Bestselling author of QBQ and Flipping The Switch, John G. Miller has a brand new book:  Outstanding!  47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional.

I told John in last week’s interview on The Change Agent’s Dilemma radio show that with Outstanding! he “had me at hello,” since the dedication of the book says:  “To everyone who cares enough to improve the place.  You are outstanding!”  The book is chock full of stories and ideas of things individuals at all levels can do to improve their organizations.  It’s the perfect book for the person who wants to make a difference at work.

While you can purchase the book at Amazon by clicking the book image (affiliate link), I have 5 copies to give away, courtesy of John Miller himself!

There are three ways to enter to win a free copy of Outstanding!:

1. In the comments below, tell me how you are making your organization exceptional!  (2 copies)
2. On Twitter, retweet the following message:  “RT @enclaria: Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of Outstanding! 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional by @QBQGuy: http://bit.ly/ctW2j9.” (2 copies)
3. Become a fan of Enclaria on Facebook and post on the wall:  “I am Outstanding!”. (1 copy)

Other details:  Winners will be selected at random from qualified entries.  You may enter using all three methods, and you will only be counted once per method.  Each person can win at most one book.  Valid e-mail address required.  U.S. mailing addresses only.

Entries must be received by Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.  Winners will be contacted the next day.

How are you making your organization exceptional?

Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

The book further subdivides Motivation (Will it be worth it) and Ability (Can I do it) into three categories – Personal, Social and Structural – that form a framework for how to influence change:

• Personal Motivation:  Make the behavior desirable.
• Personal Ability:  Provide training to show how to perform the behavior properly.
• Social Motivation:  Use peer pressure and existing power structures.
• Social Ability:  Enlist the help of others.
• Structural Motivation:  Extrinsic rewards and punishment.
• Structural Ability:  Alter the physical world to make the behavior easier or inevitable to perform.

The authors feature several stories that run throughout the book and demonstrate how these six sources of influence work individually and in combination to change deep-rooted behaviors.  It’s a definite must-read for change agents!

The reasons for avoidance were usually fear-based:  fear of hurting someone’s feelings, fear of retaliation, fear that it would backfire and result in the opposite of my desired outcome.  Sometimes the reasons were more political:  it’s not my place to talk to certain leaders outside the chain of command or across boundaries.  Political reasons are still based in fear – the fear of stepping out of place by saying the wrong thing to the wrong people.

It was easy to rely on subtle hints (or just plain hope) to get the message across that someone was hijacking the change initiative, or sending mixed signals, or not fully understanding the importance of implementing organizational change to achieve financial objectives.  In some cases, I let others (higher-ups) field the important conversations for me.  Unfortunately, avoidance is rarely an effective route for getting behavior change.

So I was delighted to find a book that gives practical step-by-step advice about how to have these important conversations:  Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson, et al.  This book is so relevant to the role of organizational change agents that I wish I had written it myself.  I’m even considering making it required reading for coaching clients.

According to the book, crucial conversations are those in which:

• Opinions vary – on the surface, you don’t agree.
• Stakes are high – the outcome and the relationship are important.
• Emotions run strong – including the aforementioned fear.

Who do you need to have a crucial conversation with?

If you enjoyed this post you may also like:

• How to deal with a clueless boss
• How to Get Beyond Leadership Buy-in
• Four Ways to Boost Your Organizational Power

• Initiating major reorganization plans
• Improving competitiveness through the implementation of total quality-management processes
• Incorporating information systems as an integral part of business and production strategies
• Integrating customer-service mentality and behaviors throughout the organization
• Responding to new or increased global competition
• Accommodating the turmoil associated with mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts
• Redefining the organizational culture to be more supportive of corporate business objectives
• Initiating cost-containment mechanisms
• Rightsizing the work force
• Establishing employee-involvement programs to generate a sense of empowerment and commitment
• Establishing new products and markets
• Incorporating new production/manufacturing procedures and machinery
• Adjusting to the changing profile and needs of today’s employees
• Complying with new government regulations

Sound familiar?  We’re still facing the same challenges today as we were 17 years ago – even some of the terminology is the same.  Perhaps the difference is the number of concurrent changes going on, or the rate at which organizations and people are expected to change.  (Consider the fact that this book was written at the dawn of the internet.)

The list speaks to the perpetual nature of organizational change.  In the last 17 years, much research, learning and theorizing has been done to better understand how to make change easier.  The fact is that change might get easier and better understood, but it never goes away.  There is always a new set of employees, circumstances, leadership, technology and environmental factors that require a better way to move forward.  The way we accomplish that tends to fall into the same categories of change over the years.

What would you add to this list in light of today’s environment?

How many of these are you currently working on in your organization?

The premise behind Blue Ocean Strategy is that your current market of customers is only a subset of the customers who potentially need or want your product or service. The current market is called a Red Ocean because of all the competition tearing each other apart. The Blue Ocean represents all the potential customers who are not currently buying because they don’t have any idea what your product or service does or why they might need it.

The solution presented for engaging the Blue Ocean was through Value Innovation.  The simplified method included finding the answers to these questions:

• What causes people not to buy this product?
• What can we do to overcome it?  (What can we reduce, raise, eliminate or create?)

When you look at your organizational change initiative, you might see a similar pattern. There is a subset of the organization who “gets it,” pays attention, and is involved in making progress. And then there is everyone else, who is not buying what you’re selling.  Not only that, but it’s not even on their radar.

Inquiry:  What causes people to not to “buy” your change?

There are a number of other tools in the Blue Ocean Strategy framework that might be helpful to expand your thinking along these lines.  Visit the official Blue Ocean Strategy site for some useful diagrams and more detailed concepts.

Vision – Know your ultimate pursuit

Intention – Focus on clear goals and have a plan of action

Telling Your Story – Engage people and build relationships

Attitude – Hold beliefs and values that support you

Leverage – Use your resources wisely

The book contains stories that demonstrate each key point, then each chapter zeroes in on the specific steps you can take to make progress on your own toward being a more successful leader.

One new insight that is particularly useful for change agents is the value of learning to Tell Your Story. When you talk about your change initiative, do you make it compelling and draw people into the story?  One of seven tips for generating impactful stories is to “convert information into impressions” – that is, win people over not only with logic but with how they should feel about the project.  If you want the other six tips, plus numerous others, you’ll have to read the book:  www.thevitalcore.com.

Besides a more detailed story of AT&T Canada LDS, the author provides more insight into how to create a Noble Enterprise – one that achieves great business results and also (and really because it) makes the world a better place, honors people and fosters the human spirit.  The book includes not only a “to do” list for leaders but also a “to be” list.  The author provides a fresh perspective on what a company can and should be and specific examples for how to make it happen.  A must read for anyone who has higher hopes for how their company does business.