4D Improvement: Change is the Name of the Game

Posted on March 12, 2011 by John

I gave a presentation at the 6th annual New Jersey Process Improvement Symposium yesterday and talked about four-dimensional improvement. Some highlights:

  • Improvement = change + direction + results –>real value
  • There are four categories of models those of us who are change agents should know: Process models (Content), Organizational Models (Context), Implementation Models (Conduct), and Change Models (Contact). Any subset will decrease likelihood of success and increase likelihood of unintended consequences.
  • All models are widows into a situation, not the situation itself. Continue reading →
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A Motivation Theory To Try Right Now

Posted on March 9, 2010 by John

A good theory of motivation has to recognize the fact that we are each motivated differently. In the practice of neurolinguistic programming or "NLP" this is taken into account in a number of ways.

One of the more useful NLP theories is the concept of "away-from" and "towards" personalities, otherwise known as "approach" or "avoidance" stances. Of course, we each use both ways of operating in the way we function, but often one will be more dominant than the other. Those of us use focus on "towards" motivation will be more affected by thoughts of future rewards. Those of us with a primarily "away-from" style will be more affected by thoughts of escaping pain or trouble. So, in some sense, Freud was right: we're either avoiding pain or seeking pleasure. Both work, but differently.

Here's a test to get an idea about which motivational style works for you. Continue reading →

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Eight Steps To Successful Leadership

Posted on June 22, 2009 by John

One important part of success in life is the continually developing your ability to lead. It's important that we not only be able to lead others but be willing to lead ourselves. None of us succeeds in life only by following others; sometimes we simply have to strike a new path for ourselves. That's especially true in today's marketplace.

To be a good leader, you must take action. Too often, we accept that someone looks or sounds like a leader and too rarely do we actually look at the actions that leader performs. That's the true test of leadership. To become good leaders we need to concentrate on action rather than appearance. Here are eight steps toward that goal. Continue reading →

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Some Pretty Good Ps for Planning a Meeting

Posted on April 7, 2009 by John

How much money and time are wasted in meetings every year? Estimates range from one-third to half your time. That adds up to millions!

Here are some useful things to consider when planning for a meeting that’s worth your—and everyone else’s—time. I’ve framed them in terms of some pretty good Ps. If you take these in order, you have a Plan. And planned time always generates better outcomes than unplanned time.

Being explicit about the considerations below will help you

Continue reading →

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What It Takes to Change

Posted on March 16, 2009 by John

I had a professor in graduate school who once told me, "People don't change; only situations." While I don't fully agree with that, there is some merit to the observation. Stephen Covey once said that there are three requirements for change:

  • You have to know what to change
  • You have to know how to change
  • You have to want to change

Most of us, most of the time, manage to change rather easily when these three things are in place. The clinker is the want-to part. Continue reading →

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