2nd Edition
Make Waves Be the One to Start Change at Work and in Life
Make Waves encourages readers to step up and be the one to initiate change in their work and lives. Author Patti B. Johnson walks readers through the tools and techniques that they can use to create change in their own situations; elaborating on these tools gives readers a sense of how to encourage and instill these "wave-making" behaviors within their organization.
Using case studies as illustrative examples, Make Waves highlights the important steps that individuals can take toward positive change, bridging the gap between desires and actions necessary to realize bigger changes.
This new edition provides a more current and timely view of change with the expansion of the section on the mindset of a Wave Maker and more current examples.
New areas of focus are:
- How our thoughts drive our readiness to change
- Our personal "backpacks" and what we carry with us into every situation regardless of the facts, and the importance of knowing our "go-to’s" and triggers
- Our habits drive almost half of our daily decisions, yet a change requires us to approach our work and life differently
- The most common obstacles to thinking like a Wave Maker
Chapter 1 – What’s Your Wave?
Part 1: What You Think
Chapter 2 – Think Like a Wave Maker
Part 2: What You Know
Chapter 3 – What You Need to Know
Part 3: What You Do
Chapter 4 – Starting Your Wave
Chapter 5 – Planning a Wave that Lasts
Chapter 6 – Creating a Community around Your Change
Chapter 7 – When the Wave Comes to You
Chapter 8 – When Your Wave Hits a Wall
Part 4: Other Things to Think About
Chapter 9 – Why Leaders Need More Wave Makers
Chapter 10 – Wisdom from Wave Makers
Biography
Patti Johnson is an author, instructor, and the CEO of PeopleResults, a change and organizational development consultancy she founded in 2004. She consults, speaks, and writes about how individuals and organizations start and create the change needed to reach their goals.
Previously, Patti was a senior executive at Accenture, a global management consulting firm, where she played an essential role in creating new change service offerings, global talent programs, and providing expertise on complex changes with numerous clients over 17 years. After deciding to become an entrepreneur, she created PeopleResults and assembled a talented team of experts and trusted colleagues. PeopleResults has grown and now provides expertise to clients, such as PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, McKesson, 7-Eleven, Microsoft, and many others.
Patti enjoys being in the classroom and is an instructor on change for Southern Methodist University in Dallas and for the Bush Institute Women’s Initiative. She is also a frequent contributor and writer on change, leadership, and talent issues for national media, including Entrepreneur, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, MONEY magazine, Fast Company, and SUCCESS magazine. After growing up in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Patti’s home is in the Dallas area where she lives with her husband, Jim, and sons, Patrick and Will, when in town, and their two dogs, Lucy and Pawly.
The book provides meaningful tools for any aspiring ‘wave maker’ to take charge and embody the change they want to see in the world. Make Waves empowers readers to become everyday leaders by enacting real change in their lives, communities, and businesses. You’ll find this book provides meaningful tools for any aspiring ‘wave maker’ to take charge and embody the change they want to see in the world.
– Doug Conant, coauthor of the NYT bestseller Touchpoints, founder of Conant Leadership & former CEO of Campbell Soup, and President of Nabisco Foods.
Make Waves is a pragmatic, inspiring must-read for any leader or professional who wants to drive meaningful change at work or in life. It’s full of practical guidance and examples you can learn from and apply to your change.
- Rusty Shelton, best-selling author, keynote Speaker, and founder of Zilker Media
Make Waves provides a unique and incredibly motivating approach to taking on change. Change, no matter how large or small, personal or professional, can seem daunting and Patti’s book causes you to think that you can make a difference in a meaningful way. Patti’s guidance causes you to step back, think, and get inspired to act. The book is just the right amount of how-to and inspiration. A must read!
- Maria Cramer, Head of Corporate Professional Services Thomson Reuters
In Make Waves, Patti Johnson answers the question, “What is leadership?” Her writing is filled with stories and examples of real leaders and real leadership. This is a must-read for anyone who has a wave that he or she needs to make!
- Larry Peters, former professor of Management & Leadership Development, Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University (TCU)
Make Waves is a wonderful narrative on change and how to most effectively navigate through it, with both real-world and practical examples. In a world of increasing change and growing complexity, it serves as a great resource to help manage through both personal and professional changes everyone experiences. It avoids the all-too-common pitfalls of the overly theoretical or academic; rather, it is a great balance of real-world examples that can be applied in all settings.
- David Nashif, former Vice President of Change Leadership, McKesson
Who better from whom to learn the art of change than Patti Johnson, a veteran of management consulting at Accenture and a self-made wavemaker? Make Waves proves that lighting that match is not just for high-profile people. Each of us has the power and ability to transform our lives, jobs, and organizations in incredible ways.
- Alexandra Levit, Workforce Futurist, WSJ columnist, CEO of Inspiration at Work
In Make Waves, Patti Johnson shares pragmatic principles and practical tools to get us started on the journey of leaving a positive legacy wherever we are in the workplace and marketplace.
- K. Shelette Stewart, PhD, Harvard, and Stewart Consulting
Want to make a change, but are completely unsure of how to pull it off – or even, maybe, where to start? Drop everything and read Patti Johnson’s phenomenal, inspirational book, Make Waves. Her formula – Think, Know, Do – is simple without being simplistic. Rather it’s the essential ‘how-to’ manual for those among us who thirst to bring needed change to our teams, our organizations, our communities, or maybe even our world. Savor every page. Scribble your notes. Read, plan, act. Make your own waves!
- Ted Coine, CEO of Benevolent Capital Group, author
Make Waves is a fun and informative book that challenges each of us to find places in our lives where we can be positively disruptive. There are a lot of business books that provide great theories and models for personal change and transformation, but Patti Johnson can transition from the conceptual to practical and demonstrates how everyday individuals found the power to bring positive change to their work, schools, and communities. This book serves as a reminder that everyone can move from being a spectator to an active participant in bringing about positive change. A great read for everyone from corporate leaders, to early-career individuals, and students.
- Miya Maysent, former Vice President, 7-Eleven, Inc.
