The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive - Hardcover

Fullan, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787988820 ISBN 13: 9780787988821

Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub, 2008

Synopsis

From bestselling author Michael Fullan, wisdom for thriving in today's complex environment

Successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. How do they do it? The Six Secrets of Change explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders for thriving in today's complex environment. Fullan draws on his acclaimed work in bringing about large-scale and substantial change in education reform in both public school systems and universities, as well as engaging in major change initiatives internationally. This book is filled with lessons that are insightful, actionable, and concisely communicable.

"Fullan has an uncanny ability to produce what is needed at the time it is needed. The six secrets are based in theory, grounded in practice, powerful in their relationship to each other, and described in ways that enable deep understanding. It is a refreshing change from the surface lists of leadership and change ideas that all too often permeate education and business literature." —Vicki Phillips, director of education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Includes so-called leadership "secrets" that are decoded to be accessible and useful
• Offers illustrative examples from a variety of businesses, health organizations, and public education systems
• Lays out the six factors to organizational success: collegiality, long-range plans allow for the unknown, nurture employees, learning, leadership at all levels, and positive pressure must be inescapable
• Michael Fullan is the author of the acclaimed best-seller Leading in a Culture of Change

Fullan convinces us that a leader who attends to all six key factors will have an organization that is constantly learning, growing, and thriving.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Fullan is professor emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. He currently serves as special advisor in education to the premier of Ontario. Recognized as a worldwide authority on organizational change, he is engaged in training, consulting, and evaluating change projects around the world. Fullan is the author of Leading in a Culture of Change and Turnaround Leadership.

From the Back Cover

The Six Secrets of Change

It is commonly acknowledged that successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. But how are some able to succeed at change while so many others fail? In The Six Secrets of Change, Michael Fullan lays out key factors that allow an organization to sustain meaningful change.

In this book Fullan explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders for surviving and thriving in today's complex environment. He draws on his acclaimed work in bringing about large-scale and substantial change in education reform in both public school systems and universities, as well as engaging in major change initiatives internationally. The Six Secrets of Change is filled with lessons that are insightful, actionable, and concisely communicable. These lessons are "secrets" not because there is a conspiracy to hide them from public view, but because they are often difficult to grasp in their deep meaning, and challenging to appreciate and act on in combination. Fullan makes these so-called secrets accessible and useful and offers illustrative examples from a variety of businesses, health organziations, and public education systems.

The author reveals what it takes to increase the chances of bringing about deep and lasting change and shows how misleading and dangerous it sometimes is to take advice from seemingly successful organizations. His secrets are simple but profound: Collegiality cannot be left to chance—it must be deliberately cultivated. Long-range plans must allow for the possibility of unknown opportunities.?Employees must be developed and nurtured.?Learning opportunities must be offered frequently. Leadership potential must be developed at all levels.?And positive pressure must be inescapable.?Fullan convinces us that a leader who attends to all these things will have an organization that is constantly learning, growing, and thriving.

It is commonly acknowledged that successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. But how are some able to succeed at change while so many others fail? In The Six Secrets of Change, Michael Fullan lays out key factors that allow an organization to sustain meaningful change.

In this book Fullan explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders for surviving and thriving in today's complex environment. He draws on his acclaimed work in bringing about large-scale and substantial change in education reform in both public school systems and universities, as well as engaging in major change initiatives internationally. The Six Secrets of Change is filled with lessons that are insightful, actionable, and concisely communicable. These lessons are "secrets" not because there is a conspiracy to hide them from public view, but because they are often difficult to grasp in their deep meaning, and challenging to appreciate and act on in combination. Fullan makes these so-called secrets accessible and useful and offers illustrative examples from a variety of businesses, health organziations, and public education systems.

The author reveals what it takes to increase the chances of bringing about deep and lasting change and shows how misleading and dangerous it sometimes is to take advice from seemingly successful organizations. His secrets are simple but profound: Collegiality cannot be left to chance it must be deliberately cultivated. Long-range plans must allow for the possibility of unknown opportunities.?Employees must be developed and nurtured.?Learning opportunities must be offered frequently. Leadership potential must be developed at all levels.?And positive pressure must be inescapable.?Fullan convinces us that a leader who attends to all these things will have an organization that is constantly learning, growing, and thriving.

Reviews

Fullan (Leading in a Culture of Change) argues that the world is too complex for any theory to possess unassailable certainty, and leaders should shy away from relying on a single blueprint for success. Instead, good leaders should use theories of action to guide their decisions, but remain open to new data that may direct further action. Fullan advocates adopting theories that travel—practical insights that travel across sectors, geography and culturally diverse situations and point to actions likely to be effective given the circumstances. To help managers navigate change, Fullan share six secrets designed to help with large-scale reform: Love Your Employees, Connect Peers with Purpose, Capacity Building Prevails, Learning Is the Work, Transparency Rules and Systems Learn, and provides guidelines for making these secrets work. Although the six secrets are hardly radically new ideas and are presented as a bit of a panacea, Fullan's practical guide is a lucid and encouraging book, likely to appeal to and assist managers at all levels. (May)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0787988820
• ISBN 13: 9780787988821
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 151