Leaders must stand up and deliver if their companies are to be successful at organizational change. While the idea of "standing up and delivering" might be a no-brainer, the truth of the matter in our 30 years of experience is that leaders frequently are MIA (missing in action) in some key ways when big changes are required for their organizations.
Missing in action might not mean "uncommitted" to the change needed in their organization. Commitment is expressed by many leaders when they launch a change and when they sign the purchase orders for the products and services needed for the change. But commitment in this launch and resources sense is just not enough to meet the needs of organization members whose job it is to execute the change.
Perhaps the best place to turn for an explanation of what we mean by stand and deliver is to our metaphor that we have used in the past to illustrate big change. We have successfully used the "theatre company" metaphor for more than a decade to explain and illustrate key points about leading organizational change.
The metaphor goes like this. An organization can be looked at as a theatre company putting on a continuous stream of performances of a play. Think about it, we get up in the morning, dress in our work costumes, drive to the company (the theatre), walk to our office (the set), and set about acting in our role to meet the objectives (script) of the company. Hopefully, some customers (our audience) applaud during our day's performance...so that we can go home at night to remove our costumes and be the real "us" again.
Organizational change, then, is like a theatre company that decides to "change their play" because they are beginning to see empty seats in their daily performances. In the theatre business, leadership in the changing of a play comes from the producer (the guy with the money and the idea for the new play) and the director (the gal with the creative vision form bringing the new play to life on the stage).
Using our metaphor, stand up and deliver leadership for organizational change comes when the CEO and her leadership team become both the producers and directors of their changed organizational play. The leadership problem that we most often see is the CEO being a producer only...and not providing the visible, hands-on leadership that would be supplied by a director.
Stand up and deliver means to be there to direct the transition to the new play...not just supplying the resources and the germ of the new idea and then delegating the direction to others.
Standing up and delivering as a director means to develop a personal vision of the organization as it will need to work after the change, to communicate that vision of the new organizational play and then to work iteratively with the employees as they develop their own roles in response to the vision. The seasoned director knows that it is the interaction between his vision and the actor's development of their roles that produces the final play.
In short, companies in big change need stand up and deliver leadership...from both a producer and director point of view. Ok, Mr. CEO...it's "Show Time!"
With obesity in the U.S. becoming what some would consider an epidemic, many people are beginning to look at their lifestyles and re-evaluate what's causing them to put on the pounds. While most of the unwanted weight can be attributed to lack of exercise and healthy eating habits, it's no surprised that having a desk job?where you literally sit for eight hours a day?doesn't help. People who stand and move about during their work day burn more calories than those of us who sit in front of a computer or switchboard. But you don't have to give up your career to be thin. According to the November 2007 issue of Women's Health Magazine, stand-up desks burn one calorie more per minute than sitting. Although it might not sound like much that equates to 480 burned calories in a single eight hour workday. Considering you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of body fat, burning 480 additional calories a day means burning that one pound in eight days. It's not a substitute for portion-control and gym workouts by any means, but if you have the option to do so, why not stack the cards in your favor instead of against you? Switching to a standing workstation could be exactly what you need to help you keep weight off.
For less than $300, you can buy a Wall Mount, standing workstation from Versa Products, Inc. Their complete line of wall mount and sit-to-stand computer desks not only allow you to stand while you work, but also take up less space than a traditional desk. The work stations are completely customizable. You can add multiple monitors or writing platforms, choose the color, even adjust the height. They're perfect for households, doctor's offices, banks, schools, and other busy administrative work environments. Many of Versa's sit-to-stand options, like the popular Fusion Cart, is also mobile, so it can be pushed from room to room and the wheels can be locked in place to prevent movement when a stationary work center is needed.
For those of you not familiar with Versa, you should be. One of Los Angeles' fastest-growing furniture companies, they provide American-made, top of the line computer furniture for universities, businesses, medical institutions, and the military. Along with their fully customizable line of computer desks and office furniture, they also design furniture solutions for trade shows, mobile medical units, security hubs, and modified solutions to accommodate physically-challenged users. The company ships its products for free (important when purchasing a heavy and expensive-to-ship item like a desk) and offers a no-hassle lifetime warranty on every product it sells from keyboard trays to custom-made LAN racks.
With designs based on ergonomic principles, Versa also sells options for existing desks to make your sitting workspace more healthy and comfortable. Options like articulating keyboard trays and height-adjustable monitor arms can improve a computer workstation greatly, reducing fatigue, eye strain, and minimizing the risk of conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Both Dutch Holland & Boris Ralston are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dutch Holland has sinced written about articles on various topics from Change Management, Cars and Change Management. Get a free copy of the 250-page change manifesto Change is the Rule: Dutch Holland is principal and founder. Dutch Holland's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Boris Ralston has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Hawaii Vacation and Travel and Leisure. Versatables supplies a large line of high-quality computer accessories ideal for increasing productivity, as well as health. Visit their website today to examine their