If you have ever feared speaking up about your ideas or have done so but are frustrated by your lack of success, this workshop is for you.
You’ll learn from several stories of others who have been a “lone voice” or an “independent thinker” and their attempts at change—both successful and unsuccessful. By learning from their experiences, you’ll gain insight into effective tactics and pitfalls to avoid.
Along with stories ranging from CEOs to individual contributors, I’ll share insights from studies in psychology and management that explain how to effectively speak up about your ideas.
This session will be based on Ryan Smerek’s book “Speaking Up at Work: Leading Change as an Independent Thinker.” In addition to sharing stories and research insights, audience members will have a chance to briefly coach and receive coaching from another individual about a change issue.
About the Speaker:
Ryan Smerek
Ryan is currently an Associate Professor and Associate Director in the MS in Learning and Organizational Change program at Northwestern University. He is the author of Speaking Up at Work: Leading Change as an Independent Thinker and Organizational Learning and Performance: The Science and Practice of Building a Learning Culture.
Over the last 20 years, Ryan has researched, taught, and published in the areas of learning and new executives, decision-making, innovation, and organizational culture. At Northwestern, Ryan teaches classes on learning and development, design thinking, cognitive design, and people analytics. He also leads the Organizational Effectiveness Certificate.
Before coming to Northwestern University, Ryan taught organizational behavior as an Assistant Professor at Hiram College. He also worked at Denison Consulting — a culture and leadership assessment firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an Ed.M. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
