Q: What is the philosophy of shedding? Why is this important and how did Lenny become your business partner?

Ms. Dempsey: Good questions and let’s start with Lenny. As background, Lenny was the result of a life-changing conversation with a colleague about his pet lizard that died because it didn’t shed his skin. Two transformational things happened that day: first he gave me a benchmark for my personal growth path so I had a metaphor “shed or you’re dead” featuring Lenny who has been a great listener, business partner, and vehicle for helping people. Second, it is remarkable how much lizards can teach us about growth and change. The first of four key lessons to share with tomorrow’s business professionals and organizations is that if they don’t shed they can become unhealthy and die.

Q:  Fantastic introduction. Can you tell us- what is the biggest barrier to shedding in today’s world of business?

Ms. Dempsey: Overcoming fear is the biggest barrier to shedding. Studies teach us that a staggering 95% of people say that fear is the number one thing that holds them back at work and in life. A few years ago I had the privilege of speaking for the Disney Corporation in Orlando. After experiencing an incredible backstage tour I was surprised to discover that Walt Disney was afraid of mice. So what did he do to face his fear? He embraced that fear and transformed it into his biggest professional success. Walt Disney chose to make his fear less scary. He added big ears, a fun playful face and named his fear: Mickey. The key lesson: when you resist facing your fear there is usually a price to pay – not only to you but also to others.

Just think for a moment, if Walt Disney had never faced his fear – there would be no Disney World. Can you imagine the millions of people being robbed of their happy childhood memories and family vacations?

Q: Fascinating. Can you share a few more lessons that can help leaders in their quest to conquer change management?

Ms. Dempsey: Definitely. Here are three more lessons:

Heighten your awareness  It is the key to any behavioral change. A good example of this would be learning to manage your energy, not your time. Your energy is critical for sustaining success.

Take a recharge break every 90 minutes  Research shows that in workplaces where regular breaks are encouraged, productivity increases and rates of sickness decrease.

Focus your energy on things you can control or influence  Why? Ask yourself – where do most of us waste our energy? On things we have no control over. A good reminder: make a conscious effort not to let control issues rob you of your precious time and energy. Instead, strive to focus only on the things that you have control over today.

Opportunity Which fear can you embrace in the next 10 days? Keep in mind that the cure for fear is – action. How can you take a page from Walt Disney’s life and make that fear your friend? Next, take a look at the short TED Talk with Nilofer Merchant that is part of this article. Her key lesson: Got a meeting? Take a walk. You may be surprised how fresh air can drive fresh thinking.

Q: What is the “Losada Line” and how can it be a strategic tool for leadership teams?

Dr. Cofield: The Losada Ratio was developed by a well-known organizational psychologist, Dr. Marcial Losada. He studied over fifty companies, utilizing verbatim transcripts of strategic planning meetings. He discovered that the most successful companies have a predictable three to one ratio of positive to negative interactions between team members. That is, for every critical interaction, there needs to be at least three positive ones in order to offset the negativity. Companies that fell below 3:1 P/N (positive/negative ratio) were shown to function much more poorly in terms of productivity and profit. Thus, increasing a company’s P/N can yield huge benefits.

Q: What types of advantages can work teams that fall within the optimum zone deliver to their business and organizations?

Dr. Cofield: Well, one example is a mining company that Losada’s group worked with and reported on. The company was losing a significant degree of productivity and profit every month. However, once some relatively simple “P/N” strategies were implemented amongst the managers, they saw a 40% increase in productivity at the end of the year. The company’s CEO wrote an extremely grateful letter praising the organizational intervention efforts and giving them great credit for essentially turning the company’s productivity around.

Q: What are one or two good strategies work teams can use immediately to get closer to the optimum ratio, and will stand the test of time?

Dr. Cofield: One technique that has been utilized is the implementation of an “E-ppreciation” strategy. Each team member is asked to write a very brief message of appreciation to a different team member on a daily basis, or at least three times per week.

Secondly, a very effective communication strategy known as “DPR” or Dynamic Positive Responding, teaches team members and supervisors how to “celebrate” good news, rather than focusing exclusively on negative input.

Q: What is a good resource that work teams can use to monitor when they want to gain a deeper understanding of this area or monitor what is on the horizon?

Dr. Cofield: One excellent website is “AuthenticHappiness.com”. It contains a variety of self-assessment tools free of charge. They measure such success-related workplace attributes as personal optimism and “grit” or the tendency to “stick to it” on the job, regardless of the challenges.

Opportunity Do you have a team that can benefit from one of these techniques? If so, have the team report progress, within the first two months of their effort to keep the momentum going.