Page 85 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF HILLARY CLINTON

difficult challenges. In fact, did you know that change
remains the number one derailer of business executives?
According to a study conducted by the Center for Creative
Leadership (CCL), the primary reason that senior leaders
fail is that they are “unable to deal effectively with change
or adapt during a period of transition.” That’s the bad
news. The good news is that this same study identified
resiliency as being a key factor in a leader’s ability to suc-
ceed during times of great change. So, what I want to focus
on in this chapter is how you can embrace change as
another opportunity to demonstrate your value as a
resilient leader.
One of the keys to doing this is recognizing that in order
to successfully lead others through change, you must first
be able to embrace change in your own life. What Hillary
once said about our nation is also true about each of us:
“The challenges of change are always hard. It is important
that we begin to unpack those challenges . . . and realize
that we each have a role that requires us to change and
become more responsible for shaping our own future.”
A common pitfall for business leaders is not embracing
personal change but rather continuing to rely on old behav-
iors and skills, even when they are no longer working. I
remember coaching an executive who was struggling to
succeed during a significant organizational restructuring
effort. The company was trying to break down the existing
“silos” and shift to a matrix structure to create a cross-

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