7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change

“In this book, Esther has beautifully captured the essence of successful lasting change. The seven rules provide a framework for engaging with people and systems in a way that honors everyone and creates the kind of safety necessary for change to take root, all without glossing over the hard parts. A must-read for anyone seeking to have a lasting impact or bring about change.”
—Elisabeth Hendrickson, Vice President, Research and Development, Pivotal

“As a software executive, I have been responsible for leading or supporting change for a long time. I wish I had this book years ago; it would have vastly accelerated my learning.”
—Kevin Goldsmith, Vice President of Engineering, AstrumU

“I hired Esther as a consultant to be part of my transformation team in our global organization. We put many of the topics and tools in this book into practice. Applying these concepts with Esther has been invaluable as I work with teams to navigate change.”
—Ken Power, Principal Engineer/Engineering Director, Cisco Systems

“Change is a social process. It’s messy, confusing, upsetting, and very complex. With 7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change, Esther Derby has laid out a sense-making path for change agents that not only helps us assess situations, find congruence, and honor the human nature of knowledge work but also teaches us—the change agents—that true and lasting change starts within. Read this book, internalize the rules, and help your organizations inspect, adapt, and thrive.”
—Ryan Ripley, creator of the Agile for Humans podcast, Ryan Ripley & Company

“Esther Derby has written a must-read guide for anyone whose organization is experiencing a complex shift. . . . Read this book—and learn from one of the best.”
—Howard Sublett, Chief Product Owner, Scrum Alliance

“This book is a product of Esther’s hard-won insights and her ability to explain them in simple, memorable ways. It is an invaluable resource to all those in the field of knowledge work who want to understand what is going on at a deeper level and how to create effective change around them. It’s an opportunity to stand on her shoulders.”
—Kevin Trethewey, Director of Engineering, Jemstep by Invesco

“This book is a blueprint for both novices and experienced change professionals to enhance their approach to complex change. The blend of both examples and detailed material helped me see where I need to polish my approach and where I need to improve my empathy. Selfishly, I plan to share 7 Rules with my team and leaders so they can gain a better perspective on complex change management.”
—Ben van Glabbeek, Vice President, Agile Transformation, Fiserv

“Wow. If you want to help people, and the organizations they’re in, improve, these are indeed seven rules you need to know and will want to follow. It’s dangerous to go it alone. Take this book with you!”
—Ron Jeffries, author of The Nature of Software Development

“Esther brings her vast experience of closely studying organizational change to show how embracing the human side of organizations means accepting them as the organic ‘forests’ they are, rather than mechanistic ‘machines.’ Her unique style of engaging storytelling and ability to carve out deep insights from everyday incidents revolving around change make this book a must-have guide of our times.”
—Rashina Hoda, Senior Lecturer, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering, The University of Auckland

“An accessible yet challenging addition to the growing literature on change, I’m especially touched by the deep humanness of the approach, including the repeated reframing of situations often framed as ‘obstacles to change,’ as valuable resources and opportunities to learn. Instead of merely giving lip service to complexity, Derby’s 7 Rules embraces it.”
—Simon Bennett, Managing Principal, LASTing Benefits (UK and Australia)