throw yourself like seed

Shake off this sadness, and recover your spirit

sluggish you will never see the wheel of fate

that brushes your heel as it turns going by,

the man who wants to live is the man in whom life is abundant.

Now you are only giving food to that final pain

which is slowly winding you in the nets of death,

but to live is to work, and the only thing which lasts

is the work; start then, turn to the work.

Throw yourself like seed as you walk, and into your own field,

don't turn your face for that would be to turn it to death,

and do not let the past weigh down your motion.

Leave what's alive in the furrow, what's dead in yourself,

for life does not move in the same way as a group of clouds;

from your work you will be able one day to gather yourself.

Miguel De Unamuno 

Translated by Robert Bly. Roots & Wings: Poetry from Spain 1900-1975. Hardie St. Martin, Editor. Harper & Row. 1976. p.19

the eight step process of successful change

 Set the Stage

1. Create a Sense of Urgency

Help others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately.

2. Pull together the Guiding Team

Make sure there is a powerful group guiding the change – one with leadership skills, credibility, communications ability, authority, analytical skills, and a sense of urgency. 

Decide What to Do

3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy

Clarify how the future will be different from the past, and how you can make that future a reality.

Make It Happen

4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy In.

Make sure as many others as possible understand and accept the vision and the strategy.

5. Empower Others to Act.

Remove as many barriers as possible so that those who want to make the vision a reality can do so.

6. Produce Short-Term Wins.

Create some visible, unambiguous successes as soon as possible.

7. Don’t Let Up.

Press harder and faster after the first successes. Be relentless with initiating change after change until the vision is a reality.

Make It Stick

8. Create a New Culture.

Hold on to the new ways of behaving, and make sure they succeed, until they become strong enough to replace old traditions.

John Kotter

Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions. St. Martin's Press. 2005. p.130, 131

listen all the time

Listening to what other people say is the most important skill for a leader to develop

That's especially true if you're trying to change your habits.

Here's Marshall Goldsmith:

"The only difference between us and the super-successful among us — the near-great and the great — is that the great ones  [listen] all the time. It's automatic for them. For them there's no on and off switch for caring and empathy and showing respect. It's always on. They don't rank personal encounters as A, B, or C in importance. They treat everyone equally — and everyone eventually notices."

Shana Lebowitz 

"5 insights from a classic leadership book by an executive coach who's helped over 150 CEOs" Business Insider.  Aug 26, 2016

perceptions of you

What you think of yourself doesn't matter as much — so stop trying to conform to some arbitrary notion of your unique self.

Here's Marshall Goldsmith:

"It's an interesting equation: Less me. More them. Equals success.

"Keep this in mind when you find yourself resisting change because you're clinging to a false — or pointless — notion of 'me.' It's not about you. It's about what other people think of you."

Shana Lebowitz 

"5 insights from a classic leadership book by an executive coach who's helped over 150 CEOs" Business Insider.  Aug 26, 2016

when your people know why

Answering why is an act of empathy and adds a layer of persuasion to your communications. When people know why they’re being asked to do something, they’re much more likely to do it.

Nancy Duarte

"Good Leadership Is About Communicating “Why”" Harvard Business Review. May 6, 2020