Michael Bungay Stanier, best-selling author and host of Change Signal, shares vital insights on leading organizational change. He emphasizes that change can be messy and advocates for understanding the emotional realities involved. Michael discusses the importance of engaging team members rather than imposing compliance, suggesting that strategy should be a living conversation filled with experimentation. Drawing inspiration from Emily Dickinson, he highlights the importance of gradual truth-telling in the process of transformation.
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insights INSIGHT
Leadership Answers Change's Messiness
Change is fundamentally complex and inherently messy to manage and lead effectively.
Leadership, not management, is essential for successfully navigating change.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Audit Before Removing Fences
Before initiating change, thoroughly audit the current reality and understand existing initiatives.
Don't leap into action without understanding why systems or rules exist where they do.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Policy Change Hurt Relationships
Dave shared a story of quickly fixing a policy violation without understanding why exceptions existed.
This approach harmed relationships and required time to repair, illustrating rushed change pitfalls.
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First published in 1980, *Transitions* is a seminal work that explores the underlying and universal pattern of transition. The book takes readers step-by-step through the three perilous stages of any transition, explaining how each stage can be understood and embraced. It offers a simple yet profoundly insightful roadmap to navigate change and move into a hopeful future. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding endings, navigating the neutral zone, and embracing new beginnings to cope effectively with life's changes.
The First 90 Days
Michael Watkins
In 'The First 90 Days,' Michael D. Watkins provides a comprehensive guide for leaders transitioning into new roles. The book emphasizes the importance of self-preparation, accelerating the learning process, achieving early victories, and achieving alignment within the organization. Watkins outlines ten fundamental principles, including preparing oneself for the new role, understanding the organizational architecture, building a high-performance team, and influencing key stakeholders. The book is designed to help leaders avoid common pitfalls and achieve early successes, thereby enhancing their credibility and effectiveness within the organization.
The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
Michael Bungay Stanier
In 'The Coaching Habit,' Michael Bungay Stanier provides a straightforward and effective approach to coaching. Drawing on his extensive experience training managers worldwide, he introduces seven essential coaching questions designed to help managers unlock their team's potential. These questions include the Kickstart Question, the AWE Question, the Lazy Question, the Strategic Question, the Focus Question, the Foundation Question, and the Learning Question. The book emphasizes the importance of saying less and asking more, fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment. It combines practical advice with research in neuroscience and behavioral economics, making coaching a daily, informal part of managerial work rather than a formal event.
Michael Bungay Stanier: Change Signal
Michael Bungay Stanier is best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and recognized as a classic. He was a Rhodes Scholar, and was recently awarded the coaching prize by Thinkers50. He’s now the host of the new Change Signal podcast.
If you’re doing change right, it’s going to be messy. In this conversation, Michael Bungay Stanier returns to show us where to start, the key mindsets to have, and the first steps for getting traction.
Key Points
If you’re doing change right, it’s going to be messy.
Before you remove a fence, figure out why it’s there.
Take inspiration from Emily Dickinson: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.”
Beware giving lip service to the emotional realities of change and then moving forward without really addressing them.
Strategy is a living conversation. Run experiments. Fire bullets before cannonballs.
Motivation is a critical factor in change. Better to be less efficient and have people with you than to force compliance with a “perfect” plan.
Emily Dickinson:
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —
Are you a talent development or human resources leader seeking a coach for an internal client? Coaching for Leaders has partnered with some of the top coaches in the world, including a number of past podcast guests. Help us make an introduction by visiting our Expert Partners Page and telling us what you’re seeking in a coach.
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