CHANGE TALK

I recently had the honor of attending the 175^th Anniversary celebration of Miss Porter’s School, where a high caliber panel of neuroscientists discussed how the mind construes meaning from the arts and ultimately gains joy from the process.

Women are ambitious. Women are determined. Women are successful. In history as well as in modern life, women have done the impossible – and that, oftentimes, under more than difficult circumstances. 

Your organization has a shadow – whether you want it or not. That shadow is always there; it is part of a natural process. However, the shadow is most likely to interfere with your ambitions and strategies during phases of organizational change, and often in unexpected ways.

Company leaders often wish for an organizational culture change, to make their companies more agile, innovative and growth-oriented. What many forget though, is that culture is deeply rooted in the organization’s DNA and unique history. That can make company culture as difficult to change as an individual’s personality.

 I was watching Shark Tank the other day. (Yes, I totally admit to watching pure entertainment TV.) And there they were: the seemingly brutal assessments of the various start-up ideas by the investors: “The idea is great but you don’t seem committed enough. I’m out.”