Peter Sheahan, founder and chief executive officer of ChangeLabs™, recently addressed more than 500 people at Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa Business Forums at the Hyatt Recency Hotel in downtown Tulsa. In conjunction with the forum, the Department of Management in OSU’s Spears School of Business presented a half-day Leading Change Conference lead by Ken Eastman, associate professor and head of the department of management.

Sheahan, an Australian author, entrepreneur and consultant, is known internationally for inspiring innovative business thinking and creating lasting behavioral change. He told conference goers that leaders should not make change difficult for employees to accept. “If you want to create change in your business keep it simple, add variety, and make change effortless,” he said.

Sheahan also said businesses should focus on their employee’s decision-making abilities verses simply rewarding them with perks to create change in their organizations. He asked the question, “how do employees identify with your company?” said Sheahan. “When employees can identify with an organization, they make better decisions,” Sheahan said. “When people see themselves on the opposite side of management, they will find ways to contradict the goals of the organization.”

“Setting long-term goals and being open and honest about what executives want to accomplish is important to inspire real change in employee’s productivity and behavior,” he said.

In just three years, Sheahan built his multi-million dollar consulting practice by attracting clients such as Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Apple, and IBM. Sheahan has also established himself as a highly successful entrepreneur. He has been named one of the 25 Hottest New Speakers in America and one of the 25 Most Influential Speakers in the industry. Sheahan is also the author of six books, including international bestsellers “Fl!P,” “Generation Y” and his latest “Making it Happen.”

The forum, coordinated by the Center for Executive and Professional Development at OSU’s Spears School of Business, was the third and final installment for the 2011-2012 Tulsa Business Forums. Other featured speakers in this year’s series were Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain, and Randi Zuckerberg, former head of marketing of Facebook and founder and CEO of R to Z Media.

See posted articles about the Tulsa Business Forum by:

Journal Record: ChangeLabs CEO: Motivation for change comes from self-identity

Tulsa World: Speaker says companies need better incentives to change