The Little Black Book of Change

All too often, change efforts fail to deliver on their promise. However it is possible to turn an organization around quickly to create a new future — one where people think and behave differently and deliver extraordinary results together. Whether you are the chairman, a board director or an aspiring senior executive, The Little Black Book of Change provides a practical, concise and insightful guide to understanding your organization and inventing something extraordinary. It is not about ‘run of the mill' change programmes. It is about delivering extraordinary results — something that is not at all predictable. It will be your insight into creating significant shifts in the way people think and behave which can be applied in any area you wish; from improving service levels to cost reductions, innovation or increasing market share.

• Demystifies organisational transformation in 7 practical steps
• Based on real business case studies
• Grounded and accessible, rather than purely from theoretical models or processes
• The authors have 25 years' experience of implementing and facilitating transformations change
• Visit http://www.littleblackbookofchange.com/

A note from the authors vii

Introduction 1

Shift 1: Letting go of the past 15

Shift 2: Developing breakthrough ambition 27

Shift 3: Creating a bold new vision of the future 39

Shift 4: Engaging the players in the bold new future 57

Shift 5: Cut ting through the DNA 75

Shift 6: Keeping the organization future-focused 93

Shift 7: Gaining energy from setbacks 109

Summary 127

Final thoughts 137

About the authors 139

Acknowledgements 141

The extraordinary people club... 143

"There's much wisdom in these short chapters." (PQ Magazine, June 2016)

"...this book is a worthwhile read, good value for money and will be welcomed by change practitioners seeking to consolidate their understanding of the change process." (BCS, April 2016)

"This book is a useful behavioural prompt for change leaders – hammering home the practices needed to enable change." (People Management, March 2016)

"The authors' decades of experience resonate through the writing." (Project, March 2016)

"Short, sharp and filled with loads of useful information. Just like a little black book should be." (HR Network Scotland, March 2016)

"...provides a practical, concise and insightful guide to understanding your organisation and inventing something extraordinary...we love this book!" (The Marketing Academy, March 2016)

Mike Straw, UK founded Achieve Breakthrough in 2003, a leading organizational change consultancy whose 12 global consultants work closely with clients to deliver bespoke Breakthrough Programmes, enabling them to achieve and sustain significant step changes and business performance improvements. Achieve Breakthrough was recognized as Consultancy of the Year in 2013 by the CIPD, demonstrating the company's impact over the past 10 years.
Mike has 25 years' experience in industry working with large corporations such as Roche, Novartis, PepsiCo, Diageo, Heineken, Microsoft, AMEX and Large Acute NHS hospitals. Mike is a regular speaker on the topic of transformative and cultural change. He is connected to Bath University Business School (UK) and Duke University (USA) where he runs the innovation and leadership transformation sections of their MBA programmes.

Paul Adams is CEO for Glory Global Solutions where he leads the global management team for the new business. He has a 20 year history in leadership/delivering organizational change to brands such as Diageo, The Co-Operative and Smith & Nephew plc. He has a wealth of knowledge from senior executive roles in healthcare, consumer products and retail sectors. Previous experience includes board, management and commercial roles with a number of FTSE100 companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia; delivering key expertise in areas covering new production development, large and complex commercial deals, major global operations and manufacturing.

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE THAT LASTS

The modern marketplace demands organizational agility and responsiveness and yet up to 75% of transformation efforts fail to deliver on their promise.

Achieve something extraordinary. Make your vision a reality.

In this little black book, change experts Paul Adams and Mike Straw draw on decades of experience and real-world business case studies to help you change minds, engage people and deliver exceptional results:

• Shift the way people think and behave
• Adopt the seven steps to transformation
• Overcome challenges to deliver results
• Create a bold new future for your organization
• Think creatively and work through discomfort

Transformation is not for the faint-of-heart! Navigating through uncharted territory requires a clear purpose, a will to succeed and the belief and desire to solve the most difficult of challenges. This is your handy guide to a new and brighter future.