The biggest-name CEOs usually have reputations as disruptors; think Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Sara Blakely, and more. But when you’ve invented a smartphone or an electric car or slimming underwear, you don’t need to worry too much about whether people think you’re too disruptive; your inventions are so good that you can disrupt with impunity.
According to a survey I conducted last week (of more than 5,000 leaders) only 22% of people say they’re very satisfied with their current position. The other 78% are divided between advancing a little or advancing far beyond their current position.
How do you lead change? How do you think change should be led? Take this quiz to discover your change management style...
Change is hard. Whether you’re facing a big change like reinventing a business model or something simple like the day paychecks come out, change is difficult. One study found that 70% of change efforts fail. Big or small, change efforts seem to run into the same brick walls over and over again. By understanding the basic phases of change and the psychological state of your employees, you can prepare your culture for change and avoid common pitfalls of failed change efforts.
The key to successful change management is getting people to let go of the status quo and reach for something bigger and better. If you ask top executives, this should be pretty easy because right now only 37% of them say that people generally like to remain in the status quo. 
Has your company ever gone through a change effort where some employees got anxious while others stayed calm? Have you ever seen some employees freak out over a mistake they made, while others got right back on the horse?
What differentiates CEOs from all the people who never make it to the c-suite? Is it brains? Ambition? Luck? The answer will vary from company to company, but there are some characteristics that appear across organizations. And one such characteristic is how people approach change.
