I think the thing I enjoyed most about Ashley Goodall’s The Problem with Change is the author’s cynicism about corporate America. In places it’s a little bit of a diatribe, but what can I say, I love it. I love it all the more that it comes from someone who successfully navigated the Byzantine ladder of advancement that is Corporate America – this is someone who succeeded in the system enough to add extra weight to the deconstruction of why the system itself is nonsense.
The core thesis of the book is that there is too much change for change’s sake, and a lack of evidence that backs that up as driving effectiveness. In fact the opposite. Human flourishing and human productivity are entwined, and the things that make the best conditions for that are themselves quite human.
- Make space – don’t control people, create the conditions for effectiveness.
- Forge undeniable competence – understand strengths and unique value, and how it delivers value.
- Share secrets – belonging is not driven by corporate values statements but by information that is specific and more meaningful.
- Be predictable – leaders who are consistently defined by the people multiple levels drive more impact.
- Speak real words – remove corporate jargon and buzz words and be clear about what is.
- Honor ritual – ritual is a core way to create belonging, and consistently is the most important aspect.
- Focus most on teams – teams are the units that drive results (and also the strength of the team is one of the strongest predictor of engagement scores).
- Radicalize HR – HR needs to align with employee flourishing rather than business metrics.
- Pave the way – look at making the paths people do take easier, rather than defining new paths.
Some things in the list are easier to implement than others; it’s not the most directly actionable book. But it gave me many things to think about, and was worth the time to read.