Change Now! Five Steps to Better Leadership

Scisco, McCauley, Leslie, Elsey

• Publisher: Center for Creative Leadership Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781604910711
• eBook ISBN: 9781604918304
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Leadership
• Index: Business

You want to start working on the next steps in your career. Your boss made remarks in your last performance review that you want to take action on. You know now the kind of leader you aspire to be and want to pursue your aspirations. You have an "enduring weakness" that motivates you to improve. You feel bored or stale in your current job and want to develop new capabilities. If you've experienced those things or have had similar experiences, then you know that what makes you successful now won't take you to the next level of performance or leadership. Successful leaders have the ability to adapt, change, and reinvent themselves. They thrive on change. Do you? The FIVE STEPS in Change Now! will help you become the leader you aspire to be by guiding you through a process of change. Use this book to identify where to focus your development energy,create goals that work for you,craft a plan for achieving your goals,overcome obstacles,and stay on course. Don't wait. Become the leader you want to be, the leader you need to be.

1: PICK AN AREA FOR CHANGE

FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS

ON WHAT CAN BE DIFFERENT

AND WHAT YOU CAN DO

BETTER

PICK
AN AREA
FOR
CHANGE

THINK different.

ACT different.

BE DIFFERENT.

DO

WHAT

YOU

DO. AND DO IT BETTER.

Change. Now.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Sail away from the safe harbor.

~Mark Twain

The kind of leader you are is the kind of leader you want to be.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

What do you want to do better?

What do you want to do more of?

What do you want to do differently?

It's hard to give ONE answer to these questions. But if you want to change how you lead, start by focusing on a SINGLE area of development.

(Just one.)

Don't just pick any area for change.

(Pick carefully.)

And remember THREE things:

1 FOCUS ON A CHANGE THAT ENERGIZES YOU.

2 FOCUS ON A CHANGE THAT CREATES POSITIVE OUTCOMES.

3 FOCUS ON A CHANGE THAT IS AT THE RIGHT LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY - NOT SO EASY THAT YOU DON'T FEEL CHALLENGED, AND NOT SO DIFFICULT THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE THE CHANGE.

HOW TO CHOSE AN AREA FOR CHANGE

The best way to start is by writing down lots of ideas about the areas in which you want to make changes. A few of those will come readily to mind–things you're already working on or something you've recently become passionate about.

On the next page, brainstorm some obvious areas for change. Later in this step you will rate these areas.

After you rate them, you will end up with one area for change that you can focus on.

The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.

~Maya Angelou

WHERE CAN YOU MAKE CHANGES?

potential areas for change

Did you miss something?

SURPRISE

YOURSELF

with additional possibilities.

HERE ARE SOME SCENARIOS TO SPARK YOUR THINKING.

What you want to change and how you want to change depend on your point of view and on your circumstances. Here are four common areas of focus as seen through different lenses. Put yourself in these situations and respond accordingly. Update the list on page 9 as you work through each situation.

see differently

BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN YOUR WORK

In this scenario, you've applied for a different position in your organization. Imagine the people making the selection asking your co-workers: “What one or two things—if improved—would have the biggest impact on this applicant's effectiveness?”

What do you anticipate...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Center for Creative Leadership
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• INTRODUCTION
• 1: PICK AN AREA FOR CHANGE
• 2: MAKE GOALS THAT WORK FOR YOU
• 3: CRAFT A PLAN
• 4: DEAL WITH OBSTACLES
• 5: FROM PLAN TO ACTION
• ABOUT THE AUTHORS