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Email from our Readers
Rick M., Director of Human Resources for a large US based retail chain, shared what he has been doing with the book.
"Dave, I wanted to give you a sense of how your book is changing the culture of our organization.
I bought copies of your book for all my direct reports almost a year ago and instead of just reading them we have been using them as workbooks, taking one of the behavior questions each month and discussing the "What would a Jester do?" suggestions.
We have done eleven of the mini projects now and have seen a definite change in the way we are viewed by the rest of the organization.
The various functions we serve have quantified a change in the way they perceive our attitude as well as the value of the insights we bring to the table.
Thanks so much for sharing the concept of Corporate Jestership. It is certainly alive and well here - and making a huge impact!"
Thanks for sharing your accomplishments Rick. Keep up the good work! |
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The Jester's Bookshelf |
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We have created a special area of the Corporate Jester website designed to share our recommendations for the best books on subjects ranging from Leadership to Creativity to Change Management.
To visit the Bookshelf, click here.
Please contact us with your recommendations as we would like to add them. |
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Pressing the button above will bring up an form allowing you to email thoughts, comments or concerns directly to the mailbox of our CEO, Dave Riveness - bypassing regular channels.
Go on, press it and tell Dave what's on your mind.
We dare you. | |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the July issue of the Corporate Jester Newsletter. This monthly publication is intended to keep you connected as part of our commitment to help individuals and organizations create maximum results leveraging the concepts and philosophy from the business book The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester: A Fresh Perspective on Organizational Leadership, Culture and Behavior.
If you are a new subscriber, we encourage you to learn more about us by clicking any of the following links:
We also encourage you to forward this newsletter to any collegues that may be interested in Corporate Jestership. To do so, click on "Forward email" link at the bottom of this page. |
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It seems like the word change is on everyone's mind these days.
Although change may be something desperately needed in many organizations (especially in today's uncertain economic times), readiness for change must always be assessed to understand whether attempting change is practical or feasible.
One easy way to understand the factors involved in change is to think about assessing the degree of change readiness using this formula:
Change Readiness = D+V+S+C
For a reasonable chance for change to occur an organization has to realistically assess all of the following:
- The shared level of dissatisfaction with its present state (D)
- The shared clarity around the vision of where the organization needs to go and how the proposed change aligns with that vision (V)
- The level of desire and willingness of individuals within the organization to take on behaviors necessary to make and support the change (S)
- The shared understanding of how much the benefits of the change will outweigh the cost required (money, time, energy, etc) to institute the change (C)
If the resulting number (the change readiness) is too low, change will probably not occur as the organization as a whole is not prepared to institute or support it.
Often, using the above formula can help identify reasons change is not happening in an organization and allow frank discussion about the potential and likelihood for future changes. |
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As Corporate Jester continues to grow and expand we find ourselves confronted with new and interesting business decisions. We thought we would follow our own advice and surround ourselves with willing Jesters to ensure we make best decisions reflecting on the greatest amount of information and insight.
With that in mind, we have decided to create The Jester's Council - a special group of five individuals who would be willing to involve themselves a little more in the development of Corporate Jester.
Members would commit to making themselves available via email once a month to give us advice and insight into some of the decisions we have to make as an organization.
We are not searching for people with specific knowledge or experience - just a group of five that are passionate about the idea of Corporate Jestership and are willing to share their thoughts from time to time.
If you would like to hear more, or are interested in joining The Jester's Council please contact us. |
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When discussing potential organizational change one can often pick up verbal defense mechanisms voiced in fear of the disruption of the status quo.
If Jesters want to lead (or participate in) positive conversations about change they have to help others in taking on perspectives that may be new, unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Do do that, Jesters should be able to recognize verbal cues that indicate mental closed doors.
Below is a tongue-in-cheek list of the top 50 statements people voice when they aren't really open to talking about change.
If you are having a meeting in which organizational change will be discussed, we suggest you hand out a copy of the change readiness formula (in the article above) as well as a copy of this list before discussions begin. It will result in a much more interesting and frank meeting!
1. We've never done it before.
2. Nobody else has ever done it.
3. It has never been tried before.
4. We tried it before.
5. Another company/person tried it before.
6. We've been doing it this way for 25 years.
7. It won't work in a small company.
8. It won't work in a large company.
9. It won't work in our company.
10. Why change -- it's working OK.
11. The boss will never buy it.
12. It needs further investigation.
13. Our competitors are not doing it.
14. It's too much trouble to change.
15. Our company is different.
16. The ad department says it can't be done.
17. Sales department says it can't be done.
18. The service department won't like it.
19. The janitor says it can't be done.
20. It can't be done.
21. We don't have the money.
22. We don't have the personnel.
23. We don't have the equipment.
24. The union will scream.
25. It's too visionary.
26. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
27. It's too radical a change.
28. It's beyond my responsibility.
29. It's not my job.
30. We don't have the time.
31. It will obsolete other procedures.
32. Customers won't buy it.
33. It's contrary to policy.
34. It will increase overhead.
35. The employees will never buy it.
36. It's not our problem.
37. I don't like it.
38. You're right, but ....
39. We're not ready for it.
40. It needs more thought.
41. Management won't accept it.
42. We can't take the chance.
43. We'd lose money on it.
44. It takes too long to pay out.
45. We're doing all right as it is.
46. It needs committee study.
47. Competition won't like it.
48. It needs sleeping on.
49. It won't work in this department.
50. It's impossible. |
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Although this month's newsletter came out on the afternoon of the 31st, we still think it qualifies for a July edition! Whew, it has been a busy month for Corporate Jester! As usual, future editions will have content submitted by our readers. If you have anything to contribute, we would like to hear from you! Contact us.
Dave's travel has been increasingly international in scope. Over the past couple months he has visited Dubai, Mexico, Bulgaria, Abu Dhabi and Canada. If your organization has international offices we would love to hear from you as we would like to continue to introduce Corporate Jestership around the world. Please contact us if you have a reference and we would be happy to send them a book.
We still are looking for Amazon.com reviews. If you read the book, enjoyed it, and are willing to post a positive reader review, we would certainly appreciate if you would take a moment to do so. Click here to be taken to the book's page on amazon and look for the "create your own review" button. It is easy to do and would make us smile. |
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We want to thank you for being part of Corporate Jester by offering you a small token of our appreciation. We have ten hardcover copies of The Secret Life of the Coporate Jester we would like to give to our readers.
We are hopeful that you will, in turn, give the copy to someone you know that would be interested in hearing more about Corporate Jestership.
If you are interested in receiving a complementary copy, please contact us. | |
One quick request from the editorial team. Each month we try to put together a newsletter that is fun, informative and has a little something for everyone. How are we doing?
Could you take a moment to drop us a line to tell us what you have enjoyed most in past editions? What would you like to see more of? We want to continue to bring you a newsletter you look forward to opening each month!
Thanks for being a part of Corporate Jester.
Sincerely,
The Newsletter Team
Corporate Jester
phone: 408-454-6650, toll free: 866-896-8948
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