My new book has a name 😃
Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asking what title would make you want to pick up my new book about leading change.
The result was close. Lead Change That Matters ended up with 40% of the votes. Change Worth Leading came in a close second with 36%… and Lead the Transition challenged with 20%. The other options died quickly.
A huge thanks to the 100+ people who played. Your votes were great but hearing the rationale and language for your choices and the alternatives suggested were full of even more insight!
What’s the Book About?
Change is what shifts around us. The transition is the ongoing human journey through it – moving ourselves, our teams, and our organisations from where we are to the future we want.
This book is about leading both.
It’s a short, insight-led book grounded in the research, wider evidence, and what I’ve learnt through 30+ years of practice. And continue to learn.
At the heart of the book is a tension that ran through the research.
Leaders are expected to juggle more as the work becomes faster, more complex, and more scrutinised… but the conditions around them haven’t kept pace with what’s being demanded.
My premise is that leading change well is about designing the conditions for people to do meaningful work together – bringing purpose and performance together to build momentum and deliver results that matter.
Why This Name?
Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum puts the reader in motion.
It’s a call to action.
It connects leadership with purpose without making purpose feel abstract. It says the work matters, the people involved matter, and what we choose to do next matters.
My aim with this book is to help the people who lead, design, and deliver change navigate complexity and transitions – and build momentum with more confidence, clarity, and purpose.
I hope it will help you see what’s possible, feel optimistic about your ability to influence what happens next, and take action.
It wasn’t the deciding factor, but using “That Matters” creates a natural bridge to my first book Solve Problems That Matter… and the last chapter of that book is Sustain Momentum. This is really where my new book begins.
Thanks!
Again I want to say thanks to everyone who played along with this part of the process… and the 300+ people who participated in my primary research for this book.
Over the past few days, I’ve also had a few conversations that went deep. A massive thanks to Naomi Nash, Dan Leverington, James Breeze, and Rene Becker.
Conversations where I bounced ideas around with you, you challenged my thinking, and you helped me see fresh perspectives. I’m still synthesising a lot of this in my head as I work out how and where I’ll integrate it.
Writing a book isn’t really a solo venture. I’m lucky to have so many of you around me as my book team, cheering me on… and also challenging me. Thanks!
What Next?
I’ll be sharing a draft chapter next week… and very soon I’ll be designing some cover options for you to vote on.
Thanks for being part of the journey…
