April 21, 2018 2:26 pm
Published by Louellen Essex
With the rapid pace of complex change in most organizations, leaders often get drawn into activities that take them away from the staff members they are leading. Frequent meetings outside of the work unit tend to be a major culprit. Absence from meaningful contact can cause leaders to misread what staff members are experiencing, some of which may be emotional…
July 10, 2015 7:02 pm
Published by Louellen Essex
Whether you move to a new organization or transit within your current place of work, the approach you use to begin a new leadership role can help or hinder your success. To staff members, a new leader is the source of hope as well as fear. Will you bring new insight and needed change? Or, will valued practices and relationships…
April 3, 2015 7:05 pm
Published by Louellen Essex
Change is continual in most of today’s organizations. Some change may be met with applause, especially when bringing desired benefits. But, often the upshot is significant resistance. Most staff resist when they perceive they are losing something to which they are attached: i.e., relationships, status, physical surroundings, work processes, technology. But the blow is worsened when those initiating the change…
December 11, 2014 2:13 am
Published by Louellen Essex
We’ve all had encounters with co-workers that didn’t go well, yielding lasting negative consequences. The resulting tension in the air makes communication awkward and productivity often wanes. Realistically, some relationships are easier to repair than others, since you can’t force reconciliation. Making a sincere attempt to restore a damaged relationship, however, has a good chance of success if you follow…
March 13, 2014 2:20 am
Published by Louellen Essex
Most organizations are in the throes of multiple changes, requiring leaders at all levels to be masterful in how they communicate. Staff resistance can be exasperated by faulty change messages that do a poor job of explaining why something different is needed. With so much change in the works, everyone is touchy about adding one more thing to their overflowing…
October 14, 2013 6:26 pm
Published by Louellen Essex
It goes without saying that not everyone responds well to change. In fact, studies say that in any given group of staff, three to seven percent will be hardcore resisters, while about 60 percent are in the “wait and see” category. The rest just go with the flow. To manage this dynamic, you have to prevent the strong resisters from…
October 7, 2013 6:27 pm
Published by Louellen Essex
Often short-staffed and under-funded, leaders are driven to focus on operational concerns – getting through each day, meeting short-term objectives and staying afloat. While it may appear this is the only way to survive, the opposite may actually be true. If an organization doesn’t take time to plan for the long term, it may get blindsided by becoming irrelevant or…