“Managers wishing to be successful in bringing about change will enjoy reading this book through twice in one afternoon and then start putting the suggestions and guidance into practice that evening. It is delightfully lean: it contains just the material needed for the purpose and leaves out unnecessary verbiage.”
Professor Richard Lamming, Manchester Business School
“Anyone who has to make change happen in an organization will find this book invaluable. Paul Adams and Mike Straw show how to deploy powerful change ideas and techniques in simple, practical, manageable ways with lots of examples and useful summaries – a terrific handbook for delivering change.”
Neil Rodgers, former Chief People Officer, Egg plc
“This book is a ‘must' for those intent on delivering – and sustaining – true transformational change in their organizations. The real life case studies described in the book provide a compelling demonstration of the effectiveness of their approach, which is explained in clear, concise terms. I highly commend it.”
Mike Hughes, Director General, ISBA (The Voice of British Advertisers) and formerly CEO, Guinness GB
“The powerful principles in this book will forever alter how leaders approach change and empower teams to deliver outstanding change by cutting through the noise and focusing on breakthrough results. A must-read!”
Andy Weymann, Medical Director, Smith & Nephew
“In a time where change is exponential, leading change is an essential skill for every modern leader. This book, drawn upon insights gained from real business experience, is a refreshing alternative to existing ‘run of the mill' and more academic approaches. It is highlighting, in a very accessible manner, the importance of contextual adaptation and of human centric design. A page turner, full of inspiring examples, practical analogies and down-to-earth advice on how to design and implement change in an effective, more engaging and sustainable manner.”
Caroline Vanovermeire, Founder of Effra Consult, former Director Organisational Development – Global Support Functions, Barclays PLC and Principal at Heidrick & Struggles
“Need a primer on engaging your team and managing through change? This volume has what you need. As a practitioner with over 25 years of business experience leading change, I've had the pleasure of working with both Paul and Mike over the last decade plus. These two have seen it all, and now they are sharing their knowledge and experience in an accessible, practical book. Follow their guidance – it works...and enjoy the read along the way.”
Elizabeth S. Bolgiano, SVP Human Resources, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc
This edition first published 2016
© 2016 Paul Adams and Mike Straw
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Some individuals never reach the level of success they are capable of or aspire to.
Even good companies can struggle, and even the most talented individuals can fall short of what they could or wish to achieve. We have been fortunate enough to work in leadership positions where we were able to achieve great results, alongside talented fellow leaders and staff. It’s time to share some of that experience with others like yourself who aspire to great things.
We have had the chance to work with many fabulous organizations, CEOs and inspiring leaders, we wanted to capture the common principles that make transformation successful. After all, so many organizations see the need for change and understand the urgency, but somewhere between that insight and the actual action needed, there is a gap.
We have worked with each other for many years and experienced many of the case studies we share with you. Our aim is both to help others improve, and to provide a new and broader perspective for those looking to deliver effective and transformational change. This book is committed to true transformation, to enable leaders to predictably and consistently make extraordinary things happen by design, again and again.
We would like to thank all those who were involved in the real-life experiences mentioned in this book, and we hope that when they read the contents it brings back good memories. We also give a big thank you to all the staff at Achieve Breakthrough who have committed to developing the heart of the Breakthrough work. Their commitment has meant we have been recognized again and again as the place to go to unleash the power of people to deliver remarkable performance.
We would also like to mention Achieve Breakthrough’s sister organization – Inventing Futures. Inventing Futures provides young people aged 9 to 24 with new ways of thinking and acting, shifting ambition, mindsets and behaviours to enable fulfilling lives. One of the purposes of this book is to support our aim in developing young leaders through providing leadership programmes. You can find out more at www.inventingfutures.org.