The Complacency Epidemic
March 7, 2010 by Di
Filed under change leadership, change management, communicating change, urgency
“Bad business results are both a blessing and a curse. Losing money does catch people’s attention, but it gives less maneuvering room. With good business results, the opposite is true; convincing people of the need for change is much harder, but you have more resources to help make changes.” John Kotter, Harvard Business Review, 1995
You would think bad business results are enough to shake people out of the comfort zone of complacency. But even in the face of devastating business results, approximately 50 percent of companies fail to establish a sufficient sense of urgency to succeed in their transformation efforts, according to John Kotter, author of Leading Change and A Sense of Urgency.
Di Features in HR Magazine Cover Story on “Sustainable Change”
September 24, 2009 by Di
Filed under change leadership, change management, sustainable leadership
I was interviewed recently for the cover story of Human Capital Magazine Issue 7.9
Magazine Editor Iain Hopkins writes…” Di.. has a knack for bringing broad concepts of social change and applying those concepts to the business world. Her excellent book A Climate for Change , uses global warming as the springboard into analysis of what does and does not work in many corporate change initiatives… ”
Catch the full story at http://issuu.com/keymedia/docs/ozhc7.9
Change Management – How to bring social networking technology into business without it feeling like a pill
January 31, 2009 by Di
Filed under Social networking, Web 2.0, change leadership, change management, communicating change
Where do you stand when it comes to Web 2.0 and the new tools of social networking like blogging, Facebook, Linked In, My Space and Plaxo? As far as you’re concerned, is it still a fad to be ignored – the domain of the Gen Ys and the Techno Geeks from Gen X? Have you fully embraced the power of the networking, collaboration and business development opportunities these tools have to offer you and your business? Or are you still dabbling – sitting the fence somewhere.
I confess that I am a dabbler when faced with the practical application of new technologies. It’s not that I don’t appreciate what these new technologies can do. I do – it comes with the territory of being an ideas person. In fact, It’s a big part of my new book which is all about Change and what works in the 21st century. It’s just that the practical application of these things is not really my strong suit. Frankly, I find it a time-consuming, boring hassle to learn. But heh, I have my own blog now which only took a year or so from the idea to finally get my act together - so that’s saying something.
Beware the pitfalls of downsizing, restructuring and employee redundancy
January 31, 2009 by Di
Filed under Downsizing, Redundancies, change, change leadership, change management, leadership, organisational restructuring, recession-proof
The last economic downturn to affect Australia saw a widespread cut back in apprentice training. While the effects weren’t experienced immediately, the absence of new talent entering the workforce on such a large scale meant that it was nearly 10 years before Australia returned to the same level of technical skill it enjoyed prior to the downturn. Arguably, the detrimental impact of the “solution” turned out to be far more serious to the country than the initial problem. This is just one example of the potentially harmful downstream consequences of downsizing and cutbacks that business is pursuing in the current economic climate.
Being mindful of the pitfalls of large scale downsizing and employee redundancy was the clear message that Heather Ridout, Chairman of the Australian Industry Group gave to business in a recent 7.30 Report Interview. Heather is not a lone voice in the wilderness on this topic. In the wake of weekly announcements that big business is shedding staff in mammoth proportions, other business and political leaders are joining a growing voice around the world warning of the consequences of these knee-jerk reactions to sustain short-term business viability.
Goal-Setting: Clear the Clutter for Christmas
November 25, 2008 by Di
Filed under change, change management, goal setting, goals
What better way to get ready for the Christmas/ new year break than clearing out your cupboards. I’ve decided to motivate myself to clear the clutter with a a garage sale so I can grab some extra Christmas cash at the same time.
I’ve often read that clearing the physical clutter lying around your house or your office is a really important part of clearing your head in preparation for new plans and goals – like the ones you set for the new year. You can’t really put new goals on top of old distractions, else the old distractions will keep sabotaging your efforts to focus on the new direction. It’s important to make a space first.
Change Management – “Yes we can…change starts today” Barack Obama
November 18, 2008 by Di
Filed under change, change leadership, change management, leadership
I exchanged some emails with My US publisher the other day, after the frenzy of Obama’s decisive election win. My publisher was fascinated about the rest of the world’s interest in how the race unfolded over the last few months. I’m reminded of the words of Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman and his recent book – Hot Flat and Crowded, when he describes how the
My name is Di Worrall, and I'm an author, corporate change specialist and executive coach. I wrote the new release book - A Climate for Change - How to ride the wave of change into the 21st Century and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for you and your business. You might be a business leader or you might be in the business of coaching, consulting or training business leaders. I created this blog as a companion to the book and to help you and your clients navigate the current climate of change and uncertainty, and lay the foundations for a more sustainable future.
