The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive [Hardcover]

Michael Fullan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2008

From bestselling author Michael Fullen wisdom for thriving in today's complex environment

Successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. How do they do it? The Six Secrets of Change explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders for thriving in today's complex environment. Fullen draws on his acclaimed work in bringing about large-scale and substantial change in education reform in both public school systems and universities, as well as engaging in major change initiatives internationally. This book is filled with lessons that are insightful, actionable, and concisely communicable.

"Fullan has an uncanny ability to produce what is needed at the time it is needed. The six secrets are based in theory, grounded in practice, powerful in their relationship to each other, and described in ways that enable deep understanding. It is a refreshing change from the surface lists of leadership and change ideas that all too often permeate education and business literature."?Vicki Phillips, director of education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Includes so-called leadership "secrets" that are decoded to be accessible and useful
• Offers illustrative examples from a variety of businesses, health organizations, and public education systems
• Lays out the six factors to organizational success: collegiality, long-range plans allow for the unknown, nurture employees, learning, leadership at all levels, and positive pressure must be inescapable
• Michael Fullen is the author of the acclaimed best-seller Leading in a Culture of Change

Fullan convinces us that a leader who attends to all six key factors will have an organization that is constantly learning, growing, and thriving.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fullan (Leading in a Culture of Change) argues that the world is too complex for any theory to possess unassailable certainty, and leaders should shy away from relying on a single blueprint for success. Instead, good leaders should use theories of action to guide their decisions, but remain open to new data that may direct further action. Fullan advocates adopting theories that travel—practical insights that travel across sectors, geography and culturally diverse situations and point to actions likely to be effective given the circumstances. To help managers navigate change, Fullan share six secrets designed to help with large-scale reform: Love Your Employees, Connect Peers with Purpose, Capacity Building Prevails, Learning Is the Work, Transparency Rules and Systems Learn, and provides guidelines for making these secrets work. Although the six secrets are hardly radically new ideas and are presented as a bit of a panacea, Fullan's practical guide is a lucid and encouraging book, likely to appeal to and assist managers at all levels. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Fullan's practical guide is a lucid and encouraging book, likely to appeal to and assist managers at all levels." (Publisher's Weekly, 03/20/08)

Fullan (Leading in a Culture of Change) argues that the world is too complex for any theory to possess unassailable certainty, and leaders should shy away from relying on a single blueprint for success. Instead, good leaders should use theories of action to guide their decisions, but remain open to new data that may direct further action. Fullan advocates adopting “theories that travel”—practical insights that travel across sectors, geography and culturally diverse situations and point to actions likely to be effective given the circumstances. To help managers navigate change, Fullan shares six secrets designed to help with large-scale reform: “Love Your Employees, “Connect Peers with Purpose,” “Capacity Building Prevails,” “Learning Is the Work,” Transparency Rules” and “Systems Learn,” and provides guidelines for making these secrets work. Although the six secrets are hardly radically new ideas and are presented as a bit of panacea, Fullan’s practical guide is a lucid and encouraging book, likely to appeal to and assist managers at all levels. (May.) (Publishers Weekly, March 17, 2008)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787988820
• ISBN-13: 978-0787988821
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Fullan is professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Recognized as an international authority on organizational change, he is engaged in training, consulting, and evaluating change projects around the world. He is the author of The Six Secrets of Change and the bestselling books Leading in a Culture of Change and Turnaround Leadership, all from Jossey-Bass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fullan finds the secrets, May 2, 2008

By 

Dr. John Booth (Levelland, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive (Hardcover)

Michael Fullan has been working to discover change secrets for years allowing him to amass an extensive data base on the subject. His depth of understanding provides a unique view for the change agent of today. An intriguing aspect of the book is how Fullan goes beyond the work of Collins book Good to Great. If you are a fan of G2G you will appreciate the Six Secrets and how it moves change to the next level. This book will give you ideas to contemplate.

4.0 out of 5 stars Six Secrets of Change, December 26, 2011

By 

Robert T. Hess "The Data Coach" (Lebanon, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive (Paperback)

Up until this point, most of Fullan's writing has been about school and district reform. This book breaks the mold and looks at organizations--and what great organizations do differently to sustain great results over time. The book is full of references, and one of the books quoted often is, Firms of Endearment. This book is apparently the next Good to Great and highlights businesses that outperformed the companies featured in Collin's seminal work.

Due to Fullan's deep experiences and backgrounds working in schools, the secrets he shares can easily be applied to schools, and there are many school stories throughout it's pages. I won't keep you in suspense any more, the Six Secrets are as follows:

1. Love Your Employees

2. Connect Peers with Purpose

3. Capacity Building Prevails

4. Learning is the Work

5. Transparency Rules

6. Systems Learn

This is a book every superintendent should read. It will help you to take the long view toward school and district improvement and give you plenty of fresh ideas about how to make your organization the best it can be.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent leadership essential, May 1, 2011

By 

Diane Lange "Proclivity" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive (Hardcover)

Successful leadership is defined in part, by how effectively a leader can lead an organization through change. Fullan's 6 Steps are common sense essentials that are all too often forgotten or overlooked in practice. This is a must read for any manager or leader to reacquaint oneself with these essentials to ensure the smoothest transitions during the difficult times of organizational change.