Lessons 3 and 4 from Journey of the Accidental Leader

This is the 3rd of several posts this week on my book The Journey of the Accidental Leader (HRD Press 2008).

Basic tenants of The Journey of the Accidental Leader follow:

3. Trust matters…a LOT. The basis for all human interaction and relationships is trust. Without trust, you can’t get much of any consequence done. With trust, there’s not much you can’t accomplish. Trust speeds up transactions and makes them cheaper. The key elements of trust are a) Good Character (candor, communication, courage, commitment, and consistency); b) Good Sense (Knowledge of Self, Others, your Field of expertise, the ability to learn, and the capacity to teach others); c) Good Will: (Honor Self, Others, the Company, the Community, and the Country). Trust sits at the core of all good relationships.

4. Change isn’t easy. But if you do it right, everyone wins. You know the old saw: The only constant in life is change! Often we hear that “people hate change.” Not so. People don’t hate good change, such as if you gave them a check for $1,000. They hate change that makes them lose something. So, if their job changes and they lose power, they will hate the change. To structure change in an organization, people must see how the change will help them gain something or prevent loss of something.