The Change Agents’ Prayer

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. The Serenity Prayer, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) is the real title… Being frustrated with bureaucracy is part of the deal we make in working for a large, complex organizations. Even with the best … Read moreThe Change Agents’ Prayer

Strategies to Sustain Yourself as a Change Agent

You had a work project you were passionate about once. Do you remember? You should do. You spent all your waking hours thinking about it. Developing the idea. Asking advice and help from others. Improving it, advocating for it. And then your idea was shot down. Not a hard no from a final decision maker. … Read moreStrategies to Sustain Yourself as a Change Agent

Please Reject My Idea

When was the last time you made a proposal at work that was rejected? Was it quickly out of hand? Or was it “death by a thousand cuts”? This experience has happened to almost everyone at work. Depending on how it is handled, rejection of ideas can feel like incivility or even discrimination. It can … Read morePlease Reject My Idea

Everyday Courage in Organizations

When you think about courage at work, what comes to mind? Maybe it is fire fighters going into a crumbling, burning building to rescue people. Or our armed services deployed overseas, facing the threat of injury or death every day. Or even a pilot safely landing a plane on the Hudson River in critical conditions. … Read moreEveryday Courage in Organizations