Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out

Summary

Getting Change Right presents a new view of leadership communication that says change doesn't flow top-down, bottom-up, or sideways, but inside-out. When the right people are having the right conversations and interactions, then they act in concert even though the situations they confront independently are impossible to predict or coordinate... this is how change spreads through a complex system. In this book, Kahan challenges readers with a new model of communication, one that moves from a transactional view of information exchange (Here's my message. Get it?) to a collaborative construction of shared understanding (Let's talk together about what this means to each of us and how it will change all of us). This shift in leadership communication forms the basis of Getting Change Right. Kahans experience with Fortune 100 companies, leading government agencies, and innovative associations has shown him that there is a whole different way to approach change that leads to dramatic success. It feeds on (1) authentic face-to-face conversations among those whose understanding and behavior have critical impact, the most valuable players, or MVPs, and (2) dramatic events that capture the spirit of the change and spread it in powerful surges. This approach is just as much about listening as it is about telling a process Kahan calls co-creation. Getting Change Right draws on Kahans years of experience as a hands-on practitioner, offering business insights and field-tested, practical techniques that readers can put to work immediately to achieve success.