Project Managing Change

Are you responsible for getting results? Do you need to get things to change and then make sure that change sticks? Do you want to know the most effective ways to really get things to change – for the better?

Project Managing Change gives you practical, sensible solutions to real business change issues. By combining best practice from change management and project management, it empowers you to select from a range of easy-to-use tools specially designed to uncover and resolve common problems and difficulties. Tested and proven to be effective, the emphasis is on the actual tasks and activities you need to get done to make sure that change happens.

The logical, modular approach makes it easier to apply the advice and guidance to your own unique situation. It helps you assess the scope and scale of the change you need to make and plan what you need to do to make it happen. This book by Ira Blake and Cindy Bush is one of the best practical publications on managing change from a project perspective that I have come across. It is clear and concise with some great diagrams and tables. Not only this, but it comes with downloadable tools from the www.pearson-books.com site. Should we be surprised....Dymocks, Borders and most others have this book sitting side by side with the project management selections. I believe they should categorise it under Change Management especially when the ISBN reference is Organisational Change!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #9

Lesson #9

More on persuasion.

1. To increase the chances of getting someone to help you, send them an individual message. 

2. In an experiment with four charity boxes the message 'Every penny helps' was the most effective. Think about it!

3. Carry out a favour for someone and you are likely to get more in return.

4. If you don't want to lose your wallet stick a photograph of a baby in it.

Do you want to know the science behind all of these lessons? Then read :59 Seconds.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #7 and Lesson #8

Lesson #7

Increase your chances of success at every interview and with every person you meet.

First...be likeable. Be someone other people want to be with.

Second...reveal your weaknesses first and leave your modesty until the end of a conversation.

Third...if you make a mistake just move on. Chances are it wasn't noticed and all you do is draw attention to it if you over-react.

Lesson #8

Tips for Persuasion

1. Choose the middle way.

2. Keep It Simple 

3. Mind your language

4. The Franklin Effect: Get people to carry out a favour for you. Believe it or not, they will like you more.

5. The Pratfall Effect: When you are in danger of being perfect...create some humility and make a mistake.

6. Don't indulge in negative gossip. People attach the negatives to you. Of course it works the other way...so talk or gossip positively.

7. Make it personal...people give more to a fund raiser when they know the name of the person who is being helped.

8. Get a yes..then another and one more and keep going. A standard sales technique!

9. Never eat alone. If you want something then talk about it over lunch or a coffee.

10. Use rhymes. People will remember them! Like...A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play! Do recall 'A stitch in time saves eight'? No...I didn't think so.

11. Similarity has leverage. Look for people with the same name, people that have the same traits.

12. When negotiating throw in your pet frog. It creates some humour. Well, thats the theory!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #3, #4, #5 and #6

Lesson #3

It's better to give than receive. Heard that before?...Yes?...well then do it! And don't...don't do it with the expectation of the gesture being returned!

Lesson #4

Smile. Smile at everything. And if you don't have anything to smile about...well, still smile. If you can't remember how to do it then just stick a pencil between your teeth!

Lesson #5

Sit up! Yes, just sit up and stop slouching. Your posture will change your mood.

Lesson #6

Not happy, can't be happy, no reason to be happy? Suck it up and BE...that is..act HAPPY!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #2

Don't buy things, stuff and all that you would call material. Buy Experiences and create a portfolio of conversations for life!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

The New Science of Rapid Change!

One of the reasons that change is avoided at a personal level is the time and commitment it requires to make the painstaking effort to actually implement a consistent set of actions to create the new habit's that create the change that we desire! Then comes along a book that shatters the current thinking on change. It changes the change thinking! For that reason alone, as practitioners, we should respect the idea's of Professor Richard Wiseman in his new book ':59 Seconds'. And for that reason I am going to profile the work in this book because it just makes plain sense and exposes some of the myths about change at a personal level that we all know is a little suspect. It's a just do it book with some amusing and very practical advice on rapid change at a personal level that is the foundation for organisational change.

So why :59 Seconds? Because rather than spend hours and hours of intellectual discourse on the nature of behaviour and the theory of evolution, Richard just gets to it in 59 seconds of advice.

:59 seconds of advice #1.

Every Monday write down 3 things that you are grateful for.

Every Tuesday think of a terrific time in your life and write it down.

Every Wednesday spend some time picturing your perfect life.

Every Thursday write a note to anyone in your life who is important to you. (note you don't have to send it, just write it)

Every Friday review the situation and make a note of all the things that went well.

Yeah..I know, seen this a million times before in the self help books. Ever tried it? Well, get the book and read pages 7 through to 38 on happiness and there are some great stories on the scientific reasons for doing this.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/