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The Missing Part of Change Communication

Posted January 30, 2017August 2, 2017 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Communication, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.com Maybe it’s time to reevaluate the effort project teams put into change communication. Pick any study that examines the effectiveness of organizational change and somewhere the results will say that communication is one of the most essential ingredients of success. Some recent examples include: A 2016 Robert Half studyreported that 65% […]

The Joy of Failure

Posted September 23, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comAfter struggling to develop a viable electric light-bulb for months and months, Thomas Edison was interviewed by a young reporter who boldly asked Mr. Edison if he felt like a failure and if he thought he should just give up by now. Perplexed, Edison replied, “Young man, why would […]

Beyond Checking the Box

Posted May 24, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comSometimes I feel like Sisyphus, compelled for eternity to push a huge rock uphill only to watch it roll back down again.”A couple of Power Point overviews, some manager talking points, and a few audience-focused launch messages and we should have what we need to complete this project,” the […]

5 Simple Ways to Reduce Resistance to Change

Posted March 28, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comSometimes the best solutions are the most obvious, and unfortunately, the ones least considered.Organization change is hard because leaders and project teams forget to do the simple, but important things, while spending extraordinary amounts of effort in the glitzy and complex. Technology projects focus on the technology. Outsourcing focuses […]

The Importance of Yellow Brick Roads

Posted March 14, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Communication, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comChange is a lot like going from Oz to Kansas. On one hand, it’s as uncomplicated as closing your eyes, clicking the heels of your ruby slippers and willing yourself from one place to another. Individuals and organizations have the ability to make change that simple—an uncomplicated choice, a […]

The Upside Down-Side to Dictatorship

Posted February 22, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comWhen I arrived in Italy a number of years ago to visit my in-laws, I noticed Renzo di Felice’s massive fourteen volume Mussolini e il Fascismo sitting prominently on the shelf in my father-in-law’s office.I was not surprised by his interest in Mussolini because he grew up in Milan […]

Getting Beyond Change Inertia

Posted January 4, 2016October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comWhile driving during a horrible snowstorm, a young project manager became disoriented and lost. Thankfully, he remembered what his father had once told him: ”If you ever get stuck in a snowstorm, wait for a snow plow and follow it.” Within a few minutes, a snow plow came by, […]

The Importance of Trust . . . It’s Not What You Think

Posted September 29, 2015October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Project Management, Talent Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comA few weeks ago I was talking with a project manager who wanted an assessment of his team’s capability. The project was moving along without significant problems, but was approaching an intense period with several critical milestones. The project manager felt unsettled because his team was not providing the analysis and […]

What Is Change Management Anyway?

Posted September 18, 2015October 17, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comA marketing exec friend of mine gave me a call the other day to catch up. After swapping stories about families and our current work, he finally asked after years of knowing me, “What exactly is change management anyway?”I had to think for a moment before answering him for a […]

Waiting on the World to Change

Posted January 13, 2014October 19, 2016 SollevaPosted in Change Management, Leadership, Project Management

By Erik Van Slyke, Managing Director, www.erikvanslyke.comEven though John Mayer suggests that “it’s not that we don’t care, we just know that the fight ain’t fair,” I believe that change has to be about more than us waiting on the world to change.Much of the time, all change requires is someone willing to step up […]

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