Why is this subject, “Build Your Model for Leading Change,” important in the world?
Everything we want to accomplish as leaders today requires us to build relationships and communicate with other humans. These are the most important things we do every day. Yet the skills of communication and relationship-building are often the last things we spend time developing for ourselves. As a result, we’re getting stuck in difficult conversations or finding ourselves trying to avoid them. And that’s a surefire way to undermine our efforts to lead meaningful, sustainable change —whether it’s for ourselves, our team, or our organizations.
I believe we need leaders at all levels who can not only be a calm presence — meaning that they are able to lower the stakes for themselves and others — but who can also model what effective conversations and dialogue look like. We all communicate every day, so naturally we think we already know how to do that. But just as often as not, we walk away from conversations feeling confused, frustrated, or unclear. We communicate all day — but how effectively are we really communicating? It’s time to change that.
Effective interpersonal communication is the single greatest predictor of our ability to put things out into the world and have a positive impact — and it’s the cornerstone of being able to lead change. But there’s a lot more to effective communication than we give it credit for. And until we do the work, as leaders, to be able to navigate and facilitate difficult conversations with intentionality, purpose, and a full understanding of who we’re being and what we’re communicating, our teams and organizations will not reach their full potential.
What is the pressing issue right and how are you addressing it?
I want us to live in a world where all voices are valued and where conversations propel us forward together.
We can be really unskillful at conversations with other humans, and right now it feels like there are more complex subjects than ever requiring us to engage in dialogue with others. More than ever, we need diverse perspectives to be shared and heard, and we need to create the conditions for people to feel comfortable sharing. This is why the self-awareness and skills necessary for high-functioning conversations are so important.
Breakdowns in conversation can lead us to “othering” individuals — putting them in categories separate from ourselves and making them feel unwelcome or unheard. More often than not, “othering” also makes certain individuals out to be the “problem” or the “villain” in a given situation rather than an asset with a perspective that it would benefit us to hear. Leading change starts with developing our ability to facilitate meaningful conversations and dialogue where all voices can be heard. This starts with defining our own models for how we want to behave, how we want to lead, and how we want to live. This is the basis for being able to show up for others in a way that opens them up rather than shuts them down, and it’s the basis for my new workbook, Build Your Model for Leading Change.
Marsha Acker Biography
What is your background in this subject?
I’ve had a profound interest and curiosity in leading change for almost three decades — in other words, throughout my entire career. I started in a technical career field and transitioned into facilitation and coaching. I’ve had the experience of working with leaders who were skillful at leading change and with leaders who were really not. I’ve come to understand that one of the key differences between being skillful and unskillful is your ability to be very aware of your own behavior and why you behave the way you do. This is what I refer to as having a “model”—a working understanding of how you show up.
In my newest book, I’ve distilled years of learning so that leaders can get clear about their behavioral models and define their own models for leadership and change. It’s not easy work, but being willing to engage in this kind of personal development as a leader is invaluable. When you hit some of the toughest moments, personally or professionally, being clear about your model can be the difference between feeling like you’re sinking in quicksand and feeling calm and clear in the midst of chaos.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
It was recently pointed out to me by a colleague that I’m very unfriendly when I’m traveling. Which is something I didn’t even know about myself! It took me by surprise. I’m normally a very friendly person, I’ve always been told I smile a lot, and I care about others. But apparently, in a crowded airport or train station when I’m traveling by myself, I turn inward. It turns out I give off vibes of being unfriendly and distant. Upon reflection, it’s pretty true! I’m not looking for random conversations when I’m traveling. I’m usually looking for peace and quiet in order to regenerate the energy I need in my very people-focused and interactive work.
What are your passions outside of your career?
My family is really important to me and they are where I focus most of my time these days. I’m a caregiver for my mom and I have a young daughter. My daughter, in particular, is a source of endless delight and fascination. I’m always challenged to see the world — and myself — through a different lens when I’m with her. Between my family and our small menagerie of animals, home life is pretty busy!
Are there any social causes that you believe in and support?
I’m very passionate about bringing dialogue into social causes where division is deep. I really admire organizations like Prison Dialogue in the UK and Community Action Network in Ireland that use dialogue practices for social justice and help to raise the voices of those with less privilege. Taking the work we do in organizations into social spaces is a future calling I have.
What is next for you?
I don’t want to just share an idea — I really care about helping people bring it to life for themselves. And when it comes to building people’s understanding of what effective communication looks like — and helping them develop their competence in it — there are just so many places to dig in. Right now, I’m really focused on what I call the Leadership Range, as well as on the concept of communicative competence. These are closely related concepts that are absolutely crucial dimensions of leadership and high-functioning teams. Readers will begin to learn a lot more about these concepts in Build Your Model for Leading Change, but I’m also thinking toward future projects that will bring even more focus to them.
Build Your Model for Leading Change
Tell me about your book
Build Your Model for Leading Change is a guided workbook designed to catalyze clarity and confidence in leading yourself and others.
The core work of becoming someone who is prepared to lead change is a process of exploring and deeply knowing yourself. It requires you to increase your awareness of what’s happening (in yourself and in your teams), develop a functional understanding of the specific skills of effective communication, and to learn how to engage more productively and openly in high-stakes conversations. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” My book is a great place to start that work as a leader. At the heart of this book is the practice of model-building — a practice developed by renowned researcher and founder of Structural Dynamics, David Kantor. The exercises and tools in Build Your Model for Leading Change are designed to help you build specific models (or frameworks) to help you become the effective leader you aspire to be: a Model for Leadership, a Model for Living, and a Model for Life. Combined with a deep dive into the 7 Junctures of Functional Self-Awareness, these models form the basis for your own unique Model for Leading Change. And this is the basis for being able to lead meaningful and sustainable change — in your teams, your organization, and your own life.
The 3C Model for Team and Culture Design(Opens in a new browser tab)
Where can people buy the book?
You can order a copy of the book at buildyourmodel.com, your preferred online bookseller, you can also order from your local indie bookstore – just ask them to order it for you from IngramSparks.
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