"Later is one of the most abused drugs we have available to us," declares psychologist Henry Cloud (Boundaries) in this manual for healthy growth in business enterprises. As a means to delay or prevent change, procrastination, Cloud tells us, can add fatally to our tendency to hope that tomorrow will be different/better than today and allow us to remain stuck in old, ineffective ways of doing things. Excuses like, "That's how we're made," don't stop Cloud from reminding us that "if you are doing something that is using you or your resources in a way that is depleting you or damaging you, you can't keep it going.... In short: you will run out." His wake-up call to overcome resistance to necessary change should be especially valuable in these challenging economic times.
Cloud identifies the need to constantly "prune" an organization, removing unwanted or superfluous elements so that the whole can thrive. At the same time, he admits, the process is often difficult. Businesses often wait until they find themselves in hopeless situations and, backed against a wall, must take immediate action or die; we know this as the Crisis Mode, and, truth be told, only a lucky few are at their best then. Or we can build in the idea of pruning as a normal part of managing a business--reframing the approach as being a necessary part of remaining a vital organization can help to reduce negative impacts. He certainly makes normalizing change seem the obvious choice over disruptive recurring crises, and lays out a plan for business leaders to follow.
Many choices may prove hard in such a plan, but leaders are hired to make the right ones and present them with authority. But what about the human cost, many ask. What allowances will be made for long-time loyal workers and old alliances? Cloud is sympathetic to that issue and addresses it straightforwardly; refreshingly, he also points out that, in planning for change, a leader must acknowledge that there are three basic types of employees: the wise, the foolish and the evil. It's about time someone said out loud that the same approach will not be effective in dealing with each of these three types. To achieve the overall goals of the company, Cloud offers practical tips and notes the subtleties in working with each type; many will find his insights on this topic alone reason enough to read the book that also states boldly, "it is a good idea to know how much of your life or resources you want to spend on something before you lose them all."--John McFarland
Shelf Talker: A practical, sensible and accessible guide for introducing necessary changes into a business during these challenging economic times.