Perspectives on Change

Exploring the Human Side of Change

Leading Change: Don’t Start on the Double Black Diamond

When I was first starting out as a consultant, a local theater company invited me to facilitate an afternoon meeting. The room would include staff, board members, donors, and others involved with the organization. The director and I worked out an agenda. My role was...

The People Side of Change Isn’t an Add-On

I love coffee. And when I’m standing in line at my local coffee shop, invariably someone ahead of me orders a latte. But I’ve never heard anyone say, “Give me a latte, but hold the milk.” You can’t. A latte is a seamless blend of espresso and steamed milk. Take away...

The 2,500-Mile Gesture: How People Know You’re Serious

Years ago, I saw a meeting change direction in a matter of seconds. I was working with Deloitte & Touche at the time. The firm had recognized a troubling pattern. They were hiring men and women in roughly equal numbers out of college, but by the time people...

The Meeting Got Better After It Ended

Years ago, I was finishing up some work at an aerospace company when a group of managers invited me to sit in on a meeting they were having with some union members. It wasn't a contractual meeting or anything particularly tense. It was simply a group of people getting...

Three People. One Question

Every once in a while, I come across something that I simply want more people to see. Last week, I saw a LinkedIn post by Adam Lawrence that really caught my attention. I was taken with the simplicity of the idea — and with how that simplicity could lead to some...

Five Slides Were Enough: What Happens When We Leave a Little Space for People

I once worked with a scientist who was preparing to present an idea to other scientists in his organization. He had an hour, and everyone expected him to use slides. I asked him why. He laughed and said, essentially, “Because if you don’t have slides, people think you...