Plant your Feet Firmly in Mid-Air

The premise of this book is that even though many organizations appear to have joined the 'new wave,' or the new way of doing business, their people and management systems are stuck in the first wave, that is, in the old way of doing business and of managing people. The dissonance created by these two competing systems has created unprecedented and uncomfortable turbulence in today's corporation. It is as if two storm fronts are clashing, and although we know the air will be turbulent, it is nonetheless confusing, and occasionally frightening. This book was designed to guide through this current dissonance created by two competing systems toward the calmer weather of consonance and stability. Many of the familiar guideposts are missing. Imagine you are seated comfortably in an airline seat, waiting at the gate. You watch the luggage and meals being loaded, hear the familiar announcements, and feel the push back, taxi and take-off. You enjoy the topography of the land as it zooms out of view. But then, suddenly, everything becomes clouded. You lose all sense of position. There are no indicators to judge distance. You have to trust that the pilot is taking you to your destination. If you are the pilot, a different picture emerges. There are reliable guides through the clouds. Even when the sky is occluded, pilots believe their instruments can lead them faithfully to their destination. Similarly, though transformational change can be described as leaving the known and venturing into the unknown, there are instruments to guide us. Much of the skill upon which I have relied as an instrument pilot can be transferred to guiding change in times of confusion and ambiguity, and this is the source and focus of much of my writing. This book developed for two reasons: first, I became dissatisfied with materials currently available to help people during the chaotic changes in today's companies. Many materials offer theories which do little to guide today's manager. In Plant Your Feet Firmly in Mid-Air, I have outlined clear steps toward change, and offer suggestions that are easy to follow. The second reason this book developed, was to try to help alleviate the confusion I see when I travel and work with various corporations and associations. I am awed by the herculean efforts of courageous people in today's companies who are trying to cope with uncertainty, confusion and overwork. There are masses of employees at all levels who exhibit a committed caring about their work and their fellow workers. These people need real answers, strategies, ways of thinking and acting based on common-sense to help them steer through turbulence. I believe that this book addresses those people and their needs, while simultaneously offering their leaders the tools to better guide them. Richard Pascale, in Managing on the Edge, argues that there never have been short-cuts to 'good management.' To understand how highly rated companies work, we need to study why others can fail. Chapter One examines some of the possible causes for failure. The most popular business gurus reflect North America's obsession with the new. There is the admonition in business circles to 'hurry up and use the new technique while it still works.' Tom Peters captured this 'new' spirit when he coined the axiom, 'Get Innovative or Get Dead.' But subjecting any organization to repeated epidemics of 'hit or miss,' trial-and-error roller coasters, replete with fancy jargon, demoralizes employees, confuses customers and eventually, obscures the very purpose of the business. Most importantly, this is not a book about what's wrong. It is a book about what is right, hopeful, and workable. The principles identified and explained herein can make you a much better guide of behavioral change than you already are. I hope this book guides you on your journey to an exciting future.

The premise of this book is that even though many organizations appear to have joined the 'new wave,' or the new way of doing business, their people and management systems are stuck in the first wave, that is, in the old way of doing business and of managing people. The dissonance created by these two competing systems has created unprecedented and uncomfortable turbulence in today's corporation. It is as if two storm fronts are clashing, and although we know the air will be turbulent, it is nonetheless confusing, and occasionally frightening. This book was designed to guide through this current dissonance created by two competing systems toward the calmer weather of consonance and stability. Many of the familiar guideposts are missing. Imagine you are seated comfortably in an airline seat, waiting at the gate. You watch the luggage and meals being loaded, hear the familiar announcements, and feel the push back, taxi and take-off. You enjoy the topography of the land as it zooms out of view. But then, suddenly, everything becomes clouded. You lose all sense of position. There are no indicators to judge distance. You have to trust that the pilot is taking you to your destination. If you are the pilot, a different picture emerges. There are reliable guides through the clouds. Even when the sky is occluded, pilots believe their instruments can lead them faithfully to their destination. Similarly, though transformational change can be described as leaving the known and venturing into the unknown, there are instruments to guide us. Much of the skill upon which I have relied as an instrument pilot can be transferred to guiding change in times of confusion and ambiguity, and this is the source and focus of much of my writing. This book developed for two reasons: first, I became dissatisfied with materials currently available to help people during the chaotic changes in today's companies. Many materials offer theories which do little to guide today's manager. In Plant Your Feet Firmly in Mid-Air, I have outlined clear steps toward change, and offer suggestions that are easy to follow. The second reason this book developed, was to try to help alleviate the confusion I see when I travel and work with various corporations and associations. I am awed by the herculean efforts of courageous people in today's companies who are trying to cope with uncertainty, confusion and overwork. There are masses of employees at all levels who exhibit a committed caring about their work and their fellow workers. These people need real answers, strategies, ways of thinking and acting based on common-sense to help them steer through turbulence. I believe that this book addresses those people and their needs, while simultaneously offering their leaders the tools to better guide them. Richard Pascale, in Managing on the Edge, argues that there never have been short-cuts to 'good management.' To understand how highly rated companies work, we need to study why others can fail. Chapter One examines some of the possible causes for failure. The most popular business gurus reflect North America's obsession with the new. There is the admonition in business circles to 'hurry up and use the new technique while it still works.' Tom Peters captured this 'new' spirit when he coined the axiom, 'Get Innovative or Get Dead.' But subjecting any organization to repeated epidemics of 'hit or miss,' trial-and-error roller coasters, replete with fancy jargon, demoralizes employees, confuses customers and eventually, obscures the very purpose of the business. Most importantly, this is not a book about what's wrong. It is a book about what is right, hopeful, and workable. The principles identified and explained herein can make you a much better guide of behavioral change than you already are. I hope this book guides you on your journey to an exciting future.