Coaching for Leaders

770: How to Make Change Irresistible, with Phil Gilbert

Listen Later
Phil Gilbert: Irresistible Change

Phil Gilbert is best known for leading IBM’s 21st-century transformation as their General Manager of Design. The transformation became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, the documentary film The Loop, and feature articles in the New York Times and Fortune Magazine. He is the author of Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

We’ve all been through mandated change initiatives more times than we can count. But what if change wasn’t a mandate, but an offer – or even an invitation? In this conversation, Phil and I explore how to make change irresistible.

Key Points
  • Change should be regarded as a high-value-add product.
  • Don’t mandate change. Offer change.
  • Your goal is sustained cultural adoption, not improving immediate competency.
  • Start small, but cover all your bases on a reduced scale. Make a great cupcake instead of a mediocre wedding cake.
  • People buy brands, not products. Branding change allows you to define the values and message that goes with it.
    • Resources Mentioned
    • Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success by Phil Gilbert (Amazon, Bookshop)*
      • Interview Notes

      Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

      Related Episodes
      • Engaging People Through Change, with Cassandra Worthy (episode 571)
      • Where Senior Leaders Can Better Support Middle Managers, with Emily Field (episode 650)
      • How to Lead Organizational Change, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 740)
        • Discover More

        Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store
        Coaching for LeadersBy Dave Stachowiak
        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8

        4.8

        1,393 ratings

        More shows like Coaching for Leaders

        View all
        The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

        The Look & Sound of Leadership

        1,164 Listeners

        The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk by Ryan Hawk

        The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

        1,343 Listeners

        Teaching in Higher Ed by Bonni Stachowiak

        Teaching in Higher Ed

        374 Listeners

        HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

        HBR IdeaCast

        178 Listeners

        Negotiate Anything by Kwame Christian Esq., M.A.

        Negotiate Anything

        728 Listeners

        How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

        How to Be Awesome at Your Job

        1,034 Listeners

        Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

        Worklife with Adam Grant

        9,130 Listeners

        Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style by Laura Camacho

        Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

        95 Listeners

        Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast by John Maxwell

        Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast

        381 Listeners

        Inside the Strategy Room by McKinsey & Company

        Inside the Strategy Room

        176 Listeners

        No Bullsh!t Leadership by Martin G Moore

        No Bullsh!t Leadership

        129 Listeners

        The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

        The Anxious Achiever

        574 Listeners

        Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

        Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

        832 Listeners

        A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

        A Bit of Optimism

        2,227 Listeners

        Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

        Coaching Real Leaders

        670 Listeners

        HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

        HBR On Leadership

        171 Listeners