If you’re just joining our Book Club series, you’ll want to start here.
Welcome back. Chapter 6
This is the only chapter in the book I struggled with. While I encourage you to read this chapter, I’ve less enthusiasm this week, so it's a short post.
Traps
It’s obvious when laid out in black and white, but so easy for leaders to make these mistakes. Especially with this level of complexity.
The last trap (capacity to absorb change - p. 120) speaks to organizational change fatigue. You may not have heard the term, but I'll bet you've experienced it. Good to understand before you begin your change efforts.
Mission / Vision
I know. Yawn. Don't worry about the mission/vision statements - they're awful. But polish up the team's goals/objectives. Provide clarity. Discuss often.
This clarity will help your team decide which problems to fix and which to ignore. Which changes to double-down on and which to let go. Which meetings to take, which to skip. No wasted effort. It's a brilliant time management tool.
Grapple with Trade-Offs
Great topic, but I don't love the book’s discussion. Keep it in mind, especially for your change initiatives.
Organizational Alignment: "Look at how your piece of the puzzle fits (or doesn't fit) into the bigger picture" (p. 118).
Hannah
A compact case study with a successful outcome. Here’s a couple takeaways:
Root Cause: Fix the root cause (organizational design) instead of the symptom (personal conflict). It's not uncommon to think conflict is the problem when it's only a symptom. Here's an article if you'd like to read more.
Influence: She’s persistent is Hannah. Not only did she continue to make her case, she added layer after layer of depth to each new argument.
What were your takeaways?
Conclusion
While I’ve got a couple of thoughts on the chapter, most of the material wasn’t for me. I hope it had value for you.
That’s it for Chapter 6…… next week Chapter 7
