Managing Change

Preparing for change? Here are three tips for leaders to mitigate risks and help prepare their people for the road ahead. Change isn't easy, but yes, it is achievable!

Culture is king. Get tips for creating a strong culture – one that unites your people and inspires them for the long term

Companies that can turn obstacles into opportunities will be the ones to remain standing in the end. Check out these tips.

A servant leader's goal is to bring the best out of others and help them work at a higher level. Here are six reasons why servant leadership really works.

Strategy without execution is meaningless, and execution without engagement is impossible. Is your company actually executing your strategy through people.

Strategic change requires engagement - not just emails, videos or powerpoint presentations Metaphors, visualization, and discussion can help.

The way we live, work, socialize, travel, learn and more is all a bit (or a lot) different now. Today incremental change is not enough – you can’t just think “outside the box.” You need to blow up the damn box. Here's how.

Few people welcome change. In fact, most of us fear it. But there are ways to set your organization up for success. Change isn't easy. But it is possible. Are you ready to learn how to make your change stick?

Change is inevitable whether yourorganization is thriving or struggling, and the pace at which you must respond to change is accelerating.

During the merger of two multi-billion dollar companies, leaders recognized future success hinged on melding two very different organizational cultures.

Global restaurant chain with 1000+ locations and 50,000 employees created a program to reinforce the organization's diverse, inclusive and equitable culture

If you want to achieve the change your organizational is after, you've got to help your people through it.That starts with change leaders.

Watch our on demand resilience webinar to discover why people leaders and managers hold the key to building a resilient workforce.

Is your organization establishing new health & safety rules as a result of COVID-19? This is an opportunity to create a long-term competitive advantage.

When two multi-billion dollar companies merged, they realized they needed to meld two significantly different company cultures to ensure future success.

Watch our on demand, virtual conference on transforming your thinking on activating your strategy through your people and engaging your people virtually.

At Root, we believe in challenging you to become a disruptor, and then empowering you and your people to get engaged in that journey. It's time - will you disrupt or stay stagnant and watch someone disrupt you. What do you choose?

The world isn’t going to stop changing so what is your retail or hospitality business doing to pivot and adjust strategy to meet customers where they are?

During change people want and need three things: clarity, connection, and conversation and messaging needs to address each of these elements.

As change continues to accelerate, business agility becomes an organizational imperative. Pivoting quickly is an imperative for organizations to survive.

You can significantly improve results when you understand what drives people’s decision to change and design your strategy launch with that end in mind.

Organizations need to implement changes to navigate tremendous challenges. Communicating effectively has never been more critical than it is right now.

If your people don’t trust your leadership, then navigating a crisis and delivering future success become nearly impossible.

Jim Haudan speaks with Dr. Rick Lofgren, president and CEO of UC Health, and Charlie Piscitello, chief people officer at Acutus Medical, Inc. to get their thoughts as how leaders can best lead during challenging times.

On the third episode of the series, Gary Gray and John Baldoni share thoughts on meaningful ways on how to lead people through crisis.

During large-scale change, being nimble is key. You must be know your Why, but be prepared to adjust your what and how as new challenges arise. Let your purpose, your why, guide you and your people to achieve long-term success in the end.

Engagement surveys have a place and time.This is not it. But it's still critical to know what people are thinking,to guide organizational shifts.

While we certainly value in-person gatherings, you can’t afford to put events on hold even if you can’t be together. Your business and strategy can’t wait.

The only way to catalyze and accelerate results is through your people. You need to move fast right now. But you can’t skip steps.

Insights on how to think about challenges at the intersection of strategy and operations.Specifically, how to make the complicated a little more simple.

Be agile, flexible, and ready to change course at a moment’s notice. Don’t wait around for someone else to save you. Control your own destiny!

Change means doing something different. Something risky. Something uncomfortable. This 9-Step “How to Change” guide get you a headed in the right direction.

Tune into the second episode of the series featuring Dr. Rick Lofgren and Charlie Piscitello, as they share their experiences navigating crisis.

Understanding your current state, capabilities, and future impact can help you come down the mountain at a pace that keeps you in control.

Recently, Root Inc. co-founder Jim Haudan met via video conference with Jim Boomgard, president and chief executive officer of DAI: International Development, and Joe Morgan, seasoned CEO, advisor and strategist, to get their insights on leadership during the Covid-19 crisis.

We can only be nimble when we have the right culture and agree on the behaviors that make it work. There are four primary behaviors that drive agility.

To maintain a positive culture that drives results, leaders need to constantly nurture it. Throw in a global pandemic and the need becomes exponentially greater precisely when we are most distracted. But positive culture in this environment is not optional – it’s necessary! Here are three strategies you can implement immediately.

Watch the first episode of the series featuring two seasoned CEOs, sharing their experiences navigating crisis at both large and small organizations.

Changing our behaviors to flatten the curve is a major societal change, but we go through the same phases when faced with change in our work. When your team is facing change – big or small – there are four elements to creating lasting change to consider and plan for.

As a leader, how do you clearly and concisely convey rapid business shifts to your people during times of uncertainty? How do you break through the noise?

Our natural reaction to change – the instinct to panic – hasn’t changed since the time of Heraclitus. It’s the way our brains are wired: change is a threat

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There has been a lot of great content put out about how to lead and engage your people and your organization in times like these. However, I haven’t come across much that is targeted at the individual. Yes, leaders need guidance, but as an individual I want advice on how best to navigate these difficult waters too.

What can I learn from this crisis in relation to helping people adopt new technologies in the workplace? For me, this is not just about the technology. It’s about people. It’s about learning. It’s about maintaining both personal and professional connections during a time when it’s very easy to feel isolated.

Watch our on-demand webinar to gather insights and best practices to become a culture champion and creating a remote culture movement in your company.

Watch our on-demand webinar to discover techniques to prepare your managers to engage a remote team confidently and effectively during uncertain times.

Thriving through change, rather than just surviving, requires (virtually) capturing t¬he voice of your employees and customers. These insights are valuable for your strategic decisions, and their engagement is critical to coming out of the present situation stronger than ever.

The big differentiator is how leaders empathize, engage, motivate, and capitalize on their talents and knowledge in the face of adversity.

Watch our on-demand webinar to gather tips on how a healthcare organization with over 50,000 employees utilized digital tools to strategically engage their distributed workforce.

Watch our on-demand webinar on tips and techniques of ways to create virtual engagement during times of uncertainty through real-life examples.

Leaders need to be thinking about how Coronavirus will impact all facets of their business. Regardless of the fear circulating, we needed to remain productive and leaders must develop plans that address the risks while striving to stick to normal operations as much as possible.

Today I'm discussing change & consistent CX. Today you need to either keep pace with change or risk failure. And when it coems to CX, organizations need to be consistent because the experiences created for customers are the pathway to success or failure.

While welcoming adversity might feel counterintuitive and against how most human brains are wired, the benefits are huge. So the next time you’re facing what you would normally consider an undesirable and unexpected problem, try hugging that thunderstorm of adversity. Odds are, you’re about to see your personal growth skyrocket.

Change is only as effective as its sustainment effort. You need people thinking about it, talking about it, doing something with it for change to stick.

Jennifer Brown provides a step-by-step guide for the personal and emotional journey we must undertake to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

Yes, bots are taking over the tactical, but they won’t replace the humans – they’re here to help humans focus on the bigger and more strategic issues of CX.

Watch our on-demand webinar for insights on preparing your health care organization for your 2020 strategy.

Each day, I work alongside a team of people who are equally passionate about proving that change is possible.

Not long ago, several of us at Root got a chance to work with a Division I college football team to help reestablish a high-performance culture and team.

My role, leading our CX team, gave me insight into how easy it is to initiate organizational change and how hard it is to sustain real change.

I had chosen to view this challenge as a threat rather than an opportunity. Of course I hadn’t seen progress; I had been operating with a “fixed mindset.”

Organizations struggle to successfully change, activate strategies, deliver greater customer experiences and unlock talent because of the same disconnects.

Creating change mindsets during financial downturns requires doubling down on engaging your people in your strategic priorities to maintain focus.

What kind of a decision-maker are you? Whether individual contributors, managers, or executive leaders, the decision-making process is very important.

Organizational change is unavoidable. Here are four tips to keep operations running smoothly amid change.

Values, purpose and mission should align to the work an organization does—and all the decisions made along the way

Watch our on-demand webinar to find out the key to being an agile, change-ready, organization and the tried and true accelerators to make change stick.

If we don’t have that clarity of purpose and direction from the why standpoint, then how much harder is it to envision what our desired future state?

Over the past 20 years, we have seen a proliferation of diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts in organizations. In some cases, the efforts have paid off.

This graduation season, I attended five graduation ceremonies. The volume is a bit uncommon for me, and the diversity of the students was even more unusual.

Change requires commitment, focus and a process that gives every single person in the company a connection to the strategy.

We’ve all heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” We have found that to be exceedingly true in business. As a matter of fact

Throughout my career, I’ve worked at places that focus on some of the biggest problems facing our nation. Defense. Security. Important stuff.

In this on-demand webinar, we profile our Root Compass® manager development experience and share the four things high-performing managers have in common.

Despite the well-documented power of storytelling, most leaders are just awful at telling stories. Learn seven ways to become a stellar storyteller now.

There is nothing better than working in an organization that has a great culture. According to Deloitte, 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe

I recently read an article in Fast Company about burying the term “work-life balance” and embracing “work-life fulfillment” instead. I don’t disagree.

The following is an excerpt from Erica Kewsin’s Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Design a Workplace That is Good for People

Watch our on-demand webinar to examine the organizational challenges facing businesses today, and learn a proven change process to accelerate change.

What will it take to be a place people not only want to work, but love to work? A persistent and consistent commitment to designing culture.

The fate of your strategy hinges on everyone in your organization getting their heads, hearts, and minds around a new way – the needed culture change.

If you are not considering your corporate culture and how that may or may not fare through M&A, you are likely doomed - it’s the lifeline of your company.

I always thought I was good with change – I adapt easily and I’ve thrived in a job where every day looks different. Turns out, I’m terrible at change.

Why is Dilbert funny? Mainly because it’s true. It may be exaggerated, but for many of us Scott Adams holds up a candid mirror of reality in the workplace

This excerpt from Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear is written to help leaders bring a renewed sense of joy

Want that next strategic initiative to be a success? It all comes down to focus. That means setting your priorities. Not an easy task.

January marks my one-year anniversary with Root Inc. As I reflect on the day I received the call to lead the Food & Hospitality practice, I remember

Fearlessness is enabled by creating a psychologically safe environment that makes it possible for productive disagreement and free exchange of ideas.

Strategy without execution is meaningless. Execution without engagement is impossible. What strategy questions are you asking yourself and other leaders?

Sustainment is the single secret to lasting change and can become the business strategy that helps your organization achieve the impossible.

When we understand why we gather – to acknowledge, to learn, to challenge, to change – we learn how to organize gatherings that are relevant and memorable

Do your people feel good about the ways your organization contributes to the community? Today, giving to the community is a vibrant part of our culture.

Growing up, coaches everywhere would say, “practice makes perfect.” But here’s the truth – it doesn’t! Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.

The purpose of strategic planning is not to make plans. It is to change the way that we think and act. It requires changing behaviors.

Does everyone in your organization have the opportunity to get recognition? I really value this particular question on the Great Place to Work survey

In your culture, are managers approachable and easy to talk to? This question highlights the importance of leadership approachability in workplace culture.

I grew up in a town of about 7,000 people in metro Detroit – a typical example of urban sprawl, whilst holding that “hometown vibe” close to the heart.

Vampires Inc., a global conglomerate, knew they needed to change their business model if they were going to continue to be relevant in their marketplace.

Get a solid view and understanding of your employees’ experiences, attitudes and behaviors and you’ll have the tools you need to create lasting change.

Here are three reasons executive parking spots are a clear indication that there are major barriers to change in an organization.

The topic of Talent Management is a broad, but extremely critical one that can mean a lot of different things to different people

Change is hard, but using these two words can make a big difference when trying to create big changes in your life or in your organization.

Steve Ramseur serves up the secret sauce on how JLL is building a culture of love that is creating a significant marketplace differentiation.

5 key elements for culture success that help you build a culture that attract customers, engage employees, and create purposeful and connected organization.

Find out with this quick 5 statement assessment if your leadership is ready to become a disruptor in the marketplace today.

Creating an engaging, positive experience that leaves room for failure instead of focusing on a goal creates meaningful change that lasts.

Be the disruptor, or be disrupted. Here are 6 things to think about to help you disrupt your marketplace and stay ahead of the competition.

Find out how companies deliberately build a culture of disruption that keeps them on the cutting-edge decade after decade in this on demand webinar.

Root is obsessed with culture, disrupting the norm, and has a proven processes to not only create change, but change that sticks.

While success should be celebrated, it's important to remember disruption is not a destination. Becoming a disruptor just puts a large target on your back.

Shifting business priorities can cause headaches, but by focusing on early wins and painting a positive picture makes a difference in long-term success.

Company culture must change to reflect societal trends, marketplace shifts and more. Here are three tips to a successful culture change.

Innovation at work is crucial for an organizations success in today's environment. Colby discusses ways to see if yours is ready for an innovation today.

No one remembers a memo, so why do we think they will create organizational change? Start making change stick them with visualization, data, and dialogue.

Proper change management (CM) ensures that change in an organization goes smoothly and has the desired impact. Learn how to manage change successfully.

Successful change from the top down means starting with the leaders. Jim Haudan gives leaders three areas to improve to deploy a successful strategy.

Inspiration increases effectiveness, spreads positivity, and helps people and organizations grow. Learn how to increase inspiration at your organization.

Is hiring for EQ the right decision? Explore what makes a good hire and why hiring for EQ still the matters in today's online world.

It can be tough to create an awesome strategy, send it out into the organization, and then see it go nowhere. Make sure your next strategy is a success.

Change is hard and sometimes you have to help employees change. Use these three tips to help make the next big change in the workplace a success.

The success of your research isn't dependent on how surprising the results are. Sometimes it's the little things that go a long way.

Millennials want to do their best, so take more than an hour to engage them in the big picture and show them how they fit into the new strategy.

Diversity and inclusion is powerful for innovation and problem solving in businesses. Learn how to make D&I work in your organization in 4 easy steps.

When you avoid a challenging situation out of fear or worry or potential embarrassment, you never get to benefit from the power of discovery.

Taco Bell leaders felt that Bold Future and the Root partnership made a great impact on the business and its thousands of restaurant and field leaders.

Syngenta worked closely with Root to coordinate the implementation details for this large, global effort to sustain strategic change.

San Diego County Regional Airport Authority chose Root for a program to help get clear and aligned on the strategy and help sustain it among stakeholders.

Pulte partnered with Root to explain to the company the new strategy, how the business would change, and what individuals needed to do differently.

Petco and Root created a transformation plan to build company trust in leaders, to see the goal was not only possible, but that everyone played a big part

The BCG Executive team approached Root to help them orchestrate a Leadership Forum to create a change process to address these issues and opportunities.

Long have we been talking about the transformation of HR and how its role and significance is shifting within our businesses. There is opportunity now for HR to evolve further and be a strategic contributor and influencer in the future success of our organizations. The workplace of the future is arriving—one where an all-inclusive talent … Continue reading “It’s Time for HR to be a Strategic Contributor”

If you want change and fresh ideas, don’t think about that same old box at all. The challenge is not in coming up with catchier ways to describe our goals.

Find out how Root Learning Map® Experiences give your people insights on why change, what's changing and how they can help create the change.

Creating a strong vision statement has an immense effect on your business. Learn how to create a vision statement that guides your organization to success.

While there is no magic fix for removing unconscious bias, there are things we can do to help prevent these biases from negatively impacting our workplace.

The excerpt from The Purpose Effect shows how Dan believes your personal purpose and workplace purpose can intersect.

On September 30th, Rich Berens and I were invited to a meeting at the White House focusing on how to create sustainable business practices

It has been more than 20 years since we first drew “The Canyon,” and yet it still evokes animated responses, chuckles, and reflections from anyone

When organizations strive to create customers for life or create exceptional customer experiences, there is understandably a large focus on journey mapping.

The cover story of the April 2016 Harvard Business Review (HBR) issue carried the headline, “You Can’t Fix Culture,” which challenged traditional views

Almost eight years ago, during one of the toughest economic times most people had experienced, I wrote an article for this newsletter discussing

In virtually every conversation I have with healthcare executives, at some point the discussion turns to the patient experience. Health systems have always

“Employee engagement.” The phrase first hit the scene in 1990, when William A. Kahn used it in an article he wrote for the Academy of Management Journal

“Bright spots” does not equal best practices. We sat down with research managers Kari Terzino and Sam Need for a behind-the-scenes look

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ (Emotional Quotient) as it is commonly called, emerged as a hot topic back in the mid-1980s. Yet, today EQ is more relevant

Risk taking leads to ideas and breakthroughs that can drive new business. In fact, the only way to be successful is to fail forward on purpose.

Millennials. They’re entering the workforce in droves, and they’re not very quiet about it.

We sat down with two Root executives this month – Founder and CEO Jim Haudan and Consultant (and millennial) Kara Davidson – to discuss personal purpose

Have you ever dated someone and come to the realization a few weeks into the relationship that the actual version of the person you’re dating is actually

Companies often have a hard time understanding why their junior or mid-level staff is frustrated with the direction of the company or with senior management

Scott Thompson was Yahoo’s CEO for only four months last year before he was fired for listing a bachelor’s degree in computer science that he didn’t have

Many organizations attempt to create a climate of accountability with robust performance management systems. The hope is that by building

Realism and truth telling are the heart of authentic engagement. But many organizations lack realism and by not embracing honesty and truth they are at risk

What do you do when you’re caught in the mire or having analysis paralysis? How to make better decisions in life and work

DuPont Pioneer leaders wanted to increase employee engagement with better clarity, alignment and focus on the company strategy, its process and growth plans

A study revealed seven areas where leaders can make changes in the workplace that would have a significant impact on the organization

Check out this short 10-minute webinar from Root CEO, Jim Haudan, who shares some details on these four areas where leaders can help build trust.

Realism and truth telling are at the heart of authentic engagement. However, many organizations lack this realism. And the higher you go the more rare

“The most empowering condition of all is when the entire organization is aligned with its mission, and people’s passions and purpose are in synch

Tackling strategic change/transformation is never easy – and tackling it without being fully prepared sets an organization up for failure.

Whether its training, implementing a new process, or embracing a strategy – technology plays a critical role in how we absorb data and work on a daily basis

College Basketball. UCLA. Ten NCAA National Championship titles in 12 years, seven of those consecutively. Coach: John Robert Wooden.

Research on high performers and their daily practices sheds light on effective habits and routines that should be encouraged across the entire organization.

Despite the strides women have made in the workplace, there is still significant work to do. How does your organization support the evolving role of women?

To truly understand how business is won and how successful work gets done is what helps an organization make the right “on” the business decisions

If you want a high-performing organization, the good news is, it's not that difficult to identify those things that really yield high performance.

The voice of fear and limitation can easily change your growth mindset from being intensely focused on being better, to being consumed with being bitter.

Be sure to be create an organization where people feel safe to tell the truth because honesty is the best policy.

If the strategy isn't clear and the executive team and board of directors weren't aligned on the it, they would never be able to bring the strategy to life.

Driving change is one of the hardest things to do. Approaching it as you would to form a new habit helps make it manageable and achievable.

When navigating change there must be an understanding of how everyone involved is a part of the bigger picture to create high performing teams

Leaders commonly when the business isn’t performing - “we must have the wrong people or management team in place” – and they initiate a structure change.

Don’t just look at the technology enablement, but also the shift in IT culture and the norms required for mobility to thrive in your organization

I think great performers and CEOs often have an uncanny ability to refine special skills of extraordinary anticipation and exceptional peripheral vision. A great illustrative point of that concept is hockey great Wayne Gretzy’s famous quote: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going … Continue reading “Decisions without Commitment – a Recipe for Strategic Failure”

If you think constant change is some-thing new, step back in time with me to the days of the Old West. Let’s see what happened in Yesterday Town

Over the last few years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with dozens of Fortune 500 organizations to aid them in the development or deployment of their strategic plan. The strategic planning process usually starts with some form of “data gathering” or “insights generation” intended to challenge perceived norms and provide an input to the … Continue reading “Your People, an Overlooked Ingredient in Making Your Strategy Viable”

It isn't culture vs strategy. It's culture, strategy and vision. Combining all three will ensure your company will have success.

After all, evolving who you are – embarking on workplace culture change –doesn’t happen without self-reflection, discovery, and commitment

A people strategy is going to have a greater impact than a mere product launch. Learn why investing in your people is as important as a product launch.

Few opportunities for building trust are as profound as a leader’s role in creating a “safe haven” for difficult conversations, decisions, and strategy execution – an environment where people feel it is safe to say what they really think and what they think is best for their organization.  Members of a team often define a … Continue reading “A Leader’s Role in Creating a Safe Haven”

Engaging the entire company in the strategic change enables people to understand how they fit and how they can best enact the change that is needed.

Planning for change and viewing it as a life cycle will deliver those first steps of success and be a critical ingredient to ensure sustained execution.

I love a good provocative philosophical debate! A classic example: Are we who we are because of nature or nurture? Most people will say its both

I recently started boxing to get in shape. Yesterday, I sparred with the instructor for the first time. I got hit directly in the face at least 60 times and landed three punches of my own. Leaving the gym exhausted and somewhat humiliated, I thought, “I should just stick with the things I’m good at. … Continue reading “Innovation is like Getting Punched in the Face Sixty Times.”

Create a culture targeted at aligning organizational focus, capability, systems, and processes to enable the unique and differentiated value of each company

The culture of competence is undermined when leaders aren’t clear or aligned on the unique competence created and employees don't understand its value.

I was speaking at Owens-Corning the other day about the reason for strategies.  Companies create strategies so they can continue to grow.  And to grow companies and the people in them, there are six components: Embrace Reality. In more than 20 years in business consulting, we’ve learned that change and growth can occur naturally if … Continue reading “Six Ways to Lead Change, Build Teams, and Make It Personal”

One day last week I walked into the neighborhood sub shop to grab some lunch. I dropped off my laptop at a table and went to the counter to order

When it comes to mergers, a compelling Day 1 is the first step, a very powerful step, in creating a thriving single organization.

In the Jan/Feb issue of The Watercooler, we talked about trends for 2010.  There seems to be an increasing panic in the area of Learning & Performance centered around technology and Millennials entering the workforce…pushing everyone to be on the cutting edge.  I’m not convinced that Millennials are overwhelming the workforce; Boomers and X’ers still … Continue reading “Reflecting on the Past to Handle the Future in Learning and Performance”

Lou Piniella, former Chicago Cubs general manager, was about to start his final baseball game before he retired. It was basically a meaningless game to the Cubs since they were well out of any hope for post-season play – and they lost this game by 11 runs – but it sure wasn’t meaningless to Lou … Continue reading “There’s No Crying in Baseball”

There is a saying, “Hope springs eternal,” that often gets used in sports at the beginning of a new season. It is a time when players, coaches, and fans get excited about the possibilities and potential of what lies ahead. It is a time when we seem to be willing to shift our energy from … Continue reading “2011: Leading in the New Year”

Corporate Strategy Execution is important, fast, and difficult. Get a head start on your next strategy roll-out with these Five Fundamental Truths.

During a merger or acquisition, it’s critical to consider corporate culture. The required cultural change often represents the soft underbelly of a merger or acquisition. Everyone agrees that it’s important, but it often takes a back seat to the stated cost synergies to be achieved and the new organizational footprint to be established. Without addressing … Continue reading “Culture Change in M&A”

Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” On a plane last week, the second we touched down, I observed most people around me

During an integration, time is of the essence. With every day that goes by, the cost synergies that formed the rationale for the integration dissolve as a

When we think about the “future of workplace learning,” it sounds like a big, heady topic best left to the academic elite to solve.

In deciding what they will do – and do differently – to respond to today’s business challenges, organizations have moved onboarding up on the priority list.

Some companies emerge from an economic downturn stronger and more highly valued than they were before the economy soured.

One of the fastest ways to provide a common understanding is through a story or a visual. Film marries both approaches in less time.