Great advice for leading any change project.
356940
A dose of James's personality and wisdom when you need it. James is one of the best IT leaders I have had the privilege of working with. The paragraph on my project made my days when I first read the book.
2709506
This simple book contains great ideas to improve any organization.  Was simple concepts, it helps managers and staff understand their value and make a difference.  The simple metrics keep everyone on track with actions valued by customers.
3842817
This is the best book for making great changes to any board of directors.  Check it out.
4143140
I'm a big fan of Joan's blog and podcasts.  Now you can read her wise advice in one place.  Her book is a quick read that gives non-profit leaders -- staff and volunteer leaders -- actionable steps that can make a big difference in the success of our organizations. As chair of a large non-profit board, Joan's step-by-step suggestions for telling the best stories are already helping me do a much better job of gaining stakeholders, securing donors and appreciating our terrific staff.  I plan to use her outline as the basis for my next board meeting.
433875
After 23 years of managing change, I wish I had read this at the beginning of my career. Even the best ideas have someone who will lose in the change process and oppose your efforts unless you understand how to manage the ecosystem. "The Wide Lens" helps lay out a practical framework for the reader to recognize and understand the entire innovation and adoption ecosystem, and work on implementation that will create value for all stakeholders, not just the innovator and end user. I have personally used this book to great effect with senior executives in my organization, helping them to design and implement effective change strategies that are driving changes in behavior and a change in culture. Ron Adner's book should be required reading for any new leader, whether they are in private industry, government or non-profit organizations.
1872814
An easy-to-read, enjoyable text that serves as a simple and thoughtful guide for change management. If you're leading change in any form in your organization, Switch will unquestionably be a crucial resource.
1124054
This is a book for any and all organizations that want to change, grow, and transform, especially those that have found themselves stuck in the status quo. Meyer makes the concept of organizational agility accessible and practical without losing sight of the research and theory that drives it.
4900086
One of the best books that I've read on change.  It puts all of the pieces together. An easy but important read.
3219985
If one subscribes to the Pareto Principle (80-20 percent rule - "80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes") one can immediately see the value in both ADKAR the process and ADKAR the book.  The intellectual work of deciding what needs to be changed, how, and what to watch out for, represents 20 percent of the work, and actually making the change accounts for the other 80 percent.  Many authors of change management texts describe the steps one must go through, or the issues one should attend to, but none I have encountered does so with the detailed step-by-step specificity of the ADKAR process as developed by Jeff Hiatt and the practical folks at the Prosci Learning Center.  This is the missing 80 percent.

Just as there is an agreed upon, validated, rational sequence of steps needed to bring any complex project to conclusion, there is a sequence of steps regarding the people dimension of change that, if taken, will dramatically increase the probability of success.  By providing a logical, clear, and comprehensive discussion of this sequence, ADKAR provides us with insights and specific direction that, when interleaved with the steps of project management, will improve the chances of a positive outcome.

I have used this process for over two years now with different degrees of rigor depending on the nature of the change.  I demand that my project managers include the steps of the ADKAR process in any project that will involve more than a dozen or so people, or take more than a month.  I also encourage managers to consider the issues addressed in this slim text for even what would seem to be trivial changes.  Like the dentist's exhortation to "only brush the teeth you want to keep," managers should only refer to ADKAR for changes they want to succeed.
1955335
Read "The 10 Stages of Innovation" by David Kelley first, and follow with "Change by Design." Tim Brown is articulate and thoughtful, and although the scenarios may feel repetitive, the entire book is full of insights that can drive change throughout an organization.
1853668
Bill's book, Leaders Open Doors, is packed with well-thought through suggestions for changing the way we think about influencing others.

One of the most powerful "lenses" Bill gives us is to shift from problem-focused leadership to OPPORTUNITY-focused leadership. As I read the ideas and stories Bill presents, I reflected back on my best boss, a true "open-door leader." All these concepts ring true to me - and I'm sure they will with you, as well.

This is an inspiring, quick read with application questions at the end of each chapter. There is where the reader will find the greatest learning - putting these concepts into ACTION with our teams day to day is the best way to honor our team members.

This edition has an epilogue that includes stories of open-door leaders from some of the greatest leadership minds of our time. You'll get this terrific add-on only with this new edition.

One more thing - Bill is contributing 100% of all proceeds of the sale of the book to charities that serve children with disabilities and their families.
2345990
Whenever I meet with bright, motivated business people who want to improve the world, they always complain about others in their organizations who will not cooperate in a change process.  Get those reluctant people on  board the progress train, and the more positive future will soon arrive.  Almost never do these complainers realize that their own habits,  perspective, and behavior are contributing to delaying the progress by  making others oppose the initiative.
Getting It Done is a wonderful book  for helping each of us see ourselves as part of the problem and part of the  solution in situations when many people must cooperate.  That's a first in  my experience.
The book builds on that valuable perspective by  suggesting what skills we each need to improve, and how we can implement a  process that will lead to genuine, effective progress.  That is very  critical, because most improvements occur because someone has designed an  effective process to ease their implementation.  In new areas, by  definition, there is seldom such a process.  My suggestion is that you try  this one if you have no other.
I also liked the way the authors went on  to generalize about how lateral leadership (influencing peers) provides  lessons for when you are the boss.  The same lessons apply here as well.  Influencing people through genuine involvement leads to both better  solutions and to better implementation.
If you only read and learn to  apply one book this year, Getting It Done should be that book.  My  reasoning is simple.  If you cannot help those you work with to make  successful collaborations, you and everyone around you will always operate  at a low level of effectiveness.  Also, your work day will be filled with  stress, conflict, pressure, too much to do, and worry.  That's not the way  you want to live.  Getting It Done can help you develop the skills to get  the benefits of how all of us know and can do more than any one of us.  When you are able to get that benefit from being in an enterprise, life  becomes very interesting, rewarding, and meaningful.  You will also feel  good about living closer to your potential as a person.
2230379
Awesome book for anyone trying to establish a non profit organization especially a music based program. Some wonderful practitioners share helpful insight and solid fundamentals for helping to deliver strong mission driven programs for change.
2779409
Great book! I recommend for anyone that plans to on take a leadership role as well as current leaders. This book offers a refreshing prospective and cuts straight to the point.  Would be a wonderful gift for teachers as well.
3994398
This book is a great read for anyone wondering if  they can make a change. Steven let's readers know that NOW is the time to change your situation. All you need is the right motivation and guidance. Right on Dude!
294738
Many of the most meaningful, visible projects in the world involve Business Process Improvement (BPI).  These are the efforts that change the way businesses operate and aspire to create serious competitive advantage. The lucky project managers that run these take a huge risk - this type of project can make or break their career. Often, they go in without a playbook.

In this book, Gina and Yusuf offer a clear approach to managing BPI projects, with a focus on the soft skills that most PMs have difficulty developing. They walk you through, stage by stage, how to consistently engage with stakeholders in a way that not only makes them feel good about the effort, but turns each relationship into a success tool for the project. The author's guidance isn't just a "now do this", "then do that". They actually help the reader anticipate common challenges before they happen and head them off before they occur.

Finally they offer you a number of questionnaires, tools and templates that will help you along the way. This book will help you do big, important things. If you are facing a BPI challenge its a great investment in your future.
563995
Are You Ready?
A Book Review by M. Joyce McMenamin

Get ready to do more than simply think outside of the box. In today's world the concept of 'ready thinking' isn't about a one time event - it's about changing the way you lead, initiate change and bottom line a profit. In essence, in order to prosper in the coming months and years, everybody within an organization of any size, will need to change the way they think and listen, in addition to the way they approach change entirely.

I had the distinct pleasure of receiving this book for review about a month prior to its release on August 28, 2008. I also had the honor of interviewing John Baker for our radio show the week that the book hit the shelves. I wanted to talk to the man who had written a book that mirrored everything I had ever believed about change management. I was in good company. John and I obviously thought alike, because we had each spent more than twenty-five years managing change, inside the big boxes of the Fortune few.

It's ironic that nearly everyday, I speak with somebody in a management or leadership role who asks me what the best methods are for initiating change within an organization. Even many change management experts and organizational development professionals continually ask the question:  "When is the best time to initiate change?".

John and I agree:  there is no 'best' time to initiate or manage change. Change is less of a process than it is a way of life. When change becomes part of the fiber of a corporate tapestry, woven deeply into the cultural thread, the concept of 'change' no longer exists in the forefront of the minds that would naturally resist it.

READY THINKING is more than an entertaining short read on the topic of change management. It shares a timely wisdom with managers who are looking for answers. Here they will find short, concise and very powerful modules that they can begin applying to 'real life' immediately. In fact, it became clear to me that this was a book that any manager could take into a weekly meeting and use in their own staff and team development. It is a book that easily moves from idea to action, as it transcends mere theory and metric models to provide an experiential journey into the process of being ready for what happens tomorrow.

Are you primed for change?  Are you ready?

THE REVIEW:  Joyce McMenamin is President/CEO of Tribeca Nine, Inc, which founded Network Abundance Publications, the original NoNiche magazine. Her production & consulting division, Sensitive Pie Productions, manages the creative for Idea Masters. Joyce has been reviewing best-selling books, as well as new authors since 2007. Author of The Integrity Channel, she consults with established clients.