Last year, I made a commitment to readers of my blog to increase the frequency of my blog posts. I’ll soon pass the 200 mark. I must admit that I sometimes want to give myself a Special Agent Tibbs, NCIS head-slap for doing so, however. It’s a lot of work to write frequently with the goals of keeping your content relevant for your readers and avoiding excessive repetition. It’s worth the challenge however and in 2012 I will continue to engage. (If you have never watched NCIS, I know I just lost you so check out the video at the end of this post to see this head-slap in action.)
With a larger body of work, I am putting together my first blog series that highlights the best of the prior year. I’ll start with the most important lists–the top choices of the readers of this blog. With this post, we’ll look at their top 5 blog posts of 2011. In my next post, we’ll see which videos the readers liked best and in my final post for this series I’ll identify my top 5 blog posts.
Before I share the 2011 Readers Choice Top 5 List, I want to share something about the creation process. I’ve heard many singers say over the years how surprised they were that some of their songs became so popular. Frequently, the singers’ favorite songs differed from their fans’ choices. This always amazed me but I understand it better now. My top 5 posts were not my readers top 5 posts. It’s clear from these observations that what resonates most with the creator of a product or service may not be as important to those customers who are receiving the work. This is another justification for managers understanding their customers.
So, what Management is a Journey posts were the most popular with the readers? Here we go:
1. Revisiting Colin Powell’s 13 Rules of Leadership
I have always thought highly of General Powell–not for ideological reasons–but, rather for the dignity with which he carries himself as a leader. I appreciate his balanced leadership style that both exemplifies strength and collaboration. Finally, I respect General Powell for his fair-mindedness. He never denigrates others for not achieving his level of success and instead concentrates on what he can do as a leader to effect positive change. This post on Colin Powell’s 13 Rules of Leadership was the hands-down, readers’ favorite for 2011. While I enjoyed writing the post, I did not expect it to generate this level of reader interest.
2. Leading Change (Step 2) – Create the Guiding Coalition
I did an overview of John Kotter’s Eight Step Leading Change Model in a series of blog posts. Step 2 which outlines how to create a guiding coalition to work with senior leadership to lead a change effort is the most popular of my blog posts on change management. The popularity of Step 2 of John Kotter’s model echoes what I often hear from leaders as I work with them on their change management efforts. They tell me that they are very effective at Step 1 (creating a sense of urgency about the need for change). It’s what comes next that is more difficult for them. Again, the readers know what they need!
3. 5 Strategies to Engage Middle Managers
I did several posts last year on the special challenges that come with middle management. This is a particularly difficult level of management as the middle manager takes directives from above and then she has to implement them through others who report to her. It’s a level where interpersonal, motivation, and leadership skills become even more critical. Of those several posts I made, this one focused on what senior leaders need to do to facilitate the success of middle managers. It resonated with the readers.
4. Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze: Is This a Child’s Game
This post was written late in the year and it describes the change model of Kurt Lewin. I was surprised to see this post as one of the top five reader favorites but its popularity shows how much the dynamics of change are impacting organizations. I wrote it because Kurt’s, three step model of unfreezing the organization, implementing the change, and refreezing the organization is often presented as a competing model to John Kotter’s Eight Step Leading Change Model. In fact, as I explained in this post, both models are entirely compatible. Kotter’s eight steps are actually a further explanation of the process for unfreezing, changing, and refreezing an organizational initiative. It’s good to see Kurt getting some respect for his work!
5. Leading Change (Step 4) – Communicate the Change Vision
It probably won’t surprise you now that yet another of my posts on change management was a top 5 readers’ favorite. Step 4 of John Kotter’s model deals with the difficult area of communication. This is an area where managers and leaders often have difficulties in general. In the context of a change initiative, effective communication is even more critical. In this post, I discussed practical strategies for effectively communicating a change effort.
So, there you have it! In 2011, readers of Management is a Journey were most interested in learning more about Colin Powell’s take on leadership, how to lead change effectively, and how to successfully engage middle managers.
Now, as I prepare to write more posts for this first week in January, it’s time for me to give myself a NCIS, Special Agent Tibbs head-slapping:
About the Author
Robert Tanner is the founder of the Management is a Journey Blog and Principal Consultant at Business Consulting Solutions LLC. He is a certified change management consultant, management mentor, trainer, and an Adjunct Professor of Management. Robert has a passion for helping managers and leaders fulfill their potential. Connect with Robert on Google+ and Twitter. To join the mailing list, subscribe here.
Revisiting Colin Powell’s 13 Rules of Leadership 
Leading Change (Step 2) – Create the Guiding Coalition 
Organizational Change: 8 Reasons Why People Resist Change 
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