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"When I talk to former students, clients, and executives, I've found that their biggest concern is being effective—going beyond conceiving great new things and actually driving them into practice.
I've also seen that most people make two big mistakes when they think about change:
They fail to realize that managing change requires a really different process from day-to-day management, not harder but very different.
They approach change in a one-size-fits-all way.
Successful change, being effective, involves three things: structuring change, managing change and leading change. I call this The Golden Triangle of Change."
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"From the perspective of my corner office and experience in boardrooms, I observed that we business leaders planned our future by using previous years' financial results as our base line. Today, this relevant but regressive methodology is more-often-than-not still in use, for want of a progressive process coupled with robust software.
This fixation on an obsolete planning process guarantees that firms that use it will not keep pace with the rapid, substantive changes in our business world."
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"What if thou shalt not became can do?
What if we developed moral competence rather than bemoaned a lack of moral courage?
What if we looked at ethics as a wellspring of passion and creativity rather than of required restraint?
What if our values became a source of satisfaction, rather than a threat of guilt?
What if we asked what if?"
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"Being great under pressure is hard work. This is part of the reason why we are so impressed by people who seem immune to choking. These people come through in the clutch when others don't. If they're business leaders, they become gurus other executives want to emulate. In politics, the person who runs the gauntlet wins the election, but if he can do so in a particularly cunning way, he becomes an example of strategic excellence. In combat, it is the leaders who come under fire and get their men to safety who are recognized as war heroes. If the people are sporting figures, their triumphs become legendary. We are so fascinated by these feats that we have created a nearly mythical aura around clutch performers."
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"While it will always be easier to recite information (one-way) than it is to make an engaging speech (two-way) presentation that connects with your audience, today's audiences are demanding more engagement and interaction. Their lives are full of instant updates and streaming headline news sent straight to their cell phones. They are expecting you to bring specific knowledge they can't get anywhere else and deliver it in an entertaining way.
Unfortunately, most people rely on a few tried (yet true) techniques to engage an audience and rarely stumble outside their comfort zone. If you truly want to connect with your audience, you can choose to make your presentations more engaging and interactive."
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