CHANGE MATTERS: Stories About Taming the Corporate Jungle and Leading Transformation shares with readers your experience working as a Global Management Change Director and the lessons you learned. Why was this an important book for you to write?

Over the years, many of my clients and former colleagues have told me that those real-life stories, and examples were the best illustrations to demonstrate what my “teachings” are about. It is not just about the theory but about the practical application that catches my stakeholders’ mind and heart. Taking the time to gather those stories, learnings, and shaping them into a book was a truly insightful experience and journey, and I am glad that through this book, I can continue spreading the word for what I believe about why Change Matters in new ways!

What is a common misconception you feel people have about change management?

• That it is common sense (which it is)… yet it is not common practice. We need to simplify and relate!
• Resistance is negative: at first, it might be seen that way, indeed, but we can harness it positively and build on those insights very well.
• One size fits all. While I have managed and consulted on dozens of change and transformation initiatives, there are lots of nuances, and there is no one roadmap to success. It is a collaborative approach.
• Change management is about communication: yes and no. So many leaders think about communications, beautiful posters in the offices and warehouses. It is just one element. Capability building or training is another. However, intentional stakeholder management is the basis for good change management. The three come together.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

• We live in a constantly changing world; we can’t avoid change.
• To survive, we need to adapt, and it does not have to be difficult. Acknowledge the challenges and the learnings, and manage the change for yourself first so that you can then support others through the emotional cycle of change, too!
• Without a strong, visible, and active executive change leadership, one would lose the essential compass to success.
• There are many change tools out there but what matters is to rely on our inner wisdom and intuition and then use the tools to make them more tangible.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

They have everything it takes to succeed in leading the change, they need to listen to their inner wisdom and rely on good practices.

Author Links: Website | LinkedIn