The Quiet Influencers: Recognising the Subtle Change Champions in Your Organisation

I’ll admit it: I lost a couple of good hours each day this week to distraction.

Like many, I've been caught up in the “culture of personality festival” that is the US election cycle.

And yet for someone who thinks deeply and often about change and leadership...this spectacle is the opposite of how anything actually gets done. Real change is driven by consistent, low-fuss, purpose driven effort—usually from people who aren’t looking for the limelight.

Look beyond formal titles or outgoing personalities. Instead, notice who people trust with questions, who others go to for guidance, and who brings a steadying presence to the team.

An article on how Quiet Influencers are a vital part of change strategy, which also doubles as my own sublte ode to those types I've met along the way. Thanks as always...I won't tag you here, even though you deserve it!

Change, TransformationMark Winter12 November 2024Change

"What's the first step for me leading this complex change?"

"What's the first thing I should do for this complex change?"

It's seductive to think there's a "perfect" starting point... but complex change isn't linear—it's a web of intertwined processes and people.

A more effective question is, "What are all the relevant aspects of the change that I should consider?" Here's some shortcuts:

🌏 Think Holistically: Address multiple elements simultaneously rather than sequentially.

📊 + ❤️ Balance Data and Stories: Metrics tell you what's happening; stories reveal why and how.

🤩 Integrate Process and People: Technical solutions need human engagement to succeed.

Complex change demands both the head and the heart. By embracing this duality, you prepare yourself to navigate challenges with agility and authenticity.

Success isn't about a single step; it's about understanding the whole journey to lead with confidence and impact.

Change, LeadershipMark Winter18 October 2024Change, change management, change leadership

Children ARE change management: lessons from Fatherhood that I wasn't expecting

Certifications are great...but the best change management lessons come from life!

It strikes me that the patience that every parent requires, to continually emotionally regulate and whilst communicating simply and clearly...that's almost "unteachable" in a formal organisational change management sense. Not to mention the adept, multi-layered key messaging development that's required, ahead of 38 questions of "...why?"

Children ARE change management; every day has an element of 'newness' which comes with a from of 'demand'. It's mostly delightful, occasionally soul-destroying and pushes you to become a changed version of you.

In a truly blessed life, my two kids are the best thing that ever happened to me. In a happy coincidence for professional me, its the best lesson in change management I've ever had.

Having gratefully enjoyed a (multi-generational) Happy Father's Day yesterday, I sharpened my reflective thoughts into four personal favourites.

You don't have to be a Dad (or Mum / some form of carer) to relate to these. But if you are: keep going, you're doing great!

And if you aren't doing so great on that front...listen, watch and learn from your kids. They are living proof that change is innate to all of us, so you can improve too.

Change, Personal GrowthMark Winter2 September 2024Change, Personal Development

Getting out of change overwhelm

"The Executives I speak to these days...are just maxed out with the amount of change they need to lead and the breadth of topics they need to be across"

That was the message from two very well connected 'Board level' colleagues over coffees in the last fortnight.

Change overwhelm: most of us are feeling it. Budget and Board reporting season doesn't help. But what to do about it?

#changeleadership #changemanagement #leadershipdevelopment

ChangeMark Winter14 July 2024Change, Leadership

The one thing all leaders MUST know about building change capability

If you want to build sustained change capability…you will be limited or uplifted, by the hallmarks of your team or organisational culture.

BUT, what you’ve been told about “creating a change ready culture”…likely confuses being ‘in motion’ with ‘taking action’.

Change, PerformanceMark Winter13 November 2023Change, Lean Change

Hearts and Minds: Measuring Change Progress Through Numbers and Stories

The comprehensive change leader is one who can engage both "hearts and minds".

Which one do you need to refine? Which one do you need to lift?

Done well, it surpasses mere progress reporting or 'sense making'; it's about profound understanding of the Change and how we need to lead it. Our Seventh Principle is "Measure progress with both numbers and stories" By intertwining data with personal journeys, we attain a panoramic perspective on change, laying the groundwork for more insightful, empathetic, and adept leadership.

Change, LeadershipMark Winter23 August 2023Change, LeadershipComment

Illuminate the Change: Making decisions visibly as a leader

"Seeing is believing". And within the organisations we work with, people want to believe; believe in the purpose, believe in their leaders, believe in their own personal convictions about this place that they've decided to commit the majority of their waking hours towards.

When we illuminate our decision-making process, we make our leadership of change believable. That's because we're not just shedding light on the outcomes; we're spotlighting the rationale, the inclusivity, the rigour, and the alignment with organisational values that underpin those outcomes. We’re demonstrating how decisions align with the change objectives and how they contribute to the broader vision of the organisation.

More importantly and on the flipside...in the absence of being told the story, people will make up their own!

Our Sixth Principle of Change is "Make decisions visibly", so this article spotlights some of our favourite decision-making tools and pragmatic tips on how to give a sense of visibility for even the most sensitive of changes.

Change, Leadership, Org DevelopmentMark Winter23 August 2023Change, Agile, LeadershipComment

A leadership fear: Changing the change

"Seeing is believing". And within the organisations we work with, people want to believe. Believe in the purpose, believe in their leaders, believe in their own personal convictions about this place that they've decided to commit the majority of their waking hours towards.

When we illuminate our decision-making process, we make our leadership of change believable. That's because we're not just shedding light on the outcomes; we're spotlighting the rationale, the inclusivity, the rigour, and the alignment with organisational values that underpin those outcomes. We’re demonstrating how decisions align with the change objectives and how they contribute to the broader vision of the organisation.

More importantly and on the flipside...in the absence of being told the story, people will make up their own!

Our Sixth Principle of Change is "Make decisions visibly", so this article spotlights some of our favourite decision making tools and gives pragmatic tips on how to give visibility, for even the most sensitive of changes.

Change, LeadershipMark Winter14 August 2023Change, Failure, StrategyComment

"That doesn't work here": just how creative should you be when experimenting with Change?

"Nice idea...but that doesn't work here"

Fair enough, it's your organisation and your culture...so I'll believe you. But I also take guidance from a Thomas Edison quote: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Neither of us has time or budget for 10,000 failed ways, so let's run some well thought out change experiments and get successful change happening sooner and smoother! In this article I introduce our Fourth Principle of Change, which is underpinned by creativity: "Learn Together through Experimentation." I lay out my top five Change experiments (aka: spoiler alerts for working with me...) and give ways to get started in even the most conservative environment.

If you've got a poor change culture or the 'bad vibes' are still lingering in the hallways from the last organisational change, then I'd argue you can't afford to ignore creative approaches to change; reasons stands that if you do the same things, you'll get the same results. #changeleadership #leanchange #leadership

Change, LeadershipMark Winter1 August 2023Creativity, Change, Agile, Lean Change

Leadership and Change: How to empower contribution in harmony

Everyone is considered...but not everyone gets a say

Imagine this: You've got an incredibly passionate team member...raring to go, championing the change and supporting the team. Their energy is infectious...but let's be real, it's not always helpful.

Sometimes that person just isn't close enough to impacted business processes or they lack the technical expertise, to really contribute in a meaningful way. Or maybe, as blunt as it can be, they just aren't respected amongst their peers and colleagues; to the point where their 'brand' affects the change messaging.

Artful leadership will find a way to still harness that enthusiasm and hence our third Principe of Change is "Empower everyone to contribute appropriately"

In this article I walk you through your role as a conductor of the orchestra in change leadership; you cannot play all the instruments yourself (aka: build all the inputs to change), so your role is about helping people keep in synchronisation and to "do their best solo work" when it's their time.

#changeleadership #organisationaldevelopment #leadership

Leadership, ChangeMark Winter25 July 2023Leadership, Change, ConflictComment

We go from what we know; why all good Change is about meeting people where they are...and NOT labelling them "resistors"

Let's make 2023 the year we globally bin the label of "Change Resistors"

Change isn't an abstract concept or a manufacturing technique. It's a personal, human experience, with each individual processing it through their own unique lens.

Every person brings a mix of past experiences, present perceptions, and future expectations to the table. It's a complex blend that forms their reality – and their starting point for any change.

That's why change happens one conversation at a time.

In this article, I give an overview of how to do that at scale and walk you through our second Principle of Change here at Apricot, which is focused on relationships; "Meet people where they are at".

#leadingchange #transformationalleadership #changeleadership

Mark Winter20 July 2023ChangeComment

Change at the core: connecting to meaning and purpose

"People don't buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it."

There is a striking poignancy to these words, 14 years on from when Simon Sinek enshrined them in TED Talk immortality.

Every client, I will ever work with...I will start with the Why. It's a pragmatic approach: people aren't resistant to change; they're resistant to change that doesn't make sense.

(Luckily, we at Apricot enjoy that 'sense making' work, irrespective of the layers of complexity and emotionally charged narratives of "yesterday".)

"Align change with what matters" is our First Principle of Change, which unsurprisingly mirrors our hallmark Apricot Health Index.

But how does that come to life in an organisational setting? I give my explainer in this article, plus give some tips on how to make even the most mundane of organisational change have some sense of meaning and importance.

#change #meaning #purpose

Org Development, LeadershipMark Winter13 July 2023Purpose, Meaning, ChangeComment