Ruthie Doles, President
  

Happy September, CPMers!

First, I want to extend heartfelt sympathy and prayers to those with loved ones in Texas enduing the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  In Florida, we know firsthand the toll a major storm can have on an area and we should reach out to help.  It’s been so uplifting and inspiring to see the outreach efforts across the nation.  It’s during these disastrous times when we see how united and great our nation truly is!  If you have the resources and are so inclined, I encourage all CPMs to help by clicking the link below and making a donation to the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief fund via the American Red Cross or any charity of your choosing:    

https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey

Next I’d like to congratulate all the new CPM graduates on their accomplishment!  You should be very proud of this achievement and I encourage you to bask in the glow of success.  But your journey doesn’t have to end here… join the Florida Society of Certified Public Managers, the alumni organization that offers CPMs a chance to network, connect and learn.  As leaders, we must embrace continuous education to help our communities, organizations, employees, and most importantly ourselves, grow and thrive.

This month, I am posting Jim Hemerling’s Ted Talk titled “5 Ways to Lead in an Era of Constant Change.”  Jim is an organizational change expert with the Boston Consulting Group.  He starts out by discussing how people embrace self-change because it’s their choice.  But they are resistant to organizational change, usually because it’s imposed on them.  We’re all familiar with that tenant as CPMs, realizing that empowering employees and making them a part of the change is much more effective in getting them to accept it.  A part of the problem with organizational change, according to Jim, is leaders wait too long to act, ending up in “crisis mode” which we know rarely results in good decision-making.  They take a superficial approach to change, hoping that things will return to “business as usual” once the crisis blows over.  Jim purports that more effective change can be accomplished by placing people first.  As a CPM, that type of talk always gets me excited! 

Jim encourages leaders to:

·         Connect with a deeper sense of purpose – what does your organization stand for and how does that figure into the change

·         Think about initiatives that will fundamentally change the organization – forget quick fix

·         Make investments that develop leadership and talent, enabling employees to succeed -- Instill a culture of learning (my favorite!!)

·         Have a clear roadmap with milestones and hold people accountable for the change results

·         And most importantly, be inclusive!

Check out the entire Ted Talk below, or better yet, gather a group of CPMs for a Lunch and Learn, watch it together, and share your thoughts on these 5 ideas for managing change on our Facebook page. 

Until next time,

Ruthie

Jim Hemerling’s Ted Talk, “5 Ways to Lead in an Era of Constant Change” 

https://www.ted.com/talks/jim_hemerling_5_ways_to_lead_in_an_era_of_constant_change#t-786046