Episode 29 - Inviting the Troublemakers In with Jake Jacobs
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I think I’ve always been a bit fascinated with change because I love the idea that nothing is set in stone and that there’s always the potential to find a better, more efficient or more effective way of doing things. That element of the unknown feels exciting and filled with possibilities. However, I know that a lot of people (and especially a lot of businesses) simply don’t have the same lens on change that I do. The unknown can be very scary, especially when you are working inside an organization where it feels like you can’t influence or have control of your own future. And at the end of the day, we all want a say in our future.
My guest on the podcast this week is Jake Jacobs, a brilliant author and change strategist who has 35 years of experience helping organizations, teams, and individuals make monumental changes. Jake has worked in 61 different industries, consulted for 96 organizations, and supported more than 210,000 people directly on important changes to their business. If there’s someone who knows change, it’s definitely Jake!
One of the things that we get into in our conversation is the importance of finding a balance between what’s not going to change and what’s going to change when we are working through the realities of business. Continuity is important, not only for the people in a business, but for the business itself. We need to identify what is working and what is going well so we have a solid foundation that we can take the leap from - you never want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It makes change much more palatable for those facing the unknown when we start with what we’re keeping the same.
It can be challenging for leaders to remember to identify that foundation at the beginning because they are often so singularly focused on a particular change, or outcome, or point of view. And unfortunately, that often results in them seeking advice from people who support their current vision and idea rather than challenge them in any way. Jake reminds us that a really easy place to check in about the blind spots a leader might have is with front-line workers who are inevitably going to see things that leaders don’t see. When you do this, you end up with better information and can be much more strategic and effective with your decision making as a leader.
The people who challenge the way we think and who question the things we are doing are often thought of as troublemakers. We have to remember that the people seen as troublemakers (and full disclosure, I was definitely seen that way when I worked in a corporate environment full-time so I have bias here) are actually valuable contributors who can help us see things that we can’t see right now. As Jake points out, you can ignore those voices, but you’ll pay for it later so why would you want to? You’re much better off inviting those troublemakers in.
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To learn more about Jake Jacobs, you can grab a copy of his new book (Leverage Change: 8 Ways to Achieve Faster, Easier, Better Results) that came out last week.
Or, visit him online at https://jakejacobsconsulting.com/.
You can also connect with him via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjakejacobs/.