101 Leadership Actions for Managing Change in the 21st Century

Chapter 1Change Starts at Home: Manage Yourself

In this chapter, we’ll explore the critical role the leader plays in leading the change effort. A few decades ago, little attention was given to the importance of the leader initiating change in the change process. It was as if everything the leader did was fine and that the people just need to be “whipped into shape.”

Not so.

Much of the information that has become available about failed efforts has pointed to the leader as an essential variable in successfully managing change. Whether the focus was on the leader managing his or her ego, managing his or her fears, or managing his or her resistance to the change he or she must lead, the leader is a critical variable, and to miss this essential reality ...