People are often resistant to change because they think change means changing themselves. Many of us have a fear of change - but I think it's actually something deeper than fear of change. Under the surface, for many people change is really a fear of loss.  Our mind plays many tricks on us.

Change = fear = risk=loss=loss of status. It's all hardwired.

That is why I wrote The Leadership Secret of Gregory Goose.

Gregory diligently practiced the Ground Rules at the pond. By watching other lead geese, he believed strongly that having 'power-over others' was what leadership was all about.  

Yet one day, the hunters came to the pond and started to shoot at all the geese. In a time of crisis, Gregory discovered all the Power Rules no long served him well.  While in the air, Gregory made a 'leadershift.' He turned to the other geese - trusting them to become leaders, and they did. They split their "V" into three and the hunters didn't catch one goose that day. Gregory called this 'power-with others'. He discovered his most important wisdom - sharing power releases the leadership instincts in others. 

 Power Rule #1: Power comes from how strongly you flap your wings...

Power Rule #2:  Power comes from how loudly you honk...

Power Rule #3:  Power comes from how much you honk...

Power Rule #4:  Power comes from how well you strut...

Power Rule #5:  Power comes from how fast and strong you are...

Power Rule #6:  Power comes from your ability to peck...

Power Rule #7:  Power comes from how well you keep other geese in line...

Or So He Thought!

For years I've been coaching and consulting to tough, smart leaders who are really comfortable using "honking, pecking, and strutting" leadership behaviors. They don't want to let go because these behaviors are tied into their positional power. They don't want people to think they are weak.

As part of our work, leaders and I talk about what 'goose' behaviors represent and how they affect their ability to achieve their main business objectives. It's quite amazing what insights come out of this conversation.  

Often leaders will realize that when they are using power-over behaviors, the impact is that employees become 'followers'; they obey without question, and do not take risks.  Instead of building high trust, organizations that are willing to experiment and try new things, they end up with a compliant organization where fear of change is rampant - just the opposite of what they want to achieve.

Once leaders see there is a direct connection between their "power-over" leadership style and the results they are getting from their employees, they are free to change.

Within a short while, something miraculous happens; their team's resistance to change dissolves and productivity reins. This is a perfect example of how effective the Gregory model can be.

From Power-Over to Power-With

Gregory offers a way to get anchored in a new type of leadership, which is 'moving from power-over to power-with'.  Following the Gregory Workshop I recommend a process of peer coaching that involves having leaders who have gone through a Gregory Session together, meet on a regular basis - every six weeks or two months - where each of them commits to doing experiments using the seven new leadership behaviors that they want to model.

Leaders learn to share their experiences with each other and talk about the results that they're getting. This process creates a living organization that's really committed to a different type of leadership, and the stories the leaders share are crystal clear, real-life examples of what people are actually doing so they learn from each other about dramatically new and exciting ways to lead.