Jennifer Selby Long

Anyone with an engineering degree can execute a three-step process and training really only helps you with learning how to do things that you can't do. And so with that, my colleague and I began digging into why on earth are they not executing this simple three-step process? And that was really the first change management type of project that found me.

Anyone with an engineering degree can execute a three-step process and training really only helps you with learning how to do things that you can't do. And so with that, my colleague and I began digging into why on earth are they not executing this simple three-step process? And that was really the first change management type of project that found me.

Now, over the years, as I shifted back into my primary interest, which is really around people and organizations and the development of those, I kept finding that the change-related challenges kept finding me. And they were exhausting and I didn't want to do them because I didn't like conflict and change always involves some conflict.

Now, over the years, as I shifted back into my primary interest, which is really around people and organizations and the development of those, I kept finding that the change-related challenges kept finding me. And they were exhausting and I didn't want to do them because I didn't like conflict and change always involves some conflict.

And I wanted to get on a trajectory of doing something very stable and steady. And yet the things that came my way were all challenging changes where people were mad at each other, where people were feeling blue, where millions of dollars were sitting on the sidelines because large systems had not been implemented properly and were not really being adopted. And so it just kept coming at me.

And I wanted to get on a trajectory of doing something very stable and steady. And yet the things that came my way were all challenging changes where people were mad at each other, where people were feeling blue, where millions of dollars were sitting on the sidelines because large systems had not been implemented properly and were not really being adopted. And so it just kept coming at me.

And somewhere along the line, I came to recognize I've now been coaching leaders on change for so long that it's actually my specialty. And so the whole firm aligned around that. And that is really where we have our attention now. We always say our motto is we help leaders win at change.

And somewhere along the line, I came to recognize I've now been coaching leaders on change for so long that it's actually my specialty. And so the whole firm aligned around that. And that is really where we have our attention now. We always say our motto is we help leaders win at change.

And today it's not really so much about the management of change, which I believe has come a very long way since I sat down with that technology leader and his three-step process that no one would adopt. It's come a long way, but the piece that is still a huge gap and a struggle for so many leaders is the leadership aspect of that change. How on earth do you get people to come along?

And today it's not really so much about the management of change, which I believe has come a very long way since I sat down with that technology leader and his three-step process that no one would adopt. It's come a long way, but the piece that is still a huge gap and a struggle for so many leaders is the leadership aspect of that change. How on earth do you get people to come along?

How do you get your peers who you're not the boss of to come along? How do you influence the leaders above you to support and embrace and get on board with the change? And at the most deeply personal level, how do you bring yourself through change? Tough stuff.

How do you get your peers who you're not the boss of to come along? How do you influence the leaders above you to support and embrace and get on board with the change? And at the most deeply personal level, how do you bring yourself through change? Tough stuff.

Absolutely, yes. A leader is at the center of any project that we're working on and we're working closely with that leader. We're often working with that leadership team that reports to them and even sometimes all the way down to the individual contributor level to help all of them embrace and enable a critical change.

Absolutely, yes. A leader is at the center of any project that we're working on and we're working closely with that leader. We're often working with that leadership team that reports to them and even sometimes all the way down to the individual contributor level to help all of them embrace and enable a critical change.

I think it's a great question. Technology has changed a great deal across time. For example, one of the biggest problems that we had in the past was the technology didn't always work that well. And so a lot of resistance to change was founded and it's not working better than what's already there. And in some ways it's worse. But today technology actually works pretty darn well.

I think it's a great question. Technology has changed a great deal across time. For example, one of the biggest problems that we had in the past was the technology didn't always work that well. And so a lot of resistance to change was founded and it's not working better than what's already there. And in some ways it's worse. But today technology actually works pretty darn well.

And so that's no longer at the root of the challenge. Initially, we worked most closely with IT functions because that's what I'd come out of. And that's who was really driving some of the initial change that had to come across an organization that had to change who people worked with and who they trusted and had to involve people letting go of a certain amount of control.

And so that's no longer at the root of the challenge. Initially, we worked most closely with IT functions because that's what I'd come out of. And that's who was really driving some of the initial change that had to come across an organization that had to change who people worked with and who they trusted and had to involve people letting go of a certain amount of control.

And so that is really where we initially were working. But across time, because our practice has grown entirely by referrals and repeat business, we would have business leaders who would go, I need to lead a lot of change in my business. For example, perhaps we've acquired another firm and the two leadership teams have not formed into one.

And so that is really where we initially were working. But across time, because our practice has grown entirely by referrals and repeat business, we would have business leaders who would go, I need to lead a lot of change in my business. For example, perhaps we've acquired another firm and the two leadership teams have not formed into one.