Creating
Meaningful
Change
A Timeless Leadership Path to Transforming the Modern Work Culture
Every day leaders miss opportunities to infuse their everyday work lives with the kind of meaning that not only enhances well-being but enables new levels of engagement, productivity, and collaboration.
In this inspiring guide you’ll discover three timeless practices that bring powerful, sustainable change where you want it most. Whether in your business, your community, or your life, meaningful change is possible—and begins here.
Creating Meaningful Change also reveals how you’re changing first as a leader will free you to change your work–and your world–more effectively.
Truly effective leaders are those who create meaningful change. This breakthrough book shares how they do it.
Praise for Creating Meaningful Change
“The world is in desperate need of extraordinary doses of meaningful change, and it starts here with this book.”
–Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO, Gallup
“Mike Morrison and Clint Kofford created an easy-to-understand connection on how essential creating, cultivating, and catalyzing change is to great leadership. A must read for both aspiring and seasoned leaders.”
–Michael Ehret, Global Head of Talent Management, Johnson & Johnson
“As Mike and Clint reveal, change is inevitable, meaningful change is not. This book artfully illuminates the timeless path of meaning-making that is at the heart of true leadership. Creating Meaningful Change challenges us to think about how we can better lead organizations and create meaning that drives change.”
–Garry Ridge, Chairman & CEO, WD-40 Company
“This book is a transformational practical guide for life, leadership, and work. The authors, both practitioner-scholars, show that success in leadership is about driving change to get results and providing a path that stems from an inner core—one of meaningfulness—while also having the ability to do what it takes to get it done (including learning from failures). Bravo for a wonderful book that is filled with “aha” moments of insight, examples, conceptual maps, and case studies, making it an effective manual for driving meaningful change.”
–Raghu Krishnamoorthy, Director, Penn’s Chief Learning Officer Executive Doctoral Program and former CHRO, GE
“Creating Meaningful Change really resonated with me! It is timely, smart, and insightful and represents a core message every leader should embrace to be truly effective.”
–Jim Loehr, Renowned Performance Psychologist and co-author of the Power of Full Engagement
“In this practical, compelling book you will be reminded just how important it is to move beyond our habitual hyperfocus on achieving targets and results, and consciously attend to how we reach our goals.”
–Annie McKee, PhD, Bestselling Author of How to Be Happy at Work: The Power of Purpose, Hope and Friendships
“Simple. Practical. Compelling. Helpful. These are words that describe the new book Creating Meaningful Change. In an era where any act of leadership has become increasingly complex, nuanced, and high-stakes, more progressive frameworks, better tools, and a more holistic way to develop is needed. This book gets us to the starting line and gives us all a path to be better and more fulfilled.”
–Dr André Martin, Advisor, Board Member, and former CLO of Mars, Nike, Target, and Google
“Clint and Mike created something truly helpful here for leaders and aspiring leaders—a blueprint for driving meaningful change. The concepts and exercises in this book aren’t a checklist. They’re dynamic and will help leaders at all levels of an organization address key challenges, including finding meaning and driving purpose-driven outcomes for their organizations.”
–Rachel Romer Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder, Guild Education
“Creating Meaningful Change has inspired me to be more intentional about leading rather than managing. The meaningful change framework is simple but powerful and resonates with my experience in trying to create change. I will be referring back to this book often.”
–Brigitte C. Madrian, Dean, Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business
“This book becomes available at the perfect time, as we embrace a new life after the pandemic. Pairing thoughtfulness and leadership, it is a strong reminder to look beyond the power of leading and instead focus on why we lead. Only then will we make great change.”
–Jennifer Hark Dietz, CEO, People Assisting the Homeless
“Mike Morrison and Clint Kofford deliver a powerful look into the perilous void attendant to strict outcomes-obsessed organizational leadership. Especially with the pandemic-driven dispersal of employees and new “remote” and “hybrid” employment philosophies, leaders must strive harder than ever before to establish a meaning-driven work culture. Success invariably hinges on deep values alignment, space for employee and leadership voices alike, and conscious balance between addressing individual needs and elevating team cohesion and accomplishment.”
–Paul Vandeventer, Founder, Community Partners
“Creating Meaningful Change provides a valuable roadmap for leaders to recapture the true essence of leadership—at a time when it is needed most.”
–Eric Roza, Chairman, CrossFit
“Mike and Clint hit the nail on its head. Without purpose, change is just something that either happens or is shoved through. Leading change requires emotional and intellectual shared purpose.”
–Ara Ohanian, CEO, NETSTOCK
“A powerful three-part guide for leaders looking to drive meaningful change for their organizations and the people within them.”
–Bernie Jaworski, Peter F. Drucker Chair, Claremont Graduate University
“In Creating Meaningful Change, Morrison and Kofford present a refreshing and contemporary view of effective leadership for teams and organizations. Rather than a rigid “check the box” framework, it focuses on important individual and team introspection, leading to permanent, positive, and organization-wide change. I loved it!”
–Gary Crittenden, former Chief Financial Officer, Citigroup and American Express
“As long-time friends and colleagues, Mike and Clint have been two of the most influential people in my career and life. As fan number one of Mike’s first book, Leading through Meaning, I am thrilled that Mike and Clint have collaborated to provide the type of deep yet practical insights required for the extraordinary time we live and lead in.”
–Greg Pryor, Former Senior Vice President, People & Performance Evangelist, Workday
“What will resonate long after finishing this book is the holistic idea that building dignity and meaning should emanate not just from your leadership but from your entire life. In building meaning for others, you build it for yourself.”
–Dr. Nigel Paine, author, mentor, consultant, and broadcaster
“Practical and straightforward guide that simplifies and demystifies the recipe for making change stick: make change meaningful. This should be required reading, not just for leaders but for all change agents.”
–Keith Keating, Senior Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, Archwell
“In a post-pandemic world, meaning has never been more important in the workplace. This book provides a practical and powerful model for how leaders can create the purpose-fueled contexts so many employees are seeking from their organizations.”
–Rob Cross, Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and best-selling author of Collaboration Overload
“An absolute must read for any leader aiming to successfully deliver and inspire transformational change! Creating Meaningful Change makes the complex simple, laying out a framework that enables one to quickly zero in on the true meaning behind any organizational change program and how to make it a success. Even more compelling is the insight offered on how we, as leaders, are also changed as a result of the transformation experience and the significant opportunity we all have to help others find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life through their role in the change journey.”
–Aisling Cribbin, Chief People Officer, Glanbia Performance Nutrition
“In such extraordinary times, successfully navigating change has never been more perilous. Morrison and Kofford offer a fresh perspective to enable us to voyage through uncharted territory by engaging in a process of wayfinding, sensemaking, and self-discovery. Creating Meaningful Change is a must read for any voyager.”
–Michael J. Arena, former Chief Talent Officer, General Motors, VP at AWS, and author of Adaptive Space
“Now more than ever, people are questioning the purpose of organizations, their ethics and values. Creating Meaningful Change helps leaders understand why it matters and gives a practical guide to put their purpose into action. A timely and worthy read.”
–Angela Mangiapane, President, Mars Global Services, Mars, Inc.
Michael Morrison, Ph.D., founded and served as dean of the University of Toyota and currently consults to organizations seeking to grow their leadership, culture, and lean thinking capabilities.
Clint Kofford, in executive HR roles, has served a range of leading organizations including Johnson & Johnson, Human Performance Institute, Nike, Mars, United States Olympic and Paralympics Committee and the National Veterinary Associates.