What it Takes to Effect Change

Fomenting change is one thing; effecting it is something else again. At the EARCOS meetings in Kuala Lumpur week before last, one of the hottest topics for board members was how to bring a community along with a change initiative. The Achilles Heel of change leadership is always implementation, and a couple of recent items shed light on why.The first, from McKinsey Insights, focus on corporate reorganizations - a surefire way to get resistance to change. The second is from HBR, and focus on listening as an essential leadership skills. What the articles have in common is the centrality of engagement - especially listening - in helping leaders make the jump from fomenting to effecting. Just having a good idea isn't enough. Leaders have to sell the idea, and the most effective sales tool is not presentation. That's the counter-intuitive part for many people.