Why we Hate Change
How can you tell the difference between truly great leaders and wannabees? Just look at their track record of driving real and lasting change in their organizations. Nothing else is so vexing or so important in our complex and ever-changing business environment. I have often heard people say that they love change, but when I probe a little, they usually mean that they enjoy change if they are in control. Change imposed by someone or something else is a completely different ma
Healthy Narcissism
At a first meeting with a new client my impression was of a woman at the top of her game – a fast moving executive who had sailed past peers to achieve the top role because of her technical expertise, strong drive and impressive ability to rally people around her and get things done. As she told her story, brimming with confidence and pride, she caught herself and asked, “I’m not some kind of narcissist, am I? I just think that I’m really good at my job.” When clients tell me
Employee Engagement in a Changing Organization
First the good news – Boards, CEOs and executive teams are taking employee engagement more seriously than ever. This can only be a good thing, particularly for people like me who grew up in a world where “human resources” were viewed as variable costs – to be added or deleted as required (I recall a senior manager at a large international company describe his employees as lemons – he said that his job was to squeeze and squeeze the lemons until there was no more juice, and th
