August CLT Monthly Meeting Summary - "Author Panel: The Art of Change Making"

This session showcased just a few of our community's fantastic members and assets. The full video recording can be found here. See the deck here. Notes from the meeting and chat below. 

Janice Fraser, co-author of the book "Farther, Faster," shared insights into her motivation for writing the book and the key concepts it presents. She explained that the impetus for the book came from observing successful leadership practices that weren't reflected in popular leadership literature. Fraser and her co-authors aimed to make leadership more effective and accessible, particularly in the face of global challenges.

"We wrote the book because the things that we saw leaders doing that were really successful and high momentum kind of builders were not at all being reflected in the leadership literature," Fraser stated. "And you know, that's really frustrating. Because, honestly, I just want... I want this all to be easier. The world is in a tragic place right now... We need to be effective."

The book's primary goal is to describe patterns of effective leadership that can help people achieve more with less effort. As Fraser said, they wanted to "Get more done with less fuss." Her personal experiences inspired this approach, including a memorable incident at Adaptive Path, a company she co-founded. She recounted a situation where a simple decision to purchase a printer led to months of inefficient debates:

"We debated the 7 of us for 10 min for 6 months at our partner meeting every Tuesday... I added up. It was like 7,000 or $8,000 for a $300 printer... When everyone's trying to do the right thing. And it's still really stupid... there's got to be a better way."

Fraser also discussed Catalysts' challenges in organizations, including "persuasion fatigue." She explained, "We inhabit this need to... enroll other people in a different imagined reality," which can often lead to catalysts feeling isolated or misunderstood within their organizations.

Amy Radin, author of "The Changemaker's Playbook," realized she had a unique perspective to offer. "I realized that I did have something special to say. Having been an operator tasked with driving change in an... unbelievably, you know, conservative, bank." Her practical experience in driving innovation within a traditional, risk-averse environment set her apart from the predominantly academic and consultant-authored books on innovation.

The book focuses on several core skills that catalysts need to be successful. These include deeply understanding stakeholders, articulating a clear vision, and maintaining curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning. Radin emphasized the importance of openness to new experiences, stating, "Being curious, you know. I ended up publishing a very successful book because I was open to doing something I had never thought of doing before."

Shannon Lucas, co-author of “Move Fast, Break Shit, Burn Out” and co-founder of Catalyst Constellations, shared how she discovered the concept of Catalysts, their role in organizations, and how to support them. 

The term "Catalyst" emerged from research conducted by her co-author Tracy Lovejoy that described individuals who were natural change-makers and "fire starters." "Tracy shared what she was seeing and it was such a pivotal moment in my life." Catalysts are natural disruptors and change-makers who often feel lonely in traditional organizational structures. 

The Author's Top Tools for Catalysts

Janice Fraser: “Point A Thinking.” Janice emphasizes the importance of understanding the current situation before setting goals. This tool helps Catalysts assess where they and their stakeholders are starting from before initiating change.

Amy Radin: Stakeholder Engagement. Amy strongly emphasizes the importance of continuous stakeholder engagement and understanding. She advises Catalysts to "Keep talking to your stakeholders and listening to understand what's at the root of their support or resistance."

Shannon Lucas: “Action Maps.” Catalyst Constellations uses Action Maps as a key visual tool to outline the vision and progress towards a goal, allowing Catalysts to bring others along on the change journey.

Final Advice: 

Shannon emphasizes the importance of identifying, training, and activating Catalysts across organizations. “Imagine if your younger self could have had someone in a more senior role see you, invest in you, activate and support you. We can just create unstoppable change."

Janice concluded with advice that encapsulates her book's philosophy: "Take a breath…time is not as aggressively passing as we think it is. It's okay to take a breath. It's okay to let things sit overnight, …it's okay to let there be spaciousness." 

Amy stressed the importance of continuous stakeholder engagement and gaining deep understanding. She encouraged Catalysts to take small steps toward their goals, saying, "Keep talking to your stakeholders and listening to understand the root of their support or resistance... small steps add up. Don't get frustrated."