One of the drawbacks of being a change management consultant is that you're often working alone. Yes, you're usually working with a team, but that team is generally multi-disciplinary, and you're the change management lead, so you don't get a lot of opportunities to connect with peers in your field.
That's why I like to read other change management bloggers. It's a sort of substitute for that fertile water-cooler conversation that is so great for stimulating discussion and sparking ideas. I don't always agree with the blogger in question - but even the posts I disagree wtih can often get me thinking and on the way to clarifying (and articulating) my own opinions on various change-related issues.
So this week, I offer you my Top 10 list. These are the change management - and other - practitioners whose blogs I have bookmarked and check out regularly - and whose tweets I'm most likely to pay attention to.
Here's who I'm reading these days, and think you should, too. (They're in the order they appear in my bookmarks folder, not in order of preference - they're all great.)
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Conversations of Change, by @jenfrahm
Jen has recently blogged about 'gendered change champions' and gamification - in other words, she's got some interesting and unusual perspectives on change management and leadership that always get me thinking.
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Enclaria blog, by @HeatherStagl
Like me, Heather lives at the intersection of 'change management' and 'coaching', and often blogs about how the two connect. I loved her recent piece on 'Bankable Leadership'.
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Horizontal Change, by @ggitchell
One of the things I like most about Garrett's blog is that he's so prolific - scarcely a week goes by that he doesn't post at least a couple of articles. More importantly, he's got a unique perspective, such as his recent 'Wonderfully Disillusioned' piece.
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Leader Communicator blog, by David Grossman
David isn't strictly a change management consultant, but he often writes about subjects which intersect with change management, like leadership, communication and employee engagement. He's also a regular poster, so I check in with him frequently.
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ReplyMC blog, by @lucgaloppin (and contributors)
This site bills itself as the 'Online Magazine for Organizational Change Practitioners', and it has pieces on change, motivation, leadership and other change-related subjects, Unfortunately, recently the site hasn't been as active as it used to be, but I'm hoping that's just a temporary hiccup.
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Change Guide blog, by Stacy Aaron
Stacy's another writer who I wish wrote more often, but she's got enough of a back catalogue on her site to keep me going for a while. Her pieces are especially good when you need to teach non-change people about change.
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Voices on Project Management, by various authors
I know that change management and project management are often uneasy bedfellows, but the truth is that we're often up against many similar challenges, and I like to hear what project management practitioners have to say about the ways they handle these challenges.
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Conspire blog, by Mindjet
Mindjet isn't a change management company - they make software that's supposed to help organizations collaborate, innovate and change. I like to stop by their blog because they often have interesting pieces on innovation, leadership and productivity - all of which have a lot to do with change management. (I will say that I have absolutely no experience with their software, but it has a nice logo.)
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Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice, by @kbondale
Some of the more traditional change management types I know will roll their eyes when they see that Kiron is a project manager who writes about change management, but I loved his recent piece, 'Neglect quiet stakeholders at your own peril.'
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Synergetic blog, by Faith Fuqua-Purvis
If you've been kicking around the change-related blogosphere for a while, you've probably come across Faith - she's been a thought leader for a while now. I love her pieces - I just wish she posted a little more often!
Of course, this list isn't comprehensive, and no doubt you have your own favorites who you'd have liked to see on the list. But these are the sites I find myself visiting most often lately. I look forward to hearing about your current favorites. You can find me on Twitter @BethBanksCohn.