I stand on the shoulders of many people who have influenced and supported me in my life’s work. They are my teachers, mentors, coaches, clients, colleagues, collaborators, partners, advisors, family, and friends. I would like to thank all of you for your contribution to my learning, growth, and development.
I would like to acknowledge the people who helped me in a major way with the ideas and content that shaped the development of Leading Meaningful Change and this book.
First, I want to acknowledge Charlie and Edie Seashore, who introduced me to the concept of Use-of-Self. Although they are no longer with us, I know they were alongside me as I wrote this book. Their legacy lives on.
I want to acknowledge the people at the City of Ottawa for their support of my work over many years and their significant contributions to this approach. I especially want to acknowledge Steve Kanellakos for his quote: “When you are successful leading meaningful change, it means that you have captured the hearts and souls of the people. They believe in a higher purpose, something greater than their own single contribution.” This quote was the inspiration for the title and framing of the book.
I also want to thank Donna Gray, an exceptional transformation leader. She has been alongside me from the very beginning. I am so grateful for her sage advice and the many opportunities that we have had to collaborate and co-create together.
I want to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the senior leadership team. They are exceptional servant leaders. I am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to work with you and to learn from each and every one of you. Thank you for your personal and team contributions to the case study. My heartfelt thanks to Steve, Donna, Tony Di Monte, John Manconi, Steve Box, Kevin Wylie, John Moser, Janice Burelle, Marian Simulik, Dan Chenier, Rick O’Connor, and Steve Willis. A special thank-you to Deirdre Luesby and her design teams for their help in developing, facilitating, and supporting the processes, tools, and supports for the transition and transformation process.
I also want to thank Dora Koop and Henry Mintzberg from McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management for inviting me to pilot the Advanced Leadership Program so many years ago. This experience was life-changing for me. Henry, thank you for sharing your wisdom and for the many opportunities that we have had to collaborate, partner, and work together.
I want to acknowledge the CoachingOurselves network and especially Henry Mintzberg and Phil LeNir for your coaching and efforts to provide tools and supports to help us rebalance society by reflecting and learning with and from each other, inside our organizations and beyond. Thank you Jonathan Gosling for your study on Napoleonic leadership, which is so relevant for helping us navigate the power dynamics at play in our world today.
I have also walked alongside extraordinary people who have been part of this incredible journey of leading meaningful change. This book is based on the real stories and experiences of my clients, participants in workshops, students, and colleagues. Without them, this book would not exist. I am grateful to all of you for your inspiration, participation, and contributions that have shaped this LMC approach.
I have also worked with many partners who have promoted and supported change and transformation programs. Paul Slaggert and the team at the Stayer Center for Executive Education at Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, thank you for taking a chance on this Canadian and for supporting our Change Leadership Essentials and ExperienceChange workshops for more than a decade. It has been a great honor to work with you and the team.
I also want to thank Paul Juniper, Stephanie Noël, and the Queen’s University IRC team for your support of our Designing Change programs and for publishing the articles that tell the stories that have shaped this approach.
My thanks also go to Sandra Nichol, Kevin Caron, Dr. William Taylor, and the team at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business for your support and for championing our programs, specifically the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Executive Leadership Programme and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Certificate in Human Resources Management Program. It is always a thrill to go back to my home base and teach. Thank you to Dr. Raye Kass for teaching me the foundations of interpersonal dynamics and group development, which continue to be critical to my work.
One of the key elements and foundations of my work is the ExperienceChange simulation created by James Chisholm and Greg Warman of ExperiencePoint. I have been using this simulation with clients all over the world for almost 20 years. We’ve had a great time learning about change and, at the same time, developing meaningful strategies that have helped to change the world. I also want to thank the incredible technical support team at Experience-Point who for years have been in the background making sure there are no hiccups with the technology. Thank you for your support. You are amazing!
Thank you to the networks that I have been a part of and who have influenced my thinking and provided me with exceptional professional development, wise practices, and a rich learning network: the Niagara Institute (Conference Board of Canada), Discovery Learning, National Training Laboratories, the Organization Development Network, and the Lewin Center.
I would like to thank Roland Livingston for the invitation to write an article for the special edition of the International Society for Organization Development and Change’s tribute to Charlie and Edie Seashore, which was the catalyst for the study Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self in the Coaching Process: Reflecting on the Past, Present, and Future; Katherine Farquhar for her sage advice and coaching; and Brenda B. Jones and Mary Ann Rainey for sharing their Four Elements of Self Framework. I know the Seashores would be honored.
I would also like to thank Glennie Goins of Discovery Learning for administering the Change Style Indicator assessments for our programs all over the world.
Thank you to the many people who participated in the Change Leadership Challenges and Triple Impact Coaching studies. There are too many of you to mention personally, but you have my deepest gratitude.
Thank you to Dr. Cynthia Smith and the School of Health and Human Services leadership group at Camosun College for embracing the CoachingOurselves process and sharing your case study.
Thank you to the publishing team at Figure 1 for your expertise and support throughout the journey of writing this book. I want to especially acknowledge Rick Benzel, the master editor, for his invaluable contribution in helping me bring to life my vision for this book. I really could not have done this without you. I am grateful for your patience, coaching, and all your questions that helped me bring out my voice and be focused and clear.
I also want to thank Charles Raywood and Steve Walters from Profile Direct Marketing. We have worked together for over 20 years. Thank you for the images and graphics. Steve, a special thank-you for sharing your pantomime story.
Pauline Conley, thank you for developing the LMC imagery that inspired the LMC model.
I also want to thank my colleagues who read the drafts of the book and provided me with rich and valuable feedback. Ross Roxburgh, who asked me the question, “Bev, what are you going to do to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Triple Impact?”: who knew this would be the answer? Thank you, Ross, and thank you Jenny Sardone and Glenda Pryce.
This work could not have been done without my personal support system who fed and nourished me as I did my work in Ottawa and Montreal. I want to thank Darla Shaw, Harry Meredith, Diana Haddad, Wanda Hoskin, Monique Marsan, Lynne Gervais, Jean Luk Pellerin, and my family and friends.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am ever so grateful to my husband, Don, for his unwavering support and belief in me. This book was a journey for both of us. It took more time than was planned, but he was there for me every step of the way. Yes, even as my IT guy and office manager. Every time I wanted to take a short cut, he encouraged me to pause, catch my breath, and remember the importance of this book. Don, you captured my heart and bring meaning to my life.