7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change: Micro Shifts, Macro Results

by Esther Derby

Change is difficult but essential—Esther Derby offers seven guidelines for change by attraction, an approach that draws people into the process so that instead of resisting change, they embrace it.

Even if you don't have change management in your job description, your job involves change. Change is a given as modern organizations respond to market and technology advances, make improvements, and evolve practices to meet new challenges. This is not a simple process on any level. Often, there is no indisputable right answer, and responding requires trial and error, learning and unlearning. Whatever you choose to do, it will interact with existing policies and structures in unpredictable ways. And there is, quite simply, a natural human resistance to being told to change.

Rather than creating more rigorous preconceived plans or imposing change by decree, agile software developer turned organizational change expert Esther Derby offers change by attraction, an approach that is adaptive and responsive and engages people in learning, evolving, and owning the new way. She presents a set of seven heuristics—guides to problem-solving—that empower people to achieve outcomes within broad constraints using their personal ingenuity and creativity.

When you work by attraction, you give space and support for people to feel the loss that comes with change and help them see what is valuable about the future you propose. Resistance fades because people feel there is nothing to push against—only something they want to move toward. Derby's approach clears the fog to provide a new way forward that honors people and creates safety for change.

Genres: Business, Management, Leadership, Nonfiction, Psychology

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2019

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having known Esther Derby from conferences, her writings, and having participated in a problem solving leadership workshop she led, I knew that she was an expert in helping organizations work better. I was thus looking forward to this book. It exceeded by expectations. “7 Rules” is a concise, easy to read book full of useful information . In addition to the “Rules” you will learn about a variety of ways to model organizational dynamics so that you can identify patterns that inhibit change.

This is a very actionable book. Chapters wrap up with things you can do and with a summary of key points. This book can be as much a daily reference as a tools for learning to be a better change agent.

While 7 Rules is about organizational/corporate change, concepts in the book are also helpful in helping you to navigate tricky issues in community and family life. For example, the relationship between congruence and empathy underlies being an effective change agent, and the book can help you understand these concepts better.

The lessons in the book will help you understand how to make changes at any level, from small things like encouraging unit testing to larger things like a better dev process.

The book provides useful advice for managers, scrum masters and those leading sprint and project retrospectives. Since change can happen at all levels anyone who has found challenges at work that they want to improve should consider this book.

[Mattias Altin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that I’d consider mandatory reading for all managers and leaders! Thanks for recommending it to me Tina Vincent! :)

[Mark DeHate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the core ideas and principles of this book are pretty solid. Change is hard, understand other peoples' position, etc etc basically remember that people are actual human beings and are complicated.

However I really found it difficult to connect with this book, as it's written in the stuffiest of upper echelon business self help book styles. I've heard the word "congruence" more in this book than I have the entire rest of my life. The examples - which are allegedly based on real life - are so generic and bland.

Despite the book's short length, I was ready for it to be over.

I listened to the Audible version; the narrator there doesn't help the book's case. She's easy to understand and the editing is solid, but she has a bit of a sing-song tone that added to the insincerity that I felt this book had.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this. Not particularly recommended.

[YJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging tips on how to make shifts that can make change happen

a big part of my job is to make positive change to happen but it's extremely difficult in a world of system and policies that works against it. The book offers many pragmatic approaches that can help make little shifts that can result into big impacts.

I recommend this book to anyone who need to make Change happen to create a better work place, product etc. Manager, coaches, product manager, developers etc.

The reference section is full of gems. I recommend taking the time to go through them

[Yesenia Mora Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable book. I learned a lot of techniques and tools that we can apply when an organization or a team is experiencing some level of change.

I found this book really insightful, especially because it provides real-life situations and how you can approach different elements to resolve problems during a change process .

Thanks to the author for sharing her knowledge and explaining in a straightforward way how to manage change.

I found high value in each chapter, but I was particularly surprised by chapters 1 to 5

[Sridhar Bandha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by Esther Derby , book meticulously structured in simple easy to understand rules. Instead of prescribing a standard framework or solution for dealing with complex change, these rules are more practical and human in nature. Makes you think about different aspects of change management rather than telling you what to do.
If you are a change agent or part of change that's happening in your organization, this book is a must read.

[Kenny Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very timely read. I'm in the middle of a job transition at work and my company is constantly transitioning. I'm often aware of change that is or needs to happen, but I'm not always sure if how to best facilitate it. I feel like I've just been handed a new toolkit and I'm excited to use it.

[Damien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little dubious considering the title, but the book was warmly recommended to me... and this is very good.
Each chapter comes either with a story, or a pointer to some actionable idea.
It makes for a very agreeable and extremely valuable read.

[Cliff Hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work with humans, or simple want to be a better human yourself. Read this book.

We all experience or lead change.
This book explores how to make it a smoother more productive journey.

The SEEM model is fundamental to how we can think about leadership across all levels.

[Edward Dahllöf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with interesting reflections from Esthers career. The title says Rules but on p. 26 "...they function less like rules than heuristics..." then why isn't the book called 7 heuristics? That title would be more appealing to me.

[Rebecca Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esther's writing is always clear, relevant, and wise. I whipped through this in the course of an afternoon, and look forward to revisiting it in the future.

[Antti Kirjavainen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear, helpful and well-structured read. The case stories illustrate the main points nicely. Congruent with my thinking and helps me express some of my own implicit insights explicitly.

[Sabina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-rounded book that we covered in our company book club.
It discusses the best practices or effective organisational change and provides some practical tools along the way.

[Riana Engelbrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical rules for change management

As agile coaches we very often forget or even don’t know the impacts of good change management. Esther gives 7 practical rules, with easy to understand examples which can only propel any change journey into a positive space, when applied.

[Mya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read it. Made more notes. This is one of those books you need on-hand to refer to during your change process as things shift and change. I found the conclusion super-helpful for pointing at the situations where you would look to each heuristic for ideas regarding the next step. I thought that the chapter on "use your self" was particularly challenging. Next step would to find a way to put theory into practice.

Previous review:
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I'm not going to rate this because I think the period of time I took to read it was too long to form a coherent opinion.

I know I found value in reading the book (refer to my notes).
And I plan to re-read it (hopefully in one go) to solidify the learnings.
Hopefully, if I manage to do this, I can come back and give it a rating.

[Stephen Grubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I bought a kindle addition and plan to reread and take notes.