change ~ Daria Williamson

Navigating change: The Four Doors of Change

Reading Time: 9 minutes Navigating change can be tricky – it brings up a lot of emotions, worries, and decisions, and we’re not always sure where we stand. One of our primary needs when facing change is to be able to understand what it will mean for us. It’s easy to get focused on negative aspects and neglect the … Read more

Leadership toolbox: how to use change stories to transform your reality

by Daria Williamson

Photo of a book with pages being blown by the wind

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Our change stories can make or break us as we navigate change. I’ve written previously about how we humans are sense-making machines. We always seek out a story that explains what we are experiencing. And if what is happening doesn’t come with a story that makes sense to us, we’ll make up one that does! (This is why the rumour mill goes into overdrive when people sense a change is coming, but aren’t being told what’s happening).

Change is our only constant

I think it’s fair to say that, so far, the 2020s have shown themselves to be the decade of navigating change, whether or not we are willing participants in those changes! This makes now a great time to think about the stories we are hearing, telling ourselves, and sharing with others.

How-to: be a great leader during a crisis

by Daria Williamson

A typewriter with the word 'crisis' in the centre of a white sheet of paper

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Leadership is a challenging endeavour at the best of times. You’re juggling multiple streams of information, competing goals, shifting targets, and the glorious messiness that comes from being a human working with other humans. Then throw a crisis situation into the mix – that’s a tough day at the office!

What is organisational culture, why does it matter, and how can we build a great culture?

by Daria Williamson

A rainbow painted background with the word 'Culture' in white

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Organisational culture has been a “buzzphrase” for longer than I can remember. It’s the topic of vast numbers of books, 15 TED talks (when I last checked), and innumerable blog-posts (to which I am adding another with this!).

But what is it, exactly? And why is it so important? And how do we create a great one? Thanks for asking! Let’s dive into those questions.

Continuous improvement

by Daria Williamson

Reading Time: 3 minutes

My entire philosophy is based on two core beliefs: that change is possible, and that we can always be a little bit better today than we were yesterday. These beliefs underpin the concept of continuous improvement. In this article, I explain why continuous improvement is so important, and how we can apply it to our work.

Why we need to ditch certainty and embrace uncertainty

by Daria Williamson

A crumpled piece of paper on a dark background. There is a large question mark on the paper.

Reading Time: 8 minutes Certainty is highly prized; so much of what we do and say revolves around creating certainty for ourselves, or projecting an aura of certainty for others to see. We avoid and even despise uncertainty. Part of this is because our brains are wired to prefer certainty. The problem is not uncertainty itself, but our unfamiliarity … Read more

Recognition – how to turbo-charge success

by Daria Williamson

Black noticeboard with white writing saying 'Thank You'

Reading Time: 6 minutes

There are many factors that go into creating success, from talent to resources to committed action. One-off successes can be achieved relatively effortlessly – but ongoing, sustained success takes thoughtful leadership and careful management. And recognition is a golden opportunity to turbo-charge success and make it sustainable over the long-term.

The sad thing is that many organisations overlook recognition entirely, or approach it with a box-ticking attitude. It doesn’t have to be a big, difficult, expensive thing to embed in your culture. There are simple, effective and low-cost approaches to help your employees feel valued and engaged.

Work-life balance or work-life harmony?

by Daria Williamson

Two hands each holding a jigsaw puzzle piece, ready to fit the pieces together

Reading Time: 8 minutes So much has been written about work-life balance, but there are a number of problems with the concept. Work-life harmony offers a framework that acknowledges there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Definitions Before we go any further, let’s look at some definitions: Balance Balance requires us to know the relative “weight” or value of each item. … Read more

Welcome!

by Daria Williamson

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A black board on a desk, showing the word "Welcome". — Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to my website. My goal is to provide useful and interesting information, to help you with your change and development journey.

I’ll be sharing my own thoughts, knowledge and experience, and linking to great resources written by others. I’d love to find out what topics you are interested in and hear about your experiences and knowledge. Let me know your thoughts in the comments – I welcome your input!