Change management Archives | The Clever Corporate Navigator™

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You have been placed in a highly visible role to bring about an organizational change. As a change agent, you might be launching a new leadership development program, a process to increase efficiency, or an upgraded IT platform. The CEO publicly promises things on your behalf. He tells the entire organization at a global town hall meeting that you will bring them to the promised land. Your name is mentioned at the company’s annual leadership conference in the “what’s ahead” presentation. The CEO invites you to a pool-side lunch at a business offsite as his senior staff looks on at your elevated status. Congratulations! You are the CEO’s Shiny New Penny. As you consider the unexpected limelight into which you have been placed, you privately revel in your career trajectory. But watch out. There is danger up ahead. You can still turn things around if you take head of my warning flairs from deep inside the rabbit hole that lays in front of you.

February 1, 2019 5 comments Leave a Comment

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A self-congratulatory project team is about to launch a global data center. Although no one on the team has been with company for more than two years, they have been very busy brainstorming, advocating for resources, gathering RFPs, planning, and implementing. It is now time to celebrate their breakthrough solution to the company’s chronic business problem. Hooray for them! And yet, the Navigator cannot help but feel that the celebrants are doomed to a dark and creepy downfall. Why? Because a short walk down a nearby hallway containing archives of company history would have revealed that a version of this approach was already tried and failed several years ago at a great loss to the company.

If you are in charge of providing a solution that will impact the organization, whether you are a project manager, change agent, or lead a business unit, continue reading to stay clear of hosting this tragically common stupid party.