Creating Essential Change In Your Organization | An Interview with Greg McKeown

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Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people and teams break through to the next level—and others don’t. The definitive treatment of this issue is addressed in his New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Greg hosts The Essentialism Podcast and is the CEO of McKeown Inc., with clients including Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!. Originally from London, England, he now lives in Calabasas, California with his wife, Anna, and their four children, where he serves as an elders quorum president.

Summary

4:50 – Greg’s leadership journey since being a bishop in Menlo Park four years ago

5:35 – What is Greg’s ward doing to adapt to the COVID restrictions?

6:32 – Go small, lessons learned from being bishop Greg applies to working as elder’s quorum president

8:10 – Celebrate every success helped increase home teaching statistics; no need to repeat failed scolding – it doesn’t work

9:59 – Change is not the same as progress; abrupt change is false economy; better to avoid predictable problems of big changes

10:31 – Family history small change was to ask people to pray for ancestors every day and sign in to family search for thirty days

13:13 – A tiny beginning helped people rise to whatever level or time commitment they were able to; efforts to inspire members to greater heights just overwhelms them and does not produce more family history

13:55 – In leadership taking small steps is underutilized; people feel overwhelmed and don’t start; as a leader, look for the tiniest thing we can do in one minute to improve in this area and celebrate that action

15:12 – It’s better to take one minute’s step of progress to talk about it an hour and then do nothing

16:10 – We become more professional in talking about the subject, but not in doing it

17:31 – Have a grand vision, but match it with the tiniest steps; the grandest the vision, the smaller the first step

18:08 – We ought not let courageous moments cloud from our vision what was going on the majority of the time

18:50 – Greg reflects on his time as bishop

19:23 – Human suffering is universal

19:55 – If you think someone is fine, it’s probably because you don’t actually know them very well

20:19 – We should build relationships that let us become aware of other people’s suffering; show consistent kindness

21:47 – You learn people who didn’t appear to struggle are struggling

22:54 – Small things, being a friend, asking questions, consistency

24:15 – What can bishops do when a member brings suffering to his office?

26:45 – It’s very easy when creating things to not be honest about what can realistically be accomplished by a ward council

27:39 – Can you put the plan on a week’s calendar?

28:35 – Ward councils can become “siloed” and focused on their own groups

29:52 – Greg turns the tables and questions Kurt

31:08 – What is something that is essential to Kurt that he is underinvesting in?

33:07 – Kurt describes his concerns about connecting with his children

34:24 – Why does it matter?

35:35 – Predictable problems could be insured against

36:52 – What does measurable success in fathering look like to you, Kurt?

38:32 – What’s the additional work you need to do to close the gap between what you’re doing now and what success would feel like?

40:52 – What specifically does that look like?

42:43 – When is enough, enough?

44:59 – What is you were to ask your oldest children how am I doing?

47:24 – Tiny mechanisms help us change

48:54 – It’s easier to get trapped into grandiose commitments

49:36 – People are dealing with all kinds of unexpected challenges

50:26 – Brain chemistry and response to challenge/fear — a narrowing of options to fight, flight, or freeze

51:46 – Must trick the brain into not responding with fear by making very small changes

52:21 – There is no upside in making people have more fear or guilt

53:29 – Relieving to think something can be accomplished

54:05 – We need to repent of thinking that great results come from great big sacrifices; the majority of faithful membership in the church is long haul

55:52 – Training video on one-minute missionary work

56:51 – We may not believe the Lord when he says his yoke is easy and my burden is light

58:07 – Would we say our calling in the Church is “easy” or “light”? Is there a different way?

59:02 – Greg’s experience with a woman who was returning to activity asking for a calling; she would serve heavily for a few years, take a break, and come back

1:00:21 – When we read scripture we see heroic moments and think that’s how our lives ought to be

1:01:22 – It’s better to do a little than to feel guilty for not doing a lot

1:02:20 – Be encouraged; there is another way forward; we can experience gospel living the way Jesus said it could be

1:04:03 – Jesus Christ will make the miracles happen