulfilling contracts, but mostly, she said, she was spending her time spreading hope.

Ah, the optimists are worth their weight in gold right now, aren't they? There's enough fear and hand wringing around to stuff a stadium and what the world, and our organizations, need now is hope!

The world got a glimpse of what a hopeful leaders looks like last week when Obama (we can just call him Obama now, can't we?) gave his first unofficial, State of the Union Address to a packed house. If you missed his speech, take a listen to what he said in the first three minutes.

"But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach...those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more."

Regardless of your national allegiance or political preferences, this is change leadership at its hopeful best. No one knows exactly how or when recovery will come, not even Obama, but isn't it great to hear someone express optimism that it will? It's inspiring to be around people with a, 'take that hill' response to fear.

So, who's listening to your vision for the future? What's your team, friends and family hearing from you right now? What are you spreading?

There are reasons to be hopeful right now. Here are just a few:

Everything ends: good times end - and so do tough times. It's just a matter of time before the economic and political pendulums begin to swing the other way. Look for it, be ready when it starts - heck, be the first one to move in the other direction. Lead the charge back to sanity from your desk.

You're tougher than you think: the same skills that pulled you through your teenage angst, a previous job loss, your divorce, your parent's health crisis - or the last recession - are still within you. Flex those muscles again. You have what it takes to move beyond your current place - look for it within yourself, own it, call on it now!

Spring is coming: for those of us living in cold climates - the winter is almost over! All those gray landscapes are just about to burst with color. Those icy winds will soon give way to warm breezes, the crocuses are just under the surface ready to leap to our rescue and....YES, like mighty sleeping giants, we will rise again! Kiss your winter thinking good bye and get ready to welcome your spring self!

Hope is what keeps us moving forward. Hope builds confidence and invites people to take a risk and step out. With hope in your heart you can stare down the fiercest of circumstances!

Would it be helpful if you could engender hope in others? How would you, your team or organization benefit if you knew how to engage people to help them find a renewed sense of optimism and the energy that comes with it?

Join us for a two-day learning experience aimed at doing just that.

Are You In?

It's the sign of the times that Starbucks has launched their new Shared Planet Program. They are inviting us all to do our part to realize their goal of 1 million community service hours donated this year. For your pledge of just 4 hours of work they will give you a free cup of coffee. (Want a date square with that?)

It's a noble effort - and a fine marketing campaign for Starbucks. They pose the challenge and then ask the question - are you in?

We're in interesting times in North America and that question begs an answer from all of us. It's a question about commitment; for Starbucks, it's a challenge of putting your sweat-equity where your coffee-lovin mouth is.

Starbuck's definition of 'in' goes something like this; If you want the freebies that we're handing out, you gotta anti-up with a promise of lending your time and talent to saving the planet. Not a bad trade if you ask me. Saving the planet, like an organizational transformation effort, will take everyone's full participation to make it happen.Good for them!

So, let me ask you - what do you do when your company announces a change? Do you go All In?

I've observed an interesting phenomenon in some companies. Soon after the rumours begin to fly about some upcoming, unpleasant change, many of the leaders begin to vanish. They just seem to disappear. They're 'in meetings', taking vacation days, working at home with a perpetual 'out of office' messages on their email. For their staff it appears that they've just 'left the building'. And when you do get a rare glimpse of them, they're sporting that 'don't ask me' look on their faces.

They are anything but all in.

Now it's natural enough for leaders to feel the same fear and worry that their people feel. Natural maybe, but like giggles in church, not helpful to those around them. The vacuum created by the physical and emotional absence of leaders during times of challenge and uncertainty leave people more fearful, more sure that the bad news leaking out through the rumours is bound to get worse.

When fear is high, people need leaders to lead. They need to 'talk to' and 'touch' their leaders more often than usual. They need that calming effect that the presence of a committed leader brings to an uncertain environment.


So, as a leader, what can you do when the task is BIG, you are as scared as the rest?

Be Real - Remember when Dan Rather appeared on the Late Show right after 9/11 and was asked how he was feeling about reporting such a tragedy? He teared up - and his approval ratings skyrocketed. He didn't try to hide his emotions, but shared them instead. Authenticity rocks!

Be Present - Stay visible, walk around, talk to people, ask how they're doing. No one expects you to have all the answers or respond like an emotionless robot. If you don't know what to say in some instances or how to answer a particular question, be honest and say - 'I don't know'. And then do your best to get and share up to date information.

Be Empathetic - Daniel Goleman, author of Primal Leadership has enlightened us all to the power of empathy - that response that says - I see you, I hear you and I get how you're feeling right now. I may not be feeling exactly how you feel, and I may not be able to do much to change your circumstance - but I get what your experience is right now - and I care.

That's what it means to me to go all in during a change effort. It means bringing your whole self to the game. It means focusing on the needs of others and doing your part to keep the effort moving forward.

There's no time like a new year to brush up on your leader skills. Call me if you'd like to experience a coaching program that can help you do just that. And, if you're interested in having your team learn some powerful coaching skills as well ...don't wait. Grab everyone and Go All In!