As a change management speaker and change management breakout session speaker my greatest passion is to help organizations manage change, and respond to change in challenging times. I think we would all agree that as a society, in the past decade, nothing has changed us as much as COVID. Clearly, we can always point to the rise of Facebook users, YouTube uploads, the appearance of Bitcoin, the increase in...
As an online negotiation skills speaker and in-person change management speaker, I am interested in the popular phrase the “new normal”, or sometimes “the new now.” The problem is that “the new now” is a moving target and as a change management speaker, I know all too well that executives often have trouble keeping up with the change. A Millennial in Trouble Recently, I was made aware of a...
In my virtual podcasts and live video conferencing on negotiating pharma industry change, I’m mindful of an irony. On one hand, the industry offers a wide range of innovative pain management solutions, with more coming every day. But on the other hand, there are few – if any – pain management techniques to help pharma sales reps manage the rapid changes around them. I am not being flippant. Change...
As a change management speaker, both in my virtual and in-person talks, I tell my audiences that navigating change is all about negotiation. It is your life skills that let you frame the negotiation. Let me give you an unfortunate, but worthwhile example. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a Disease. How We Face it is a Negotiation. We are currently locked in a battle against an unseen foe: the...
This is the fourth part in our series on managing change, with motivational change management speaker Mike Hourigan on change and employee fears of changes of direction. Where Do I Go from Here? As a keynote speaker and breakout speaker I often give sessions on change management and helping employees overcome the fears of facing new directions in their jobs, I often hear stories of valued employees, employees with...
This is the third part in our series on managing change, with motivational change management speaker Mike Hourigan on change and employee security fears. It is About Trust As a change management speaker who delivers keynote addresses on helping employees avoid job security fears, I emphasize that change is not the problem, rather dreading the changes before they occur is the problem. The fear of change translates into resistance,...
In this, the second part of our series on managing change, inspirational change management speaker on change and employee relationships Mike Hourigan discusses how change affects employee relations. In today’s organization, relationships with co-workers are dynamic. Certainly, remote and contract workers come and go, and those we may work with for years may move away, retire or change positions. Even those changes are anticipated; for example, “Marge,” the CFO,...
One of my roles as a change management speaker for companies and organizations in transition is to relay to executives that change almost always brings fears of competence. Managing change isn’t about explaining to employees “not to be afraid,” but helping them to get over the fear of what change is going to do to them. As a change management inspirational keynote speaker, I hear many moving stories of...
In my work as a change management speaker for industry meetings, I as a change management speaker generally find that change management processes take one direction. The usual change management direction is that management advises, even dictates change, and all of the good soldiers are expected to quickly conform and cope. Easier Said than Done Though the article is dated, the prestigious Harvard Business Review talked of The Hard...
I know it may sound strange, but whenever I deliver a motivational keynote speech on managing change, I easily recall my youth and the days we spent on the beach. Managing change is a great deal like negotiating the ocean. The tides change, in or out, if you’re not careful strong waves can knock you down, and sometimes the best strategy is to negotiate with the ocean; giving in...
Change Management Speaker is critical when it comes to safety. As I deliver keynote speeches and lead breakout sessions to organizations on navigating safety change, I know the challenges but ultimately the benefits that change can bring. As opposed to many issues that affect companies, as a former production worker myself, I know what happens if safety regulations are ignored. Disregarding safety directly affects lives. Change management might be...
As a Dallas Change Keynote Speaker, one topic I am frequently asked to present is the challenge of the “blended office,” the so-called intergenerational office. It’s a mixed blessing of challenges, but also tremendous upside. The Challenge The intergenerational office is more than saying, “We’ve got young guys and old guys.” In fact, there are five groups in the modern office setting, with each group having varying values, work...
What Would Robert Kennedy Think of Twitter? It was Robert Kennedy Jr. who said “Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.” Though RFK would have been 94 on this date, he would have easily understood the need to champion change in today’s society and modern workplace. I would venture that had his life not been cut so short, RFK would have...
Found: The Darkest Bulb in the Chandelier! As a keynote speaker, I am honored speak to professional associations nationwide on the many challenges of managing change. One important aspect I talk about in regard to change is that the organizations that are most successful in navigating around challenges are those that give their people the permission to think. Giving employees the go-ahead to think about how to work out...
Where’s My Assigned Parking Space? There’s a supposedly true story about the corporate officer who called all of her organization’s department heads together for a serious meeting. Pounding the table to emphasize key points, she said “We must immediately make sweeping changes to our culture. Everyone must be valued. No one, and I mean no one, is better than anyone else!” The next day, she just about lost it...
It may sound redundant, but it’s true. A simple fact of life is that people change. While change management is a holistic and long-term strategy of preparing teams and other stakeholders for change and guiding them through the challenges arising from it, sometimes a change management strategy just isn’t solely about organization-wide change management itself.
It’s about people’s reaction to change. How people themselves also change over time.
Culture...