If you know ancient myths and fairy tales at all, you know that knowing someone’s “true name” gives you power over them. This isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine. Words form identity, and identity is at the root of culture, in organizations, teams, communities, and families. Culture change starts by identifying where you are so you know what needs …
A Logophile Battles Buzzwords
Let’s start here: buzzwords aren’t the same as jargon, though jargon can become a buzzword. I wrote more about that here. Oh, wait. You’re probably wondering what a “logophile” is. A logophile is a lover of words and their meanings, and that is most definitely me. Which is why buzzwords bother me. A lot. Buzzwords. There are certain words that …
Culture, identity, and change
All change is culture change. And all culture includes identity. Two simple statements with a lot to consider. Let’s unpack them. All change is culture change This one is fairly simple to explain, though not so simple in practice. Any time you change how something is done – whether it’s a systems change, a process change, a reorganization, new technology, …
Looking at Trust (a little differently)
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am: trust is essential for a good culture. (I know. Obvious, once it’s down in print, right?) And this is true whether we’re talking about a company, a team, a family, a community – anywhere where there’s more than one person. (Hmm. More than one person? Maybe trust within and …
Where does Poor Performance come from?
What’s at the root of so-called “poor performance”? We tend to look at an employee’s – or friend’s, family member’s, customer’s, a stranger’s – behavior as a “thing,” an entity unto itself. But is it really? We look at an employee’s behavior, whether “good” or “bad,” and call it “performance.” But performance doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s always based …
How do you want to be led?
Has anyone ever asked you that question – how do you want to be led? Have you ever asked your team that question? If you were fortunate enough to be offered training in leadership, you’re probably familiar with the concept of situational leadership, which suggests providing different levels of support and guidance to your people based on the … ahem … situation. …
Trust, Change, and Timing
“Trust is the mechanism that absorbs uncertainty.” That quote – which I heard on David Lancefield’s excellent leadership podcast Lancefield on the Line, the episode in which he interviewed Dr. Marcus Collins – kinda blew my mind. It expresses so much, so simply. In fact, I’m seriously tempted to just stop this article right here (is it an article if …
Do you trust YOU?
Something interesting came up in conversation with a friend last week. We were talking about communication, and the ways in which that word – “communication” – doesn’t mean enough. I’ll go into more on that in a future article, but for now, what I want to tell you about is something she said that kinda blew my mind. To truly listen, …
Be careful what you say!
Change and Communication. Everyone – including me! – tells you to communicate about change. Tell people the why, what, and how. Multiple times. Listen to what they have to say – they’ll have valuable input. And they’ll help you understand how the change is affecting them, so you’ll know how to respond. Communicate! And it’s all true. But there’s one thing people …
Got uncertainty? Good!
There is nothing certain about change. So if you, as a leader of change in your organization, are feeling uncertain? Good. That’s real, realistic, and normal. Trying to pretend otherwise isn’t going to help you succeed – in fact, it’s likely to lead to problems. Your people probably feel even more uncertain. And while there are plenty of proclamations out …