I once worked with the Director of a federal agency with a 7,000+ person workforce spread thinly over 70 countries. Together with the senior team we designed a change initiative that would only work if it was led by volunteers.Mandating behavior change was not an option. Actually, this is no different than any other initiative. …
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Leadership: Change Leaders
Change Leaders are the people who steer the change experience. They may or may not be formally recognized by the organizational hierarchy. They use the project plan as a roadmap, doing whatever it takes to achieve the best possible outcome. In complex organizations there is always a core group of change leaders. To accelerate positive …
Leadership: Article about Seth by Sue Darcey: Seth Kahan: Changing the Nature of Leadership, One Story at a Time
by Sue Darcey Former World Bank Knowledge Management Program Director, Steve Denning, likes to tell the tale of how he first discovered that storytelling could motivate others to achieve their best work. “I stumbled on the power of storytelling after many years as a manager. I learnt a great deal about how story could be …
Leadership: Communication Under Pressure for Leaders
Seth is a motivational speaker and keynote speaker. He uses storytelling and communication exercises to help build strong business communities and ignite positive organizational change. Pressure can come from a variety of sources both planned (e.g., a board presentation or meeting with your CEO), and unplanned (e.g., a natural disaster or terrorist action). Your needs …
Leadership: Every Professional has Stories to Tell
Seth is a motivational speaker and keynote speaker. He uses storytelling and communication exercises to help build strong business communities and ignite positive organizational change. Human beings have been telling stories since the dawn of language. Evidence points to narrative as the way the human brain is wired. We learn by making sense of the …
Leadership: Interview of Gail Williams – Leadership Alchemy
Interviewed by Seth Kahan, April 2006 1995-96 Gail Williams of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center supported the President’s Commission of Advisors on Science and Technology, and the National Science and Technology Council. This private- and public-sector collaboration worked on establishing policy and leveraging resources in the pursuit of a national science and technology agenda. Today …
Leadership: Interview of John Kotter – The Power of Storytelling
Interviewed by Seth Kahan, March 2006 John Kotter, is an expert on leadership at the Harvard Business School. He has been the premier voice on how the best organizations actually “do” change. His books have been reprinted in eighty foreign language editions, and total sales are approaching two million copies. His articles in the Harvard …
Leadership: Leading from the Middle
By Seth Kahan and Raj Chawla Top-down command-and-control leadership is not enough to get results in today’s workplace. There are three reasons: Increasing levels of economic, political, and social complexity Equal access to information at all levels in organizations More sophisticated and empowered customers and stakeholders Things move fast. Stakes are high. Agility, speed, and …
Leadership: Leading in Complex Organizations
Many of the organizations I work with are complex. This means they have one or more of the three attributes which make leadership particularly difficult: Geographic distribution – employees, customers, and partners are spread around the country, region, or the globe. Each physical location creates separation, challenging alignment. Multi-disciplinary – staff members have differing professional …
Leadership: Visionary Leadership
Seth is a motivational speaker and keynote speaker. He uses storytelling and communication exercises to help build strong business communities and ignite positive organizational change. Article first published in Executive Update, April 2002 Visionary leadership is transformative. It involves greatness, penetrating the ordinary, and reaching through time to bring out the best the world has …