Clever Geek Handbook
16 February 2026

Robert's Rules Of Order Newly Revised In Brief

Recommendation

In conference rooms and assembly halls around the world, people often lead and participate in meetings according to the processes detailed in Robert’s Rules of Order. The people at most sessions, however, need only about 20% of the rules and guidelines in the original book. That’s why Henry M. Robert III, William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann and Thomas J. Balch abbreviated the encyclopedic master text into this handy, easier-to-use version, focusing on the more up-to-date rules and uses. They cover all the basics, including how to introduce motions, participate in debates and take votes. The book also describes the jobs of the officers and board members, as well as providing templates, charts and examples of what to say and do to run meetings smoothly and fairly. Although the rules may be old-fashioned in some settings, they remain useful meeting management guidelines, particularly in forums where accountability matters. Whether you have to direct a corporate board or run a charity committee, BooksInShort recommends this concise reference book.

Take-Aways

  • In 1876, Henry Martyn Robert published Robert’s Rules of Order, a guide to running meetings. He is now the accepted authority on procedures for group deliberations.
  • All organizations require a process for running meetings fairly and efficiently.
  • “Parliamentary procedure” consists of the rules, processes and customs that govern assemblies.
  • A meeting should either follow standardized steps or pursue a specific agenda.
  • A “motion” is the vehicle members use to put proposals before the assembly.
  • After a member introduces a motion, the assembly debates its merits.
  • People introduce amendments to change motions.
  • You can apply various voting methods depending on the subject and the size of the group.
  • Rules and bylaws define an organization’s purpose and procedures.
  • The chairperson is responsible for ensuring that meetings run smoothly and that participants follow the rules.

Summary

The Role of the Rules

When people gather to make decisions, they must have processes in place to ensure that their rulings are fair. Groups of less than six people would be foolish to follow a formal structure, but groups of six to twelve need an agreed-upon format for several reasons. A process ensures that everyone stays on subject and leaves with a clear understanding of what the group did. Rules also prevent an assertive individual from dominating the meeting or taking advantage of less outspoken people. Groups of more than twelve demand even more structure to guarantee fairness. Questions that might arise include, “Who has the right to speak first and for how long?”, “Will everyone get a turn?”, How will the group stay on point?”, “How will the members handle disagreements and resolve conflicts?” and “What is the best way to deal with ongoing issues?”

“When people want to do something as a group, they must first agree on exactly what it is they want to do and how they want to go about it.”

“Parliamentary procedure” has evolved over time. It specifies rules, processes and customs that govern assemblies of all kinds. Some organizations may have their own procedures, but rules are necessary. If every group first had to define its rules before making any mutual decisions, meetings would become inefficient. Henry Martyn Robert published the first edition of Robert’s Rules of Order in 1876 to serve as a guide to running meetings. It has since become such an authority on the subject that people generally refer to “Robert’s Rules” when citing procedure. Robert revised his book several times in response to the hundreds of letters he received. His work establishes common ground on how to organize meetings in a way that gives all the participants room to voice their opinions, helps the sessions go “smoothly” and leads to solid decisions.

The Components

The “chairman” or “president” leads the meeting, and the secretary keeps its minutes. Enacting decisions made during a meeting requires having a “quorum,” or minimum number of representatives present. The chair begins with a “call to order,” announcing, “The meeting will come to order.” Meetings should follow a specific agenda or use this standard format:

  • “Reading and approval of minutes” – The secretary distributes or reads the minutes from the previous meeting for approval or corrections.
  • “Reports” – Committee chairpersons, board members or officers give reports to provide information or present recommendations for action.
  • “Unfinished business” – The members consider and discuss ongoing issues.
  • “New business” – Members introduce new business by offering motions.

“Motions”

A “motion” is the vehicle members use to put proposals before the assembly. To introduce a motion, you must request permission to speak. When the chair recognizes you, you “have the floor.” Begin your statement with, “I move that....” Follow with a precisely worded proposal. Before the members can discuss the motion, someone must “second” it to demonstrate that at least two people consider the suggestion worth considering. Someone must simply call out, “second.” The chairperson then “states the motion” by saying, “It is moved and seconded that...” The chair determines if the motion is succinctly worded and if the suggestion aligns with the organization’s rules. When a motion is “on the floor,” it is open to discussion with the goal of deciding what action the group will take. When members finish debating a motion, the chair takes a vote and announces the result in the following order: “Reporting which side ‘has it’; declaring that the motion is adopted or lost; indicating the effect of the vote, if needed or appropriate” and “announcing the next item of business, when applicable.”

“Debate”

Each member has the right to participate in the debate about a motion and may speak twice for up to 10 minutes each time. However, the assembly may change this time limit with a two-thirds vote. No time limit restricts the length of the debate. If you want to speak to the subject, the chair must recognize you. Obtain recognition by standing once the current speaker takes his or her seat. Do not try to get the chairperson’s attention while another member is debating. Usually, the person who makes the motion speaks first. The chair gives preference to those who have not yet spoken and tries to alternate between speakers with opposing views.

“Parliamentary procedure...provides processes through which an organization, large or small, can work out satisfactory solutions to the greatest number of questions in the least amount of time.”

When you are debating, ensure that your remarks are “germane” to the topic. Keep statements impersonal, so that you criticize the subject, not a person. The formal language used in debates helps keep arguments from becoming personal. For instance, speak to the chairperson, not the other members. Use titles instead of names.

“The primary purpose of the sort of meeting that uses rules of order is for the group to make decisions.”

A member may end the debate by saying, “I move the previous question,” “I call the question” or “I move we vote now.” Another participant must second that motion and then the group must confirm it by a two-thirds vote. Sometimes a group decides to delay voting on a motion, because the members need more information or the motion requires additional examination. You can put off a vote by moving to “postpone to a certain time,” or you can refer the motion to a committee for redrafting or additional study. The two kinds of committees are “standing” and “special.”

“Amendments”

Perhaps you agree to a motion with some changes. For example, if you feel the motion, “That the Golf League open a youth division” should limit the new division to teenagers, you can propose an amendment. Amendments must be clear and precise. Here, the amendment would be, “I move to amend by replacing the words ‘youth division’ with the words ‘division for teenagers aged 14 to 18’.” The group must first vote to adopt the amended version and then may debate it further. It is also possible to suggest amendments to the amendment. Amendments can insert or add words, strike words out or replace words.

“To begin the process of making any decision, a member offers a proposal by making a motion.”

Even after debate and consideration, groups may make mistakes. For instance, say that a board turns down a motion to donate $500 to a designated charity because, as the winning side argues, the group has insufficient philanthropic funds. Later in the meeting, the treasurer reports that a rental property generated unexpected income. A member of the winning side may make a “motion to reconsider.” If you learn after the meeting that, indeed, the group has adequate funds, you could introduce the same request, as a “renewal” motion, at the next meeting. If you wish the group to “rescind or amend” a previously approved motion, you also may move to have the members consider that change. Alert them ahead of time by giving “previous notice.” If you do not, the motion will need a two-thirds or majority vote by the entire membership.

“Voting, Nominations and Elections”

Adopting a motion or electing someone to office requires a “majority” vote, that is, a vote of more than half the members. A “plurality” vote is the largest number of votes received when members select among three options or more. Some resolutions, such as motions to suspend or change rules, require “at least two-thirds of the votes cast by persons legally qualified to vote.” Some motions necessitate the participation of the entire voting membership, even if the whole membership is not present at the meeting. Because chairpersons seek to remain impartial, they do not participate in debates and only cast votes by ballot or when their vote affects the outcome. The voting methods are:

  • “Standing vote” – The chair says, “Those in favor of the motion will rise. Be seated. Those opposed will rise. Be seated.” The chair can determine the outcome without necessarily counting each person. Chair people ask for standing votes when they are unsure of the result of a voice vote, when a two-thirds vote is required or when a member asks for one by calling out, “Division!”
  • “Show of hands” – A simple way for small groups to vote.
  • “Counted vote” – Usually the chair determines the vote outcome without actually counting hands. However, in some cases, he or she may take an actual count.
  • “Ballot vote” – Elections require a ballot vote. When only one candidate is in contention, the chair may announce the nominee’s election. Election results are final when the chair declares a winner and the candidate accepts the position.

Rules and Bylaws

The bodies of rules that govern a legislative entity are:

  • “Law” – Federal, state and local laws supersede organizational laws.
  • “Corporate charter” – A corporate charter is the body of laws adopted and followed by an incorporated organization.
  • “Bylaws or constitution” – A group’s bylaws describe its purpose, and provide parameters for officers, committees and gatherings. They define requirements for selecting members or being a member, and may establish an executive board.
  • “Rules of order” – Rules of order are guidelines for routinely and politely conducting business in a meeting format.
  • “Standing rules” – Rules that are not weighty enough to be included in the rules of order, such as a requirement that attendees must sign a register before a meeting, are called standing rules.
  • “Custom” – When a habit is ritualized and repeated, it becomes a custom. However, a custom cannot take precedence over a written rule.
“Minutes are a record of what was done at a meeting, not a record of what was said.”

The chair is responsible for ensuring that all the participants follow the rules. However, if a member believes someone violated a regulation, he or she may call out, “Point of order!” The chair then makes a ruling. If you disagree with the ruling, you may appeal to the group by saying, “I appeal the decision of the chair.” Someone must second this appeal. The appeal goes to debate, although members may only argue their points once. Overruling the chair’s declaration requires a majority vote.

“In a land where perhaps most persons are members of one or more societies, some knowledge of parliamentary [procedure] may be justly regarded as a necessary part of the education of every man and woman.” [ – Henry M. Robert]

Presidents and chair people should:

  • Know frequently used processes – Gain a thorough knowledge of the procedures used at every meeting, such as managing a vote.
  • Ensure that everyone knows the subject being debated and decided – Save time and focus the discussion by repeating motions and amendments word-for-word before the debate begins.
  • Be able to manage a vote – Understand what wording you need to use and the various voting methods so you can put a motion to vote.
  • Understand the stages of a meeting – Know the meeting’s flow and your role in conducting it. For instance, stand when calling the meeting to order, taking a vote or ruling on a point of order.
  • Control the processes for “points of order and appeals” – Be ready to mediate disputes and rule on conflicts.
  • Master parliamentary procedure – Become well-versed in Robert’s rules; know them better than any of your members and keep relevant reference materials on hand.
“Parliamentary procedure should normally be followed as a matter of course...It’s not something to look to only when you get into trouble.”

The secretary is responsible for pre- and postmeeting functions. He or she informs members of the day, time and place of the next meeting, drafts the minutes and prepares the agenda. During the meeting, the secretary reads or distributes the minutes, records the exact wording of every motion and assists the chair with voting. The minutes should not include what every member says, but they should record each outcome and decision. The secretary also maintains the bylaws, rules, membership lists and reports. The treasurer is responsible for tracking the organization’s funds. The president may ask the treasurer to give an update or report at regular meetings. He or she is also responsible for producing an annual report or financial statement.

About the Authors

Henry M. Robert III, William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann and Thomas J. Balch were authorized by the Robert’s Rules Association Council to update Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert is the grandson of General Robert, the author of the original Rules. Evans is former president of the National Association of Parliamentarians. Honemann is an attorney. Balch is a lobbyist and analyst.

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Robert's Rules Of Order Newly Revised In Brief

Book Robert's Rules Of Order Newly Revised In Brief

Da Capo Press,
First Edition:1876
 


16 February 2026

A Splendid Exchange

Recommendation

The appeal of this comprehensive history of world trade is rooted in its valuable information, thoughtful insights and brilliant writing. But, you’ll also be delighted with the fascinating, little-known details that financial theorist William J. Bernstein throws in along the way. For example, did you know that the Boston Tea Party, the legendary event that helped launch the American Revolution, was not a selfless act of patriotism, but a venal stunt by greedy smugglers and merchants that actually cost the colonists a lot of money? How about the fact that an Ethiopian herder may have discovered coffee in A.D. 700 when he noticed that his goats and camels bounced merrily around all night after chewing on the red berries of an unknown shrub? Or that the early Chinese sometimes adulterated their precious tea exports with sawdust? Bernstein fills his book with such beguiling minutiae, but primarily he presents a knowing, comprehensive, discerning report on world trade from its prehistoric beginnings to the present. BooksInShort predicts that Bernstein’s saga will engage you from the first page to the last, and from sea to shining sea.

Take-Aways

  • Foreign trade has taken place for millennia and has had a profound impact on human development.
  • Throughout history, trade has been most nations’ primary source of prosperity.
  • The earliest long-distance trade goods were the most precious, hard-to-get items: silk, incense, jewels and gold.
  • Spices replaced these valuables as the world’s most desirable commodities.
  • The hardy camel was indispensable for moving goods over lengthy desert caravan routes.
  • Ancient land and sea trade was hard, hazardous and crime-ridden, but very lucrative.
  • Nations long fought to control trade routes and to dominate world commerce.
  • They succeeded in turns, from Islam’s merchants to the sea-going Portuguese and Dutch.
  • The discovery of the New World dramatically altered world commerce, bringing a host of new products to Europe and Asia, including corn, tobacco and sugar.
  • Globalization is an unstoppable trading force with clear winners and losers.

Summary

Global Trade: A Venerable and Storied History

In today’s global economy, everyone is accustomed to buying goods from other countries – electronics from Taiwan, vegetables from Mexico, clothing from China, cars from Korea and skirts from India. Most modern shoppers take the “Made in (some other country)” stickers on their products for granted. Long-distance commerce was not always this common, although foreign trade – the movement of goods from one geographic region to another – has been a vital factor in human affairs since prehistoric times. Thousands of years ago, merchants transported only the most precious items – silk, gold and silver, spices, jewels, porcelains and medicines – via ancient, extended land and sea trade routes, including the fabled Silk Road through central Asia. Moving goods great distances was simply too hard and costly to waste the effort on ordinary products, although people often carted grain and other foods over shorter distances from farms to market towns.

“Man has an intrinsic ‘propensity to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another’.” [ – Adam Smith]

Numerous signs provide clues about ancient, long-distance trade, a fundamental human activity for millennia. In Mesopotamia, where copper is not indigenous, archaeologists uncovered copper headgear worn by Sumerian warriors in 3000 B.C. The Sumerians obtained the metal from traders who traveled from mines hundreds of miles away. People began using boats in Northern Europe some 15,000 years ago, and that is probably how the earliest traders moved their wares. The earliest trade by water was between farmers who bartered food items and hunters-gatherers who bartered animal pelts. Obsidian, ideal for making cutting tools and weapons, was one of the first trade items. Greece does not naturally produce obsidian, but archeologists found 12,000-year-old obsidian flakes on its mainland. The stone must have come by sea from Melos, 100 miles away. Shipping goods by water was easier and cheaper than land transport. Greek historian Herodotus describes early round boats made of animal hides stretched over wooden frames. The “largest...carried about 14 tons,” but only downstream. At the journey’s end, the hides were folded, packed on donkeys and taken back upstream.

“On some unrecorded occasion deep in prehistory, a man, or several men, initiated early long-distance trade by setting out on the water in boats.”

In olden times, transporting trade goods was a deadly enterprise. Bandits roamed land routes, eager to kill merchants and steal their wares. The sea trade was daunting: ships were flimsy, navigation was rudimentary, pirates abounded and dangerous weather sank many ships. Yet, goods continued to move, driven by the immense profits to be made by bartering.

Camels, Incense and Pax Islamica

During the late Pleistocene era, ending 10,000 years ago, a land bridge called Beringia (now the area of the Bering Strait), existed temporarily between the eastern and western hemispheres. As a result, plant and animal species moved between the Old and the New Worlds. Humans moved west to the New World, and camels and horses moved east into the Old World.

“One of the earliest commodities traded by boat must have been obsidian, a black volcanic rock (actually a glass), that is a favorite of landscapers and gardeners around the world.”

Because camels can store water efficiently throughout their bodies, they can go days or even weeks without drinking. Plus, camels sweat less – that is, lose less of their stored water – than other animals, making them ideally suited for life in arid regions. These hardy creatures quickly became the primary beasts of burden for transporting goods throughout Asia, including the Arabian deserts. Merchants also used donkeys, but the indefatigable camel did most of the work. One camel driver with three to six dromedaries could move two tons of cargo some 20 to 60 miles daily. Initially, traders transported only the most valuable goods: incense, perfumes and body oils – precious items during an era when people wore the same clothes repeatedly and seldom bathed, a time when public sewerage was either nonexistent or exceedingly rank and rudimentary. Along with silk, frankincense and myrrh were the most treasured goods.

“How did goods get from China to Rome? Very slowly and very perilously, one laborious step at a time.”

Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born into a desert tribe of traders. His successor as Muslim ruler, Abu Bakr, was a cloth merchant. With its early roots in trading, Islam has always respected the movement and sale of merchandise. The Quran teaches “Do not devour your property among yourselves falsely, except that it be trading by your mutual consent.” Early Muslims were not permitted to steal from their co-religionists, but stealing from infidels was a different matter. Thus, many Muslims became fearsome desert raiders.

“The advent of the written word around 3300 B.C. lifted history’s curtain and revealed an already well-established pattern of long-distance trade.”

Islam quickly became dominant throughout much of the known world. Muslims controlled the vital caravan routes, which meant they commanded most long-range commerce. Muslim navies dominated the seas as Muslim raiders ruled the land. After Muhammad’s death in 632, Islam became the main economic and social force. A Pax Islamica prevailed until the 11th century, when Christians regained territories in Spain and other southern European lands. This also was when the First Crusade took place. Still, Muslim traders remained the primary force in long-distance trade until the 16th century and, in many places, well into the modern era.

“For most of recorded history, the primary manufactured trade commodity was cloth.”

In ancient times, steady trade took place between China and lands to the west, including Arabia and Europe. Indeed, Islam reached deep into China before the seventh century. Muslim merchants, especially Persians, actively traded with the Chinese. They traversed the ancient Silk Road, as did European traders. The Chinese organized vast seagoing fleets for treasure expeditions to India, Java and Sumatra, and later to the East African coast.

Sea-Lanes and “Choke Points”

Waterborne commerce was so crucial in the ancient world that the early Greek powers viciously fought each other for control of the sea-lanes, and the Hellespont and Bosporus, two “maritime choke points.” Because of their soils’ limited fertility, Greek city-states had to trade olive oil and wine for imported wheat and barley to survive. Athens strove to become the dominant Greek city-state so it could control vital grain shipments. Athens and Sparta fought to control the two narrow waterways and, thus, all shipments between the Black Sea and the Aegean. The Athenians eventually became a great sea power, the mighty Athenian Empire. But Sparta rose again to conquer Athens and impose embarrassing peace terms. Years later, Athens once again became strong. When Alexander the Great came to power, he gave Greek ships the freedom to move goods over the navigable waters he controlled.

“Although the primary objective of the crusades was not commercial (unless one was Venetian or Genoese), Christians clearly recognized the Muslim command of the spice trade for the money machine it was.”

During the 14th to the 17th centuries, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and other spices replaced incense and perfumes as the most precious long-range trade commodities. Spices moved via the Silk Road, and over the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. By the 16th century, the Portuguese dominated sea trade with Asia, followed by the Genoese and Venetians, and then the Dutch. Distant trade brought numerous benefits to most of those involved in it, from wealthy people who dressed in gorgeous Chinese silks and perfumed the air around them with sweet-smelling incense, to nations, such as the Greeks, who depended entirely on imported grains for food. However, ancient trade routes also transported deadly diseases such as the gruesome Black Death, a plague accidentally carried from the Asian steppes to Europe and the East, where it may have killed as many as a hundred million people in the 1300s.

Discovery of the New World

In the late 1400s, Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus asked the Spanish monarchy to fund his voyage west to reach the fabled markets in China and India. By this time, most educated people believed, as did Columbus, that the world was round. But King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella considered his proposed expedition so difficult and treacherous that they turned him down at first. However, they eventually commissioned his enterprise. The rest, of course, is history. In 1492, Columbus and his three ships reached the New World. During the same period, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed a small fleet 28,000 miles completely around the world. His ships were away from land for 95 days. At the time, these were unimaginable feats, and after them, global trade and commerce would never be the same.

“By the early 17th century, all roads led to the Netherlands [which] assembled the first truly global trading system.”

As mariners and merchant adventurers made remarkable, exciting voyages of discovery, opening the New World for their own profit and to fill the coffers of their wealthy sponsors, global commerce quickly took on entirely new dimensions. The exchange of plant species between the Old and New Worlds, notably corn and coffee, dramatically altered global agriculture.

“The great national trade organizations, particularly the English and Dutch East India companies, spearheaded Europe’s commercial dominance and made world trade the nearly exclusive province of large corporate entities.”

The oceans also continued to carry disease. Conquistador Hernán Cortés imported smallpox to the New World in the 1500s. His Spanish sailors were immune to it, but it quickly wiped out millions of Aztecs. Other infectious diseases also travelled the trade routes, often with horrific results, but the most frequent outcome of ocean-going trade and discovery was profit. For that reason, traffic in slaves burgeoned. From the early 1500s to the end of U.S. slavery in the 1860s, 9.5 million African slaves were taken to the New World. The slave trade changed society forever and reshaped global trade.

“Although free trade benefits mankind in the aggregate, it also produces losers who cannot be expected to passively accept the new order.”

By the early 1600s, Dutch and Spanish maritime experts had thoroughly mapped out Earth’s wind currents, making sea voyages far easier and more predictable. Immense silver deposits in Mexico and Peru spurred the development of a global monetary system. The Spanish eight-real coin became the primary currency. Huge corporations emerged and quickly took over global commerce. With new, cheaper production and labor, many service workers, farmers and textile manufacturers found that their work was no longer commercially viable.

A Small World, After All

As the world grew more accessible and thus “smaller,” global commerce radically changed. After 1700, farmers in many locations could produce valuable New World crops such as cotton, sugar and coffee, as well as tea, once a Chinese specialty. By the 1700s, cotton became more desirable than Chinese silk. These changes altered global trade practices. The 1800s brought major transportation and communication advances, including railroads, steamships and refrigeration techniques, as well as improvements in steel manufacturing. Producers had their choice of new ways to transport goods farther and faster, and more easily and cheaply. Plus, thanks to the telegraph, buyers and sellers now could communicate almost instantaneously. These advances greatly spurred world commerce.

Free Trade

From the 1400s on, England enacted various laws setting tariffs on corn. These “Corn Laws” became obscure over time and few people heeded them until 1756, when the Seven Years’ War started and grain supplies fell. Then, the nation’s agricultural trade policy suddenly became a hot issue when people rioted to protest grain shortages. This national concern soon moved to other products, particularly cotton fabric, but arguments about how to tax imports and build exports continue internationally even today.

“When goods are not allowed to cross borders, soldiers will.” [ – Frédéric Bastiat]

The U.S., a vast land with giant domestic markets, practiced protectionism by setting high import taxes. Classically, Republicans favor protectionism. Democrats are generally far less enamored of it. The 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff, “one of the most notorious pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress,” raised already high U.S. tariffs on imports, provoking other nations to increase their tariffs radically. As a result, international commerce almost came to a halt in the early 1930s. Cordell Hull, secretary of state under President Franklin Roosevelt, used his formidable powers of persuasion to push for free trade. Thanks to him, Congress passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act in 1934, opening the U.S. market. International trade exploded, growing at the remarkable average annual rate of 6.4% for the next 50 years.

“Globalization, it turns out, was not one event or even a sequence of events; it is a process that has been slowly evolving for a very, very long time.”

Free trade immensely benefits many people around the globe. A 2006 study showed that in nations with open trade policies, the average GDP was $17,521, while nations with “always closed” trade policies achieved only a $2,362 average GDP. Free trade is like any zero-sum game: some win, some lose. Your fate depends on whether your product can be made more cheaply somewhere else. If so, people worldwide will buy it and improve their lives, but you will soon be out of work. Trying to reverse this effect is like trying to sweep back the tide with a broom. In the final analysis, this is globalization: a mix of bitter and sweet, where the score is kept in miles and money.

About the Author

William J. Bernstein is an author, financial theorist and historian. His other books include The Birth of Plenty and The Four Pillars of Investing.

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A Splendid Exchange

Book A Splendid Exchange

How Trade Shaped the World

Atlantic Books,
 


16 February 2026

The Truth About Thriving in Change

Recommendation

In business, change is constant. Yet many companies resist it or fail to prepare for it properly. To help remedy this problem, leadership consultant William S. Kane takes established “truths” about how to create meaningful corporate change and attempts to bolt them together in a leadership guide. How did he do? The author gets high marks for his extensive research and excellent sources, including numerous business bestsellers and high-profile contemporary studies of change management, corporate performance and productivity. Despite this hard work, the book tends to be very repetitive and breaks little new ground with its prescriptions: “Have a vision.” “Demonstrate commitment.” “Develop strategic objectives.” “Manage performance.” “Communicate clearly.” While such mileposts may be basic, BooksInShort suggests that they will be quite useful to those who want a rundown on the tenets of change management.

Take-Aways

  • Change is inevitable in business. To stay competitive, your company must be ready for it.
  • To lead and manage change, commit to it, name the reason behind it, examine your firm’s purpose and goals, and create a “cultural framework” aligned with organizational values.
  • Treat your employees as partners in the change. Show them respect, match them to the right projects at strategic moments, and manage their performance and growth.
  • Identify your high, middle and low performers, and make your top workers leaders in your change agenda.
  • Also sort staffers by their attitudes. Pinpoint “can-doers, fence-sitters and naysayers.”
  • Use your can-doers to motivate others. Convert fence-sitters and replace naysayers.
  • Guide your firm through change by “telling, selling, participating,” then “delegating.”
  • Keep your change message “candid, constructive, contextual, consistent” and “continuous.” Clearly communicate your vision and goals.
  • Inspire others by exuding confidence, energy, flexibility, optimism and good judgment.
  • Even as your organization changes, uphold your personal values and beliefs.

Summary

A Checklist for Change

Modern business leaders must cope with uncertainty and rapid change. Is your organization prepared to adapt to meet the new external and internal demands that continually present themselves? It had better be. Otherwise, your competitors will zoom past your firm. Though achieving organizational change isn’t always easy, it can be exhilarating, depending on your individual perspective. And the payoffs can be huge – from increased profits and productivity to better employee engagement and learning, and beyond. So how should your company handle change? What should it do, and what should it avoid? And, as a leader within your organization, how should you deal with change? Start with this checklist for “leading and managing change”:

  • Fully commit to the change.
  • Pinpoint the reason for change by assessing the firm’s “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” (SWOT).
  • Answer these core questions: “What is the company’s purpose?” “Where is it headed?” “What must the organization achieve?” and “How will it attain its goals?”
  • Develop a “cultural and operating framework” that supports your company’s values.
  • Demonstrate your respect for every worker in the organization.
  • Match employees to the right projects at strategic moments.
  • Manage staffers’ performance and monitor their professional growth.
  • Improve every day, and always communicate effectively.

Employee Roles in Organizational Change

Your team likely consists of workers with varying levels of drive and talent. To structure your group effectively, evaluate staffers individually based on their “competence, judgment, energy, focus, relationships” and “trust.” Then sort them into three groups. The high-achieving, nimble-minded employees who influence business growth are “A players.” The “solid performers” who account for the majority of your workers are “B players.” And the employees who make only a “marginal contribution” are your “C players.” To propel organizational change, assign your A players to leadership roles. Keep your B players, your team’s “backbone,” in their existing roles or, if necessary, move them to a position that matches their strengths. With C players, either develop their skills, shift them to a more suitable position or ask them to leave.

“Conversion Is for Missionaries and Crusaders”

Managers often try to get all their staffers “on the same page” about business goals. However, this tends to be a fruitless endeavor, because people naturally “fall into one of three attitudinal camps” when confronted with change. Identify each of your employees as a “can-doer, a fence-sitter” or a “naysayer,” then decide what changes you need to make to your team, and when. Learn to spot these profiles:

  1. Can-doers – These employees will get behind you and your change agenda, and they will even help you motivate other staffers.
  2. Fence-sitters – These workers vacillate between “ambivalence and negativity.” Convert them quickly if you can. Otherwise, they may one day line up against you.
  3. Naysayers – These cynics won’t support your change initiative. Don’t waste your time trying to persuade them. Ask them to leave.

Revving the Engines

If you are a new manager faced with pushing a change initiative, you must come up to speed quickly on the industry and its markets, as well as the company’s products and technologies. Learn all you can about your firm’s primary stakeholders, business challenges, strengths and weaknesses. Align your goals, activities and understanding of current challenges with your boss’s point of view. Know what your superiors want you to accomplish initially and over time.

“The mantra of organizational change is ‘better, faster and cheaper.’ Its three most important elements are speed, speed and more speed.”

Carefully plan how you will announce the change initiative to your team members. Use your initial communication to help them understand the need for change, as identified in your SWOT analysis. Make them your partners in the change agenda and encourage their commitment. Clarify all goals, including “improved quality, enhanced product or service offerings, reduced costs, optimal productivity, and the exploration and exploitation of new business development opportunities.” Affirm – or, if necessary, establish – your company’s vision, and identify what steps the organization must take to realize it. Personalize your message by using words like “we” and “us” instead of “you” and “they.”

“Successful organizational transformation is 70% to 90% based on leadership and only 10% to 30% on management.”

Involve everyone in the organization in planning your change initiative. Break the plan down into discrete and actionable portions, but help employees maintain a “big picture” view of the company. Encourage others within the firm to “see, experience and share in the progress.”

What It Takes to Lead and Manage Change

To maintain the trust of everyone in your firm, including your superiors and your direct reports, always be transparent, credible and consistent. Ensure that your actions align with the messages you convey about the business. Every day, set an example for others with your conduct. Don’t ask your employees to make sacrifices that you don’t make. Get to work early, stay late, work hard and be prepared.

“There are only two ways to earn trust – having congruence between your words and your actions and showing that you care.”

You cannot manage change within your organization if you cannot properly manage people. Having stellar “academic credentials” doesn’t guarantee that you will be a good manager. Guiding others through change requires practical know-how, such as interpersonal skills and the ability to execute plans that achieve your goals. Managers also must be proficient at creating and communicating a vision for the company, uncovering innovative ways to accomplish tasks and goals, and negotiating to obtain needed resources. As a manager, you must be an effective teacher and decision maker. Learn to invest yourself in your people so they will invest themselves in you.

“Be more interested in finding solutions through others than in having your own way.”

To “manage change, you must be able to lead change.” That means inspiring others by exuding confidence, energy, flexibility, optimism and good judgment. Play an active, prominent role in developing the organization’s culture, and strive to be a clear communicator. Leadership centers on achieving results, so if you don’t attain your goals at first, persevere until you succeed. Ensure that you are controlling the change agenda you hope to implement, rather than letting it control you. You must be visible to be an effective leader. Mingle with your employees and “manage by walking around” to build rapport and goodwill.

“Feedback is an obligation.”

Guiding your company through change requires four leadership styles. You will use them “in an almost linear manner”:

  1. “Telling” – Your first objective is to distance the organization from immediate danger. This may call for the “commander at the combat front” approach. Give orders and assign tasks, then supervise their execution.
  2. “Selling” – Once your company’s direction crystallizes and the firm achieves some “short-term” goals, your role shifts. You now become the “great persuader,” drawing on your personal charm to motivate staffers to support change initiatives because they want to, not because they must.
  3. “Participating” – As the firm steadies itself, you become a “facilitator.” This involves heeding your employees and customers more closely. Though you continue to make the choices about “strategy and resources,” you give staffers more say in company decisions.
  4. “Delegating” – Finally, you can let your most trusted workers take over many everyday responsibilities. Within the perimeters you set, they may make decisions about organizational systems, “resources, structure, training” and staffing.

How to Communicate About Change

Employ the “five Cs” when you speak to others about the change initiative: Be “candid.” Keep your comments “constructive.” Make them “contextual” by explaining how the change fits into a broader view of the firm. Stay “consistent” about your message. And communicate in a “continuous” way to maintain support for the agenda. Most important, craft a simple, direct message that employees can easily digest. Focus on what they “need to hear.” Don’t overwhelm them with information.

“Delegation initially works best for simple tasks. As your faith and confidence grow...you may delegate more complex assignments.”

How will you know if you are properly communicating your change message to employees? Seek their feedback. Ask them to describe their understanding of your organization’s change initiative. As a manager, you will need to provide feedback as well as receive it. Regularly let employees know where they stand with you – and with the organization. Tell them if they are demonstrating the company’s values. Always “appraise the performance, not the person.”

Cultural Considerations

Consider your company’s culture. It plays a significant role in determining whether your change agenda will be successful. For instance, only about 50% of joint ventures and about 33% of large mergers are successful. These initiatives, which often unite opposing corporate cultures, represent the epitome of organizational change.

“Time can be either an ally (such as when dealing with an emotionally charged issue) or an enemy (such as when your bottom line is bleeding).”

Corporate culture is a mix of “observed behaviors, norms and rites that involve working groups,” company values, and management approaches and attitudes, among other factors. Organizational culture shapes how a firm operates, including decision-making and communicating procedures. Change initiatives challenge corporate cultures and individuals. People naturally fear and oppose change, and employees may even feel that it threatens their “cocoon of perceived indispensability” within the firm. Use communications and workshops to ease staffers’ fears about change. Engender optimism in your people. Assure them that your organization’s new change initiative will enhance your corporate culture, not tear it down. Frame the change as an opportunity for individuals to build their skills and expand their competencies – then “demonstrate your commitment” to helping them develop.

“Human nature tends to fear and resist change. This is driven by the potential erosion of...our needs for physiological satisfaction, safety and security, love and belonging, and recognition and status.”

Will your organizational structure support or stand in the way of your change agenda? Examine it in an objective, nonemotional way. If it is no longer effective, reorganize. As a change leader, manage and monitor the progress of your initiative to improve your company’s performance.

Self-Preservation During Change

Stress is inevitable in a changing company. To alleviate stress, eliminate as much ambiguity and confusion as possible. Maintain a clear understanding of your organization’s business realities. Stay positive to keep other people upbeat as well. Be compassionate and considerate with your co-workers.

“Complacency is best combated with information.”

“The better, faster and cheaper” business world takes a marked toll on those who labor within it, with long hours and heavy responsibilities. These pressures increase substantially during periods of organizational change. Line up the full support of your family and your personal network to help you cope. Avoid pushing yourself too hard. Get the downtime you need.

“Managing change is complex, fast-paced and dynamic, and it involves many activities such as coaching, supervising and disciplining.”

Always uphold your personal principles and beliefs at work. If your organization’s existing or newly emerging values do not support them, you may need to consider moving to a different firm. Indeed, “matching your belief system with your employer’s is more important than matching your skill set.” Values form the basis of acceptable conduct within the organization and shape how the company makes decisions. They represent your firm’s “core ideology.” Ask yourself whether you feel proud of the values that define your organization. If you don’t, your morale, confidence and work performance could be suffering as a result.

About the Author

William S. Kane is a speaker, leadership consultant and business change expert. He worked with famous basketball coach John Wooden to develop and present leadership training seminars.

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The Truth About Thriving in Change

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