Disobedient Talk

As the instigators of change, organizational leaders require a whole different kind of resilience. All leaders can be subject to the whims of their senior leadership, who are trying to balance significant and conflicting priorities. They also have to deal with the workers on the…

A number of people have asked if we have hints or tips to help convince change sponsors to spend more time working with their teams. Being mindful that sponsor’s time is limited due to the responsibilities they have, there is a factor which we find…

For an initiative to be successful, the requirements of senior sponsors need to be understood, as well as those of the people who will utilize organizational outcomes. Performing this requirements collection successfully is critical for success – but many organizations do not do this effectively…

As the instigators of change, projects often present challenges to an organisation. However, we have become aware of a different project challenges. In this project, the senior leaders of the organization are engaged in a serious battle…over the name of the project! Why would that…

So what exactly is Kerfuffle Planning? And what does it have to do with Risk Management? Traditional risk management involves anticipating the business implications and conducting anticipatory planning for activities to reduce the probability or impact of those implications. However, in practice risk management frequently…

In some project environments, organizational leaders get bogged down because they expect their managers, sponsors or other key stakeholders to take some action and it doesn’t come to fruition. As a result, initiatives that would otherwise succeed come to a screeching halt. Resilient leaders who…

When most senior business analysts or project managers think of a sponsor, they immediately think of “the person who funds the project”. Funding is a vital function provided by the sponsor; however the most important resource that a sponsor needs if they are to be…

Recently, we have heard leadership “experts” present two completely opposite pieces of advice relative to managing senior stakeholders. Says one expert – the person who is bringing a problem to a senior leader should present the issue, then stop and listen for any feedback, questions…

One of the primary concepts of engaging in Intelligent Disobedience is to be true to one’s self. Intelligent Disobedience is acting in a way that often counters what is expected, but is in the best interest of the business at large. Equally important, however, is…

I recently re-read a book entitled Employees First, Customers Second by Vineet Nayar.. In the book Nayar mentions that new knowledge or a shift in perception only comes about through ‘memorable, extreme or experimental’ communications. At an Intelligent Disobedience keynote presentation in the United States, one…

The concept of a change manager is growing in popularity, with the role becoming a standard part of many organisations, the Change Management Institute is gaining membership and Communities of Practice for Change Management are dotting the specialist landscape. Providing focus to this area is…

The process is regularly repeated in large as well as small businesses – an idea is generated from a middle or senior manager, a project proposal, project charter or other initiation document is created; it is evaluated, approved and a project is started. Although this…