The change mindset : the psychology of leading and thriving in an uncertain world

Change and uncertainty aren't going away. You can help your team navigate the storm and embrace them. In The Change Mindset , leadership development expert Andy Craggs unpicks the main reasons why teams fail when it comes to dealing with change and navigating uncertainty. He defines the common traps that lead to failure; from not allowing yourself to reimagine the possible, mimicking the behaviour that your competition has shown when dealing with change, to doubting yourself and your team. Leading through change requires business leaders to be courageous and to show empathy, both for themselves and their people. With those attributes, this book, which is steeped in behavioural and organizational psychology analysis, catapults you to developing meaningful and long-lasting adaptability and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Join the author in his exploration of transitions, and hear from world-renowned business, academia, arts and social enterprise leaders who share their own dealings with change. They show us the way in how they have grown to manage change for themselves and the people around them. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of figures and tables 12 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction: The road to Shigatse 18 1 What is transitional change and why is it prone to failure? 26 What is transitional change? 26 Why is transitional change accelerating in today’s world? 28 What transitions do we face as leaders in a VUCA world? 32 What behavioural science can tell us about change and transitions 34 What is the risk of this change resistance for leaders? 38 Navigating transitions – light at the end of the tunnel 40 Summary of key points 41 2 Our shared human experience as a metaphor for leading change 42 The road not taken 42 Life Stages: our shared human experience 45 Benefits and blind spots of the developmental stages 46 What life stages can teach us about navigating transitions 51 Life stage lessons in practice 52 The role of synchronicity in transitions 55 Synchronicity in practice 55 Developing conscious skills to leverage synchronicity 57 Summary of key points 61 3 Person, passion, permission, purpose: The four tenets of powerful change leadership 62 Translating life stages into change levers for action 64 The four tenets of powerful change leadership: Person, passion, permission, purpose 68 Person: Who am I? 70 Passion: What are my gifts? 72 Permission: How do I realize my potential? 74 Purpose: Why have I chosen this path? 77 The shadow side of who, what, how and why 81 Person: The shadow side 81 Passion: The shadow side 83 Permission: The shadow side 84 Purpose: The shadow side 84 Summary of key points 85 4 Building a Change Mindset through courage and empathy 88 Unlocking our Change Mindset 89 Why courage and empathy? 90 What is courageous leadership? 92 Taking heart 93 Courageous coaching 94 Courageous leadership in practice 95 What is empathic leadership? 98 Empathic leadership in practice 100 The role of self-empathy 102 Combining courage and empathy to build a powerful Change Mindset 103 Building empathy from courage 103 Building courage from empathy 106 Courage and empathy as the new drivers of business change 110 Summary of key points 112 5 The FAIL behaviors: Transition traps and how to recognize them 114 Transition traps: What gets in the way? 115 Transition trap 1: Framing the future 117 Transition trap 2: Asking for options 121 Transition trap 3: Imitation and the danger of mimicry 125 Transition trap 4: Limitation and the imposter syndrome 129 Summary of key points 133 6 The SPARK practices: Transition triggers and how to use them 134 Transition trigger 1: Spirit – finding our essential self 135 Transition trigger 2: Partnership – the power of other people 139 Transition trigger 3: Alternatives – the pursuit of possibilities 143 Transition trigger 4: Reason – evaluating and making sense of our choices 147 Transition trigger 5: Knowledge – using purpose to guide action 149 Summary of key points 151 7 The transitions masterclass: Dreamers, drivers, shapers and sherpas 154 Why a masterclass? 154 Why we need change mastery 155 Dreamers: Exploring our world 158 Drivers: Know thyself 162 Shapers: The art of permission 166 Sherpas: Leading change through purpose and meaning 172 The Change Mindset and the arc of human development 177 Summary of key points 178 8 The Change Mindset toolkit: How to improve decision-making in uncertainty 180 Our journey so far 180 Tool 1: The change lifeline 183 Tool 2: The courage and empathy pyramid 185 Tool 3: The change readiness index 189 Tool 4: The archetype finder 195 Tool 5: The life stage ladder 202 Conclusion 205 Taking the time to build your Change Mindset 205 9 Dramatis personae: Lessons from powerful leaders on navigating change 208 Management and leadership 208 Academia and education 210 Health and life sciences 211 Business and technology 212 Banking, finance and professional services 213 Social enterprise, conservation and NGOs 214 Government and politics 215 Fashion, art and design 216 Conclusion 217 The road from Shigatse 220 References 222 Index 230 The pace and magnitude of change for businesses and their leaders have reached new dizzying heights. Courageously and empathetically leading your team through change is a necessity that has rarely been felt more urgently than now. In Leading Through Transitions , leadership development expert Andy Craggs unpicks the main reasons why teams fail when it comes to dealing with change and navigating uncertainty. He defines the common traps that lead to failure; from not allowing yourself to reimagine the possible, mimicking your behaviour to how your competition has reacted to change, to doubting yourself and your team. Leading through change requires business leaders to be courageous and to show empathy, both for themselves and their people. With those attributes, this book, which is steeped in behavioural and organizational psychology analysis, catapults you to developing meaningful and long-lasting adaptability and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Join the author in his exploration of transitions, and hear from world-renowned business, academia, arts and social enterprise leaders who share with him how they have grown to manage change for themselves and the people around them. Change and uncertainty aren't going away. You can help your team navigate the storm and embrace them. "In The Change Mindset, leadership development expert Andy Craggs unpicks the main reasons why teams fail when it comes to dealing with change and navigating uncertainty. He defines the common traps that lead to failure; from not allowing yourself to reimagine the possible, mimicking the behaviour that your competition has shown when dealing with change, to doubting yourself and your team. Leading through change requires business leaders to be courageous and to show empathy, both for themselves and their people. With those attributes, this book, which is steeped in behavioural and organizational psychology analysis, catapults you to developing meaningful and long-lasting adaptability and resilience in the face of uncertainty"-- Provided by publisher