Discussion Topics | John Izzo

Katie Sheehan Posted by Katie Sheehan, Associate Director of Communications, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



Discussion Topics for John Izzo

Topics discussed in Stepping Up (Berrett-Koehler, 2012)


“New Year, New You”

I am only one person- How can I make a difference this year?

“There is a 100 percent guarantee that nothing will change if you don’t step up.”

“At some point in our lives we have to take the risk of believing we can change things. Even if you don’t succeed, you might inspire others to try.”

“…failure is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. In fact some of those who stepped up and made the biggest difference often experienced multiple failures along the way.”

Only naive people ever change the world - How can a new you help make the world a better place this year?

“The first step to stepping up is to be naive enough to think you can change things. This may seem so obvious as not to merit mention, but having a belief that it matters if we step up is critical.”

“…prevailing optimism drives people to step up most every day on much lower-profile issues…a pervasive optimism is a pervasive belief that if you stay with it you will prevail.”

“If you want to step up and change things, you first have to believe you can. You have to imagine a positive future and believe that you are someone who can do something about creating that future.”

Creating an organizational culture of stepping up in the new year - Is this the year you will lead your organization to change?

“Almost all leaders … want their people to step up. We want them to act like owners, to have an “it’s my job” attitude and to go beyond whatever their formal role is to take leadership.”

“People will only step up if they have a seat at the table.”

“Build a seat at the table into your leadership style. Do one-on-one rounding - asking people for their ideas - or have a make-it-better meeting monthly, invite staff members to have breakfast with you on a rotating basis, have town halls, and invite people to speak up.”

“Watch your reaction, always.”


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