What happens when the Occupational Philosophers - who've interviewed the world's most curious minds - sit down with a change manager to talk about curiosity, leadership and arthouse movies?

This is a special one.

In this crossover episode between Casa de Cambio and The Occupational Philosophers, Tash joins Simon Banks and John Rice for a conversation that moves between philosophy, practice and the kind of thinking that doesn't happen often enough in corporate life.

Simon and John share what they've learned about curiosity after years of interviewing some of the world's most inquisitive minds - what the genuinely curious do differently, and crucially, how to stay curious when life and work conspire to make you anything but.

They also put Tash through a thought experiment (you'll want to hear how that unfolds), and she turns the lens on corporate leadership- unpacking the philosophical challenges facing leaders today that nobody is talking about directly enough.

This episode covers:
→ What the world's most curious minds actually have in common
→ How to remain curious when you're "too busy to be curious"
→ Tarantino and arthouse classics such as Bad Boy Bubby
→ The philosophical questions corporate leaders are quietly grappling with

You can catch Tash giving a free webinar on Agile change here.

Simon Recommends:

The world needs your art by Aimee McNee

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

This Music Contains Hope by Raye

Borat

The 'L' word

Take 5 podcast with Xan Rowe

John Recommends:

World Cup

Stranger Things

Pulp Fiction

Inglorious Basterds

Cognitive Dissident - Conversations with The The's Matt Johnson

The The

Tash Recommends:

Jackie Brown

What happens when you put an experienced change practitioner on the spot and ask the questions everyone in the industry wants answered?

In this episode of Ask a Change Manager, Tash sits down with change and transformation specialist Amy Leighton for a rapid-fire conversation covering everything from M&A integrations, Agile change, AI and the future of the change profession.

Amy wasn't given the questions in advance, making her thoughtful, candid and often surprising answers all the more impressive.

Together we explore:

• How Amy found her way into change management
• The work she is most proud of
• The change practitioner she'd most like to share a beer with
• Agile versus waterfall change
• The phrase she'd ban from the profession forever
• What makes complex transformations successful

Amy brings deep expertise in M&A integrations, frontline technology change and organisational design, with a passion for making complex change simple and creating positive experiences for the people impacted by it.

Whether you're a seasoned change leader, project professional or simply curious about what happens behind the scenes of major transformations, this episode is packed with practical insights, honest reflections and more than a few lols.

Amy recommends:

Off Campus on Prime

If you've ever been told "it's too early for change," handed a business case with your name nowhere near it, or watched mobilisation kick off while change scrambled to catch up - this one's for you.

Tash sits down with Temre Green PhD to dig into one of the profession's most persistent (and frankly maddening) problems: why change management is still being bolted on after the big decisions are made, and what it actually costs when that happens.

In this episode:

• Why change belongs in business case development
• The real cost of "it's too early for change"
• Program mobilisation: what goes wrong when change isn't in the room
• How to make the commercial argument for change

Clarification: During the discussion, we referred to the traditional project levers. The commonly accepted four levers are scope, cost (budget/resources), time (schedule) and quality. 

Temre recommends:

Wolf Pack by Abby Wambach

Your organisation says it's Agile. But it's still funding projects the old way; fixed scope, fixed timelines, business case required before anyone writes a single line of code. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Tash sits down with Evan Leybourn, co-founder of the Business Agility Institute, to tackle one of the most stubborn blockers to true organisational agility: funding models.

Evan shares real examples of organisations that have broken free from traditional project-based funding - what they did differently, why it worked, and what it actually took to get there.

They also dig into the uncomfortable reality facing many Agilists right now: how do you influence leaders to do things differently when the system is stacked against you?

They cover:→ Why funding models are the hidden killer of Agile transformation→ Real-world examples of organisations that got it right→ How to influence leaders when you're stuck in a waterfall funding world→ The role of org structure in enabling - or destroying - true agility

If you've ever been handed a business case template in an "Agile" organisation and wondered what the point was — this one's for you.

Evan recommends:

Murderbot book series by Martha Wells

The new economics for industry, government and education by W Edward Deming

The AI bus is leaving. Are you on it?

In this episode, Natasha sits down with Gareth Flynn, CEO of TQ Solutions - consultant, researcher, and one of the most energising voices in the change management space right now - to talk about what AI adoption really looks like on the ground, and what it means for our profession.

Gareth unpacks why so much of the AI adoption challenge is a people and change problem, not a technology problem — and shares the data to back it up.

He digs in to what the rise of AI means for change practitioners specifically, what you can do right now to get ahead of the curve, and the concrete steps (including course recommendations for building your own AI agent) to make sure you're not left behind.

If you've been meaning to get across AI but haven't known where to start - this is your episode.

Gareth recommends:

Donut Economics by Kate Raworth

Until the End of Time by Brian Greene

Tash recommends:

Hacks

Take the AI course Gareth recommends here (includes AUD$50 discount)

Casa de Cambio podcast celebrates 100 episodes with something completely unserious.

Fan favourites Sharon Connolly and Gilbert Kruidenier join Tash for a game of Change Management 'would you rather'.

They also share some industry secrets that will never be repeated outside the sanctity of the podcast.

So you've had a workshop and everyone is feeling fab, warm and fuzzy. But then nothing happens. How can you keep the momentum going? How can you ensure action is taken?

Get on the presale list for the workplace rituals deck here.

Why is transformation a dirty word?

What should we call it instead?

And if not transformation, then what?

What are some traps leaders and change agents can fall into when embarking on a 'transformation'?

Sandy Mamoli is an Agile coach, Hyrox enthusiast and lover of desserts. She joins Tash for a chat about all things Transformation, with some great bonus chat on:

• How the 'Agile is Dead' call is coming from inside the house
• What Monty Python's Life of Brian can teach us about Agile
• The power of shutting the f*ck up when negotiating

Sandy recommends:

• The world of yesterday by Stefan Zweig

Tash recommends:

• Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci

Learn more about the work Sandy does at nomad8.com

Buy Sandy's book here.

What can peeling fruit teach us about estimation?

Why do estimates vary so wildly amongst colleagues and teams?

How can teams learn from their estimation fails?

Kit Friend is an Agile geek, estimation guru and 'the person who has the most fun at Accenture.'

He joins Tash for a conversation about all things estimation, how AI can help, and why testing is the most important function on the project.

Kit recommends:

Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch

Freakonomics Podcast

How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner 

Tash Recommends:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Connect with Kit here: https://au.linkedin.com/in/kitfriend Kit regularly appears and helps with the Atlassian Australia community events - join your nearest city via https://ace.atlassian.com/ 

What happens once you get that coveted change role?

What if it's not everything you hoped it would be?

How does mentorship and guidance of more experienced practitioners help those trying to get into change management?

Lyndon Pullen and Julia Acena are at the start of their change management careers. They join Tash for a great chat about how they got into change, what they did when they got there, and what's next on their career vision boards.

Lyndon recommends:

Bridget Jones Diary movies

17 Again

Julia Recommends:

Free Solo