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Article by Kevin Rowe

Let me start with a story about a conversation that I am sure many have had at some stage.

I was having a coffee with a friend recently and after catching up with what was happening in each other’s life we started to reflect on people we had worked with over the years. Eventually we got to the question of ‘so whatever happened to’ at which time Bob’s name came up.

My companion said Bob is still around but things have gone pretty badly of late, so my friend related the story to me.

Bob was recently being coached in leadership skills and was making progress but it was tough going. It seems Bob had been in senior management for many years and this new leadership stuff was really challenging his habits, habits that he had developed over many years. Bob’s leadership skills which were poor at the best of time had become entrenched and had never been challenged by his employer.

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Article by Malcolm Anderson

People talk about culture in organisations as if it is something tangible - an asset (or of course a liability), and yet at the same time culture is treated with some awe because it is also intangible in the sense of seeming to be out of anyone’s control. You also hear people talking about the need to fix the culture as if that will make everything OK. Achieving the right culture is often cited as the most important thing a leader can focus on to deliver sustainable bottom-line results.

Defining culture is notoriously difficult and as most who have written on the subject and everyone who has designed an instrument to try to measure it have their own theories to confuse the issue. Here at changedrivers we take a particularly pragmatic view given that if you are not careful, you could spend much time and money and not get a useful result (whatever that might be). Simply put, the culture of an organisation can be described as the propensity for the people of the organisation to tend to behave in particular ways in given circumstances. As with many instruments, this can be demonstrated by providing contexts or cases in which to measure what those propensities are.

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Youth in the City

My strong impression of ‘Youth In The City’ (YiTC) is of a group of committed, caring, well organised Youth Workers running a wide range of support schemes and brimming over with enthusiasm and ideas to help the youth of Canberra. High on the list of their many achievements the Coordinator, Debbie Haworth, lists ‘Struggling to keep many of the projects running on a shoestring’. This is the third in a series of articles relating to the projects supported by changedrivers.

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Coaching for Organisational Performance

We at changedrivers are excited to announce the establishment of our new business coaching practice. This new capacity enables us to offer our clients a range of coaching services that are designed to build capability in your organisation through your people.

Our coaching approach is based on our research and experience and with an appreciation of the challenges individuals face in changing times. Our coaching practice is structured around three themes.

Coaching for Growth for people within your organisation who want to reach new levels of achievement. They know what to do; the coaching is designed to draw out their insights and for your people to act on their potential.

Transformation coaching is designed to help middle managers move from the role of expert to become the leader of experts. Our coaches enable your people to draw on their own knowledge and to understand and tackle the challenges they face as they move to the new role of leader in your organisation.

Executive Coaching for the senior manager grappling with organisational change, and building capability while continuing to deliver organisational outcomes. Their challenge is satisfying these competing demands and finding time to contribute to the strategic questions their organisation faces.   

Please call Kevin Rowe on 02 6260 7558 or 0427 518 183 if you would like to discuss coaching and how we might be able to help your organisation.

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Spring Drinks in Canberra

On Tuesday 31 October we held our 2nd charity cocktail party in Canberra at the Federal Golf Club, Red Hill.

Mr John McManus from The Smith Family gave an inspiring address about their “Learning for Life” program and The Smith Family’s mission of unlocking opportunities for disadvantaged families.  Learning for Life has provided educational opportunities for approximately 22,200 students in the past year. It has helped disadvantaged Australians have the opportunity to create better outcomes for themselves, their children and their families.

The evening was a great success and through the generosity of our clients, we raised $373 for The Smith Family. 

Learning for Life is one of changedrivers selected charities and more details can be found at:

http://www.smithfamily.com.au/index.cfm?pageid=2558&pid=2534

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New Sponsorship for the Website

changedrivers has recently agreed a new sponsorship to provide support for community rugby. From August 2006 we have been sponsoring the MNZ (Metropolitan North Zone) referees in Sydney. This is the largest referees society in Australia and provides voluntary referees for around 150 matches of all age groups every weekend between March and August.

We are proud to play our part supporting young people, volunteers and parents in maintaining the strength of community sport. Here Malcolm Anderson, hands over new tracksuits to Robert Briggs, President, and Peter Higgins, Secretary, of MNZ Referees Association.

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Creative Wit

As we approach Christmas I am inclined to propose a website that is at one insightful and at the same time more light-hearted than usual. And here it is. It is called Creative Wit and it is full of wonderful quotes and soundbites for every subject under the sun. Because we are about helping people and organisations gain through change it is incumbent upon me to have you start at these two pages:

http://creativewit.com/change.html

http://creativewit.com/change2.html

But after that you can relax and go to the home page and pick a few lighter topics and send them to your friends – Merry Christmas!

http://creativewit.com/topics.html

Malcolm Anderson

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The Wizard and the Warrior

Author: Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E.Deal

Why use wizards and warriors as models for leadership? Because, as Peter Drucker once said, everything you learned is wrong – at best, it is misleading and insufficient. You typically learn in school, workshops and seminars that if you can manage the work and serve the people, you have what it takes. It's not true. Maybe you have enough stuff to be a pretty good manager, but it takes much more to be a good leader.

This book gives leaders the insight and courage they need to take risks on behalf of the values they cherish and the people they guide. Great leaders must act both as wizards, calling on imagination, creativity, meaning and magic, and as warrior, mobilising strength, courage and willingness to fight as necessary to fulfil their mission.

In addition, this book will show you:

• How to surprise your constituents by showing them possibilities they never imagined.

• Where to find transformational opportunities that exist everywhere and in every moment.

• How to attain the warrior's power and the wizard's magic with effort, passion and continual learning.

• How great leaders have found confidence in themselves and passion for their cause.

Read more at: www.angusrobertson.com.au

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