Dancing with Disruption: Leading Dramatic Change During Global Transformation

by Jeff Skipper

Author Jeff Skipper illustrates 12 strategies that will drive your plan for change to success, leveraging the pandemic as an
incredible case study on leading disruptive change. It was the largest experiment ever witnessed in promoting instant behavior change, with people and organizations transforming faster than we thought possible. It offers unparalleled lessons in how change can (and cannot) be led.

In this practical guide for business leaders, you’ll explore 12 strategies to lead change.

162 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2023

Reviews

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As a leader you are responsible to make change happen when needed. Quickly,” writes Jeff Skipper plainspokenly at the beginning of his new book, Dancing with Disruption: Leading Dramatic Change During Global Transformation. Like any solid nonfiction book belonging in the subcategories of leadership and business advice, Skipper is able to draw from his own, personal, professional experiences and juxtapose that communicatively with statistics, data, and well-articulated, analogical examples. This is particularly crucial for a book titled something akin to what Dancing with Disruption promotes its expertise in. But Skipper is someone who is up for the challenge. This is in no way grandstanding for one’s ego or sense of accomplishment. Skipper has a healthy sense of confidence, in himself and what he promotes, but it never comes across as literary arrogance at the expense of clearly communicating concepts and ideals that are critical not just for business leaders, but people in general. This is the kind of book that Wall Street and Main Street can derive lessons from, even if from a general point of view. There’s no denying the book is tailored towards a certain kind of professional, but the ideas Skipper presents – particularly when it comes to how one sells their credentials and abilities, and chooses to communicate – are universal in a fundamental sense. This is particularly evidenced in a chapter of the book Skipper calls Enable Change by Removing Barriers.

“When focused on a goal, it can be difficult to see the obstacles you will encounter along the way. The changes we think seem simple and straightforward are downright threatening to others. It’s the reason we must ask ourselves, ‘What conditions could make this change more difficult for people?’ Your speed bump is someone else’s impassable mountain,” he writes. “…If the change proves to be excessively painful or damaging, adoption becomes impossible. As change leaders, we have a responsibility to identify those barriers to change and either remove them or help people work through them to arrive at the goal.”

From this sentiment, Skipper aptly delves into the intellectually exclusive territory the book is tailored to address. But the fact he can magnify things and show that the context in which the philosophy and business leadership strategies come from is broader than you’d expect is part of what makes the read appealing viscerally. It’s not often business or leadership advice books can hook the reader on an emotive level. Typically books of this nature can be looked at as more of a chore than something to read for reading’s sake. But Skipper is smart in making everything presentable, and as accessible as is humanly possible. There’s a humanistic focus he has complimenting both the left and right brain parts of the structure.

“While strong and credible leadership is critical to inspire change, practical interventions are just as important to enable people to adapt. We must make it easy for people to comply,” Skipper states. “With each barrier they encounter, the risk they will give up on the goal increases. Identifying and removing barriers is an essential part of leading effective programs of change.”

[Saby Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covid pandemic disrupted everything, from daily lifestyle chores to corporate landscape to leadership equation. It is a brazen fact that not many of us comfortably embraced the changes came along the pandemic. Even now leadership across the world is adjusting to accept the new orientation in working ambience, corporate mechanism and its allied leadership roles.
One needs to undergo changes from time and again and leadership is not an exception to that. Jeff Skipper collectively gathers an imminent perspective on changed leadership with respect to pandemic. The book will lead discussion on 12 strategies on change leadership due to pandemic. He is of the opinion that the leadership across the world has had no clue, as what to do and what to avoid.

As we chug ahead with the book, in the first chapter it comes out that leadership of all countries at the time of pandemic focused on saving lives without thinking of the end goals. It was important however not an end goal, as shutting down everything in a lock down pushed the global economy on the verge from where its recovery looked dull and drab. The point is that had the leadership thought about social and economic impact, it could have made the world a better place.
We also learn in the book when changes are to be employed many other aspects come in the picture like stakeholders, impacts, enablers, lows and highs of change, whether people will accept the new norms or not. Undoubtedly, pandemic actuated change in leadership. Jeff narrated the incidents and scenarios with proper examples, short stories, and figures. The book is useful for leadership audience that is still awakening after the turmoil of pandemic.

[Nikki Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've spent my career juggling multiple projects and managing difficult stakeholders. The author's book has some great tactics for managing any change initiative, big or small. I was fortunate to be trained by a talented doctor of change management (I didn't even know that was a thing at the time!), and she counseled me on some of these same strategies, which catapulted my career, job after job, project after project, company after company.

If you don't have time to get a PhD in Change Management, then pick up the author's book and study it. It's laid out in easy-to-read sections, with bullet point summaries to ensure you get the most essential information.

My favorite strategy in the book was "Strategy 8: Enable Change by Removing Barriers"
Whether we are talking about the change adaptation needed during the pandemic, or the change our government is forcing upon us now in the US, the same reality applies:
"No work, no income. If I'm worried about finding the next dollar, I will not be focused on embracing change."

Suppose your employees, teammates, shareholders, or citizens lack a basis in human needs (physiological and psychological safety). In that case, even if they were the best change agents in the world, they would remain 100% focused on survival first.

And my second favorite message in the book? Always be prepared to change the plan!

[Catherine Franssens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for anyone who is leading change. Jeff Skipper's relatable style and the use of the Covid-19 pandemic as a running example make this an enjoyable and easy to follow book that is full of useful and practical information about leading change.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff uses relatable stories to encourage all of us to work through change! I read this when it came out and again this week