111. Navigating Change in the Workplace

In this episode, former naval warship captain and current change consultant, Dr. Karuna Ramanatha, provides valuable insights on how leaders can better manage transitions in their organizations. Drawing parallels between military 'fog of war' strategies and change leadership, Karuna emphasizes the importance of empathy, emotional intelligence, and respect. The conversation further explores the role of empathy in leadership, the concept of adaptive leadership, the intricacies of change management, and the differences between military and organizational attitudes toward change. The discussion highlights how cultural differences can affect change adaptation and the significance of confident leadership in navigating organizational change, using a 'cheat sheet', and role-playing as methods to handle these conversations. 

Dr. Ramanathan is a transformational leadership expert with nearly three decades of experience in supporting senior leaders and organizations through difficult transformations. Karuna is currently the Principal Consultant for KR Konsulting, bringing with him deep experience gained from designing and facilitating more than 2500 sessions. He is a Marshall Goldsmith Global Certified Coach, Global Coach Group Certified Leadership Coach, and a trained Erikson Executive Coach. Dr. Ramanathan spearheads key leadership development projects including Action Learning Process, Organisational Storytelling, Thinking Skills, Building Adaptive Leader and Team Learning and Team Building. He has been featured as “Top 10 Organisation Development Consultants 2023” by the Asia Business Outlook and nominated by the CEO Insights ASIA, a business magazine, as one of “Asian Leaders & Achievers-2023”.

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Discussion Points

• Karuna Ramanatha background and intro
• Importance of empathy, emotional intelligence in managing transitions 
• Military 'fog of war' type strategies in change leadership 
• The role of empathy in leadership and creating connections
• Adaptive leadership and influencing others 
• The Adaptive Leader Program for transitioning managers 
• Complexities of change management and understanding team capacities
• Differentiating between military and organizational attitudes towards change 
• Exploring cultural differences affecting change adaptation 
• Characteristics of a confident leader navigating organizational change 
• Biases, prejudices and stereotypes
• Developing empathy and emotional intelligence 
• Pace vs. flow in change management 
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