by Rodney L. Jones (USA)
The book entitled, ‘Leading Change- A Practical Guide for Change Agents’, by Dr. Peggie W. Koon, is one of the best reads in my professional career.
This book offers detailed professional life stories from Dr. Peggie Koon and others, which are relatable and understandable. In reading this book, I saw myself as an agent of change and now understand from a practical standpoint how I can positively lead change in any organisation. You will too! You will see the normalcy that change is constant in the workplace, industry, and technology. After reading ‘Leading Change – A Practical Guide for Change Agents’, you will find yourself to be armed with the tools to lead teams through change to success, as I did.
I was struck particularly with personal stories that Dr. Koon offered with which I strongly identified. On page 380 Dr. Koon spoke of the affirming actions of others and how they influence change and help structure a person’s clear vision. The book spoke about how major influences in our lives such as family, educators, mentors, etc., can influence positive in change and structure our own vision. I identified strongly with this because mentors and being a mentor are extremely important to me personally.
There are a few pages that speak to the power of helping others. This helped me understand the need to stop focusing on what I can achieve on my own and turn my attention to what I can achieve with others. I see now that working with others as a change agent to create change is helping others and is quite fulfilling.
Personally, I have found myself many times in the middle of chaos where order and change are needed. I often wondered, ‘what to do first’, what works, what does not?’ After this read, I better understand the process of change, how to effectively lead change, and more importantly, what is required as a change agent to lead change successfully. This book helped me as the reader understand the definition of change and how many of us react to it. I saw in this book, for example, the differences between change by choice, change by force as well as the benefits of embracing change willingly to stay remain competitive and relevant.
