Fall 2011

Dear Colleague,

The start of another fall season brings with it the beautiful landscape of colorful leaves, bountiful harvest, and cooler temperatures as autumn offers its usual change and transformation. Autumn is a great example of the positive effects of change and significant impact transformation can bring. It tells a compelling story and paints a vivid picture through nature. Change represents progress yet more often than not, it is met with some resistance. Many times it comes from concern or fear of the unknown impact the change may bring to oneself and/or others. While we cannot control or predict what changes will be presented to us, one thing is for sure…the only constant today is change!

Managing Change

We are faced with changes on a regular basis — changes in our economy, marketplace, industries, organizations, technologies, as well as management/people changes in our companies. When we can get comfortable with this fact and wake up every day embracing and welcoming change, we actually open ourselves up to never-ending opportunities and possibilities! I think the chorus of the Loggins & Messina song "Changes" says it best:

"Maybe some change
Is all that we need
Change is coming to help us succeed
Change happens every day"

In fact, managing change effectively is an essential leadership skill today. Not only is it required of leaders and managers but as individuals we all play a critical role in executing effective change. Many of my client engagements this year have been focused around helping individuals and teams effectively manage change. The dynamics of change are quite complex with many internal and external forces at work. John Kotter, the leadership and management expert, provides a practical guide for leading organizational change that includes the following steps:

Kotter's Eight Steps for Leading Organizational Change
By: John Kotter

1.     Establish a sense of urgency — Unfreeze the organization by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed.

2.     Create the guiding coalition — Create a cross-functional, cross-level group of people with enough power to lead the change.

3.     Develop a vision and strategy — Create a vision and strategic plan to guide the change process.

4.     Communicate the change vision — Create and implement a communication strategy that consistently communicates the new vision and strategic plan.

5.     Empower broad-based action — Eliminate barriers to change, and use target elements of change to transform the organization. Encourage risk taking and creative problem-solving.

6.     Generate short-term wins — Plan for and create short-term "wins" or improvements. Recognize and reward people who contribute to the wins.

7.     Consolidate gains and produce more change — The guiding coalition uses credibility from short-term wins to create more change. Additional people are brought into the change process as change cascades throughout the organization. Attempts are made to reinvigorate the change process.

8.     Anchor new approaches in the culture — Reinforce the changes by highlighting connections between new behaviors and processes and organizational success. Develop methods to ensure leadership development and succession.

We all play a role in making this happen — leadership sets the tone and everyone contributes. While it can be uncomfortable and trying at times, change allows us to grow and venture into new territories that may be foreign at first but quite rewarding in the end. When I switched over to an iphone from a blackberry last year, it took me quite a while to get used to a touch screen as I whined and moaned about it the whole time. Fast forward to a year later, now I also have an ipad and am using several applications that are allowing me to be more efficient and productive in my work.

Living in a global and multi-cultural economy as we do, there has been tremendous change in how we work as well as how we learn. Most organizations have employees, clients and other stakeholders throughout the world who are working, communicating and collaborating daily to achieve results. In higher education, the traditional models of learning have been enhanced with virtual learning. When I first started as a Lecturer at Northeastern University eight years ago, all the teaching was in a classroom. Over the years, a hybrid model was introduced and ultimately a completely virtual model. While I was resistant to these changes, I tried embracing them and have learned to appreciate the model much more than I ever imagined. As a matter of fact, most of the courses I have been teaching the past year have been virtual which has enabled me to work with a diverse mix of students from all over the world at any one time and the opportunity to engage every single student in a lively dialogue which would not happen in a live classroom! Being flexible and agile is important in order to grow and succeed.

Change is good…change is necessary…change is progress! It's like Ben Franklin said, "Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it." What can each individual do to play a role in managing change? I have learned to ACT to effectively deal with change and have coached individuals and teams to do so.

ACT now to effectively deal with Change
By: Rita B. Allen

Accept and Acknowledge the need for change

Communicate with all parties involved in a pro-active manner to Clarify and Comprehend the process required for the change to be implemented

Thrive in the progress change brings — Throw yourself into the change, keep an open mind, Try new things, Test different approaches, Think about impact on all, Teach others your learnings, Tell all

One lesson that has been reinforced for me in working with the incredible clients I've had an opportunity to partner with is the importance of sincerity and authenticity. Most often, it is not the message that impacts results but the delivery of that message. I have seen the huge difference it makes when leaders are transparent, involve people in the change and allow them to have a voice. A few good books I recommend are the following:

• Switch, How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

• Results that Last, by Quint Studer

• The 7 Levels of Change, Different Thinking for Different Results, by Rolf Smith

Current Updates

§  The market continues to be intriguing while we see and hear different patterns emerge. I continue to see much demand within the area of change management as well as talent management. Organizations continue to be concerned about attracting, developing, engaging and retaining top talent as a way of gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. This has created a great deal of need for my areas of specialty which are executive coaching, leadership development, management training and career development. Most of my work this year has focused on the design, development and delivery of these programs in addition to a high demand for one-on-one executive coaching. It is inspiring to see all this activity in the marketplace and I remain enthusiastic about the existing potential!

§  One of the programs I will be offering again in December is my half day "Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself" Workshop on the morning of December 9, 2011 at my offices in Waltham. Click here for more information. Please be sure to visit my website at www.ritaballenassociates.com where you can see a sampling of additional topics for which I offer consulting services, programs and workshops as well as my approach to coaching.

§  I continue to be active in several professional organizations and associations. One of those organizations for which I was recently elected President is the Association of Career Professionals International - New England, a network of career professionals in the New England/Boston area offering connection, information and development. "New England's Voice on Career Issues", ACPI-New England is dedicated to developing the expertise of career professionals and organizations through the promotion of professional and business development, networking and best practices. We have an incredible calendar of events for the year featuring a diverse mix of authors, thought leaders, panels and presentations. Check out our website at www.acpi-ne.org for more details.

§  Another organization that I am thrilled to have an opportunity be involved with this year is More Than Words, a non-profit which empowers youths who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business! MTW started in 2004 as a pilot online bookselling venture with a few young men in state custody and then transitioned to a vibrant storefront in 2005 and added café training program in 2008. Youth ages 16-21 work as a team to manage their online and retail bookstore and café as they gain skills and accountability while receiving intensive support to map plans for their future. MTW sticks with youth for the long haul with at least 24 months of follow up support. In addition to their site in Waltham, they are about to open a 2nd site in Boston! Please consider joining me and getting involved by donating books, CDs, DVDs, or volunteering your time or expertise. To learn more, please visit their website at www.MTWyouth.org.

Many thanks for your continued support, your business and your referrals! I am grateful for another strong year and welcome the opportunity to be of assistance and continue to provide a variety of talent management consulting and coaching services. Please reach out and share some of your updates, accomplishments and challenges! I look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

Rita B. Allen

Rita B. Allen Associates | 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 110 | Waltham, MA 02451
781-890-6803 | rita@ritaballenassociates.com | www.ritaballenassociates.com