Throughout my 26 years of working with crises, I have seen a lot of breakthroughs - and a lot of mistakes.

But there is one mistake, which, in my opinion, is the most dangerous, the most fundamental, and the most common.

Which one? What comes to mind?  

The biggest mistake that has killed the vast majority of organizations in the recent decades is treating each crisis as something rare, unique, and isolated.

An economic crisis? We come together for a big tense meeting, we brainstorm, develop an action plan, tightened our belts, and brace until the worse is over.

A new challenging demand from a client (a supplier, a governmental agency, a partner)? We come together for a big tense meeting, we brainstorm, develop an action plan, tightened our belts, and brace until the worse is over.

COVID-19? We come together for a big tense meeting, we brainstorm, develop an action plan, tightened our belts, and brace...

You're working hard - trying to change things, improve things, move forward.

You have a solid idea, did your homework, and you know it will work.

You try.

But all you are getting back is resistance.

Your team, bosses, or clients are simply not interested in "rocking the boat."

You are stuck in inertia.

You are a victim of "we've always done it this way."

Now what?

In my role as a consultant, teacher, and the head of transformation for a global 85-people metal and mining company, I faced this challenge again and again in many different forms.

Sometimes it comes as vocal opposition - and sometimes hides as silent sabotage.

I even had an engineer asking me once publicly at a meeting "Are you smoking something at the ExCom?"

So, I had to get good at resistance to change - and now I want to share pragmatic strategies that turn resistance into buy-in with you.

To do so, on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 from 3-5 pm US EST we are hosting a live...

I hope your October is going well - and you are entering the last quarter of this very challenging year.

This has been a year of sudden stops - and sad endings.

But there is also no question that this year has also been a year of many new beginnings.

If we want to find our way forward, if we want to adapt, to pivot, to survive and thrive in change, we have to find new answers, new solutions, new approaches.

The problem? People hate new things.

A 2010 study, for example, found that the longer something is thought to exist, the better it is evaluated, whether we talk about university requirements, art, acupuncture, or food.

Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson writes: “People who saw a painting described as having been painted in 1905 found it far more pleasing to look at than people who saw the same painting described as created in 2005.

Students preferred the course requirement described as the status quo over a new version regardless of whether the new version meant...

I am sure you know the feeling.

You've been working on something for a long time.

You gave it your all: blood, sweat, tears (and an occasional family fight over the sleepless nights).

It's time to launch.

And... it does not fly.

That was one of the most memorable moments of my past 10 years.

In 2014, I was working on a new book: aimed at dealing with resource depletion and reinventing the way we work so that our companies are more sustainable and flourishing at the same time.

The day my book launched was the day Kim Kardashian released her book of selfies, called "Selfish."

Guess which book did better with the readers...)))

In just a few weeks, my new book "The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos" will be published - and I am very worried.

On one hand, it's painfully clear that the world is in desperate need of reinvention - and much of the struggles we are in are here because people simply don't know how to change.

So, this new book can...

By now, you have already heard about the free 85-page preview of my forthcoming book The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos, downloaded it, and perhaps even started to test its most beloved tool, the STELLAR Strategy Model.

This canvas, combined with the step-by-step instructions, has become the all-time-favorite of reinvention professionals worldwide. 


It all started with client requests: "Nadya, is there a tool for strategic planning that combines discipline AND flexibility?"

After searching around the world, I could not fully back anything.

So, it was time to develop our own.

2 years, 9 versions, and countless field tests with real-life companies later, we got STELLAR.

And throughout this time it has been used:

- as a strategic planning and implementation canvas
- as a project management tool
- as a link between big corporations and small start-ups
- as an individual performance management framework
- as a personal...

My days have been filled with a lot of meetings and questions - and there is one question that seems to pop all over the place.

To be super honest, I was absolutely sure that this year, the crazy uncertain COVID-19, fire, social unrest, economic stress, political upheaval year, this question will not be among the issues.

After all, this year is THE year of change.

But somehow, not everyone is on board - because the number one question I still get today is this one.


"How do I deal with resistance to change?"

The omnipresence of resistance and avoidance of change is supported by hard data.

A research team at the University of Toronto surveyed 1,000 American and Canadian knowledge workers (all employed and with college degrees) to assess their attitudes towards change and innovation.

In addition to measuring “drive to innovate,” the scientist looked into things like “grit” and “openness to risk” across two countries and three age groups...

There is very little that the world can agree on these days, but there is one thing everyone seems to agree on: The world is in desperate need of reinvention.

We all know at least some bad products and less-than-perfect processes.

We all see opportunities for small improvements and big breakthroughs.

So, why don’t we make them?

I've been struck by this question for years - as a strategy and sustainability professor, as a crisis management consultant, as a citizen of the less-than-perfect USSR.

I used to think that facts and figures and research held all the answers.

If only we could produce a more non-disputable fact.

If only can draw up a more convincing slide deck...

You've been there, right?

What I discovered, however, is that people resist change mostly because they don't know how to change.

They are born reinventors - all of us are - but we are educated out of it.

Our schools glorify perfect answers - not messy and difficult questions.

Our companies reward...

Last week I asked for your vote on blue or yellow - and we got more than 400 email responses!!!

Since I can't seem to respond to everyone personally, this is one huge THANK YOU to all of you )))

What can I say - this reinvention tribe is truly amazing.

I promise we'll share the final decision very very soon - along with a huge set of free resources we have NEVER released to the public before - you will be the first to know.

And while we are gearing up and getting ready for the action-filled fall, I want to soak up the last few days of August and make sure we all charge our batteries just a little bit more - or a lot.

Growing up, September 1st was the first day of school, the day fun ended, the day I felt a bit less alive and energized.

Since then, every year I've been carrying this weight the entire month of August - a sense of anxiety and a bit of regret that the summer is finishing up.

As the world continues to find itself in a challenging place of stress, fear, and...

I need your advice!

As you know, we are putting the final touches on our new book, The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos.

The book is dedicated to the Chief Reinvention Officer that is within each and every one of us, you and me - and while it's based on 19 years of research, it is super-pragmatic.

So, now comes my question: which cover do you like best? Should the "badge" on the cover be blue or yellow?


Now, before you think that this question is superficial, let me say a few words about it.

Details matter. Beauty matters. Care and craft matters.

We're working on creating a movement, a revolution in thinking, a whole new relationship with change. 

Every little detail makes a difference - and helps us reach more people or turn them away.


To paraphrase the words of Phil Ochs, in our age of ugliness, beauty is a form of protest.

So, need your quick vote. What color should be the badge on our cover: blue or yellow?
 

BLUE:

YELLOW:



Comment below and...