Change on the Run: 44 Ways to Survive Workplace Uncertainty
By Phil Buckley
Reviewed by Glain Roberts-McCabe
The Premise: Change on the Run is the second book offering by author and consultant Phil Buckley. In a departure from his first book – Change with Confidence – Change on the Run offers Buckley’s decades of change management wisdom in an almost “Instagram” inspired format. Highly visual, packed with tips and simple techniques, Change on the Run has been designed for life in the organization fast lane.
The book takes the reader through the process of change via three lenses: Managing Me; Managing the Work; and Managing Others. Each chapter delivers a key change principle with high efficiency without compromising effectiveness by providing why the concept is important, what the key things are to know about the concept, and how to action the idea. Readers can dive into the areas that matter most and will likely find multiple opportunities to reference the material included again and again.
The Bottom Line: I loved Phil’s first book a lot but I have to say, I love this one even more. In a time where bandwidth is limited and expectations on moving faster is accelerating, who has time to go through a prescribed seven-step change model? The challenge for leaders today is to “get in, get out and make that change happen.” So, with that in mind, Change of the Run is loaded with really simple, actionable tools and templates that you can immediately use. From decision making charts, to identifying change champions, to planning your communication strategies, Phil has taken the guess work out of how to approach a wealth of change scenarios.
Perhaps what I appreciated most though is the emphasis placed on the inner struggle that often goes along with leading change. The self-reflection exercises placed throughout the book allow readers to strengthen their own resilience and tackle the trickier side of leading change which can sometimes be our own feelings about it. This is a great tool for any manager who needs to drive change but especially great for those who have no time to read a book about how to do it.
Recommendation: Highly recommended for leaders leading change and looking for practical, actionable tools.
