Change Leader Insights

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Renelle Everett Darr, founder of InSight Coaching & Consulting and host of Conscious Insights: Strategies for Leadership Evolution podcast and video series, about conscious leadership and consciousness awakening for change leaders.

Renelle is deeply committed to activating evolved workplaces that nurture and fuel human potential and organizational growth. She works with CEO's, top teams, and organizations to navigate this ever-changing, complex landscape. With over 25 years of global transformation expertise, she brings an energetic and inspiring presence to leadership and organizational transformation. She is known for her ability to see the bigger picture, help leaders and teams integrate the head and heart, and make courageous leaps forward.

During the conversation, Renelle shared her definition of conscious leadership and how she explains it to people she supports in her work. Says Renelle, “Conscious leadership is a shift from being fully in our heads, reactive, and triggered to really leading with our whole self, meaning also our bodies. Our gifts come from the same place a lot of our triggers come from and how we learned to keep ourselves safe, and that shows up in leadership.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ A deep look at conscious leadership and how our triggers and gifts show up in our work as change leaders

☑️ The impact of perfectionism on change leaders in the workplace

☑️ How to develop self-awareness as a change leader when you don’t have direct access to a coach to support the process

If you want to learn more about conscious leadership, be sure to tune in and hear what Renelle has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Shana Bosler, Director of Learning and Development at Emergenetics International, about behavioral preferences and how our preferences influence individual change attitudes.

Shana Bosler is the Director of Coaching, Learning & Development at Emergenetics International, where she leads global initiatives in professional development, team dynamics, and leadership training. As an Emergenetics Master Associate, she has certified hundreds of professionals in the Emergenetics theory, equipping them to foster cognitive diversity and enhance organizational performance. D

uring the conversation, Jessica and Shana discussed resistance to change and how to reframe it from a behavioral preference perspective based on Emergenetics’ tool. Says Shana, “Some individuals may need more time to get on board because they’re energized by pushing the original decision forward. There’s a gift in that because a lot of times, the first decision was the right one. Sometimes, these folks could be perceived as resistors, but they’re bringing a gift to the organization in pushing forward the original decision and freeing up time to do other things.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ How understanding behavioral preferences can help change leaders be more effective and navigate change

☑️ How colleagues can share similar behavioral preferences but show up differently due to situational differences, and how these factors emerge in the workplace

☑️ A dive into the behavior of flexibility and how it manifests through the lens of change

If you want to learn more about behavioral preferences and their influence, be sure to tune in and hear what Shana has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Derek Oaks, an author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and former fighter pilot and commander in the United States Air Force, about confident leadership and how to lead people effectively.

Colonel Derek Oaks owns Decisive Leadership LLC, which provides executive consulting, Department of Defense expertise, and keynote speeches and workshops, and has also worked with numerous small businesses as an owner, consultant, COO, Director and Subject Matter Expert. His Air Force career culminated as the Commander, 23rd Fighter Group, which included two fighter squadrons, an operational support squadron, a range squadron, two airfields, and the largest Air-to-Ground Training Range East of the Mississippi River.

During the conversation, Jessica and Derek discussed leaders’ responsibility to set a vision for their teams to drive progress. Derek explained that leaders need to sit back, set the vision, and then communicate it to their teams. Says Derek, “Get the team on board with where you want to go and then empower them with that vision. Give them a chunk [of the vision], make them responsible for it, and don’t get in their way.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Why casting a vision is a critical component of being a strong leader and setting teams up for success in organizational change

☑️ The leadership impact of teaching and transferring knowledge, and then getting out of the way to let people apply and utilize the knowledge themselves

☑️ Why understanding individuals’ visions can create a foundation for teams to succeed, which helps them better navigate change and disruption

If you want to learn more about confident leadership, be sure to tune in and hear what Derek has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Abhijit Patharkar, an entrepreneur and academic, about how artificial intelligence (AI)—a transformational change impacting businesses worldwide—impacts organizational culture and data governance.

A serial entrepreneur and Columbia University alum, Abhijit grew up immersed in his family's retail business, giving him an intimate understanding of the industry's challenges. With an engineering background and a Staff Engineer role at VMware's Office of the CTO, he developed a deep love for solving complex problems using technology. Abhijit has set out to bridge the gap between traditional retail and cutting-edge AI-powered solutions.

During the conversation, Jessica and Abhijit discussed data governance and AI to understand whether an organization is prepared to undergo the business transformation and changes associated with implementing AI. Abhijit explained that data governance is a critical factor for AI-readiness. In describing how to prepare from a governance perspective, ”Governance is based on three pillars. One is data quality, one is security, and the third is availability.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Understanding the importance of a unified data approach when leveraging AI for tools to be most useful for employees

☑️ The gap in data governance across organizations and how to address it to better prepare an organization for technological transformation

☑️ Practical steps for change management in AI adoption

If you want to learn more about AI and organizational culture change, be sure to tune in and hear what Abhijit has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Divya Visentini, an executive growth marketing leader and founder of Navstella, about change, artificial intelligence (AI), and the evolution of growth marketing.

Divya Visentini is a seasoned leader with nearly 25 years of experience in marketing, sales, and client management, known for driving B2B growth, account-based marketing, and data-driven strategies. With deep expertise in first-party and zero-party data strategies, customer data platforms, and advanced marketing technologies, Divya has helped organizations stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Her success is rooted in a data and outcome-driven approach, seamlessly integrating strategy, creativity, and technology to solve complex client challenges.

During the conversation, Divya shared a story about a business owner involving her team members in automating and digitizing aspects of their work using technology to enable the growth of her people. Says Divya, “[She’s] giving them what I always call a ‘sight of land.’ Change requires people to either be able to see land or at least have a sense of where that land is and which direction it’s in. The ship spins in circles if they don’t know they are sailing toward land. But if you give them a sense of land, they know where their bearings are.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ A brief history of the evolution of marketing as digital tools emerged and reshaped the marketer landscape

☑️ The impact of AI on functions across organizations and adapting to significant technological challenges

☑️ The connection between change management and rapidly evolving technology (and how businesses are feeling the impact)

If you want to learn more about change and technology, be sure to tune in and hear what Divya has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Teri Schmidt, Executive and Leadership Coach at Strong Leaders Serve, about how to be an effective, compassionate-driven leader (without burning out) and lead through change.

Teri is passionate about human connection and the leadership potential within each of us. Her career has spanned the educational, corporate, and nonprofit sectors but has had a consistent thread throughout: In each role, her focus has been either on developing others' potential or working to remove barriers to help people express their potential. She transforms overwhelm into impact using her 20+ years of coaching, leadership, and performance improvement experience. Teri also hosts the Strong Leaders Serve podcast, inspiring and empowering leaders who want to make their workplaces more compassionate and just through their leadership without burning out.

During the conversation, Jessica and Teri discussed the risks of neglecting your well-being as a leader and why this approach is counterintuitive to being effective. Says Teri, “Leaders feel that to serve, they need to put others’ needs in front of their own. Your effectiveness as a leader of others is directly related to how well you know yourself and how well you are able to, in a sense, put your oxygen mask on first which allows you to serve others and help them put their oxygen masks on.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ 3 traps compassionate leaders fall into (and how to overcome them)

☑️ Strategies for successfully shifting your identity as an individual contributor to a manager

☑️ The costs of being a “rescuer” as a leader

If you want to learn more about compassionate-driven leadership, be sure to tune in and hear what Teri has to say!

Learn more about the leadership self-assessment Teri mentioned during the episode here: https://www.strongleadersserve.com/resources

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Rich Steele, a technology leader with 25+ years of experience driving project delivery and transformational change, about leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and change.

As the Enterprise AI Practice Leader at Execution Specialists Group (ESG), Rich guides clients through strategic planning, implementation, and optimization, harnessing the full potential and promise of AI and other technologies to accelerate growth, transform operations, and empower employee and customer experiences. Previously, Rich was the Director of the Central Portfolio Management Office at Charles Schwab and has held senior leadership roles at DaVita Healthcare Partners and JPMorgan Chase. He is also on the AI Advisory Board for Denver University, has presented at the Gartner PMO Symposium, and has been a guest speaker at Syracuse University and the Colorado School of Mines.

During the conversation, Jessica asked Rich what questions organizations should ask when implementing AI. Says Rich, “The first question to ask is fundamentally, ‘Where are you trying to go? What problems do you have? What do you want to be when you grow up?’ There’s this tendency to want to jump on the bandwagon. AI’s implications on your company, culture, and business processes can be huge. It’s important to be intentional about where you’re trying to go.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ A brief history of AI and the expected impacts on the global economy

☑️ An overview of what organizations should consider when implementing AI to make it a lasting success for their teams

☑️ Advice for preparing for a future state in which humans collaborate with AI to do their jobs

If you want to learn more about AI and change, be sure to tune in and hear what Rich has to say!

For more on maximizing AI’s potential while emphasizing the human element, read Rich’s latest LinkedIn article (mentioned in the episode): AI Adoption – 3 Priorities that Emphasize the Human Element in the Age of Intelligence: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-adoption-3-priorities-emphasize-human-element-age-richard-steele-eeaqc/

A few weeks ago, Apogy founder Jessica Crow asked her LinkedIn network if they had any examples of companies that went through a major transformational change and did it well. Bill Kirst, an author, poet, podcast host, tech leader, and one of LinkedIn’s Top Thought Leadership Voices on Change Management, responded, “I can share that organizations like American AgCredit and Northwest Farm Credit Services did well through transformational change. Kudos to great leaders like Kay Meyer, Emilie Suess, Kenneth Alford for their focus on the people side of change while transforming the organization with technology.”

Eager to hear more, Jessica asked Bill if he would share more about his experience. In this special episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Bill Kirst about the impact his engagement with the organizations he mentioned had on him and what made their transformations successful.

During the conversation, Jessica and Bill said, “Those two organizations in agricultural lending are made up of really amazing humans, and I think if you start with a place of positive intent, and you have the desire to leave the world better than you found it, I think you can go through any transformation.”

Be sure to listen in to hear more about Bill's experiences and tips for achieving success in your change transformations, including authentically connecting with the people you’re working with and pivoting plans when needed to meet them where they are.

Bill authors the monthly newsletter, “Leading Change in the Era of AI,” posing powerful questions while untangling the complex concerns from the profound promises of this generation's most disruptive innovation - AI. Bill has worked at Adobe, Microsoft, IBM, University of Washington and for nearly two decades has led companies, institutions and government agencies through digital transformation journeys. He sits on the Alumni Board at The Johns Hopkins University and served in the U.S. Army Reserve, finishing his service as a Captain in the Signal Corps. Bill’s podcast “Coffee & Change” was selected as one of the 10 Best Military Leadership Podcasts by FeedSpot.

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Jeff Skipper, an international expert in accelerating change and author, about the value of selling to activate behavior change and how conducting workshops can help.

For more than 25 years, clients such as IBM, Suncor, Goldman Sachs, and The Salvation Army have engaged Jeff Skipper to achieve dramatic results during strategic transformation by wrapping complex change in motivating mission. Jeff holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and is a Certified Change Management Professional. His first book, Dancing with Disruption, was published in 2023, and his second, out now, is a reference book of 30 workshop exercises to help people understand, support, and navigate the change journey.

During the conversation, Jessica asked Jeff to share one tip that consistently benefits teams with unique challenges and opportunities. Says Jeff, “Going and building one-on-one relationships with influencers within an organization...you’ve got to get one-on-one with people and, hopefully in a casual setting, get to know them as individuals.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ An often overlooked link between change management and sales (and how to use it to your advantage)

☑️ A look into why Jeff wrote his latest book, High-Impact Workshops for Leading Change, and how change professionals can use it to conduct innovative, more engaging workshops outside of common ones

☑️ How to make change methodologies work best for you and your team while honoring the need to flex

If you want to learn how to use selling to your advantage when leading change, be sure to tune in and hear what Jeff has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Parissa Behnia, advisor and coach to C-Suite and senior leaders and author of Modern Badass: Tales from the Leadership Front, about how organizations can support badasses like change agents and pattern interrupters, and how these individuals can play to their strengths without being told they’re “too much.”

Parissa’s experience in the business world has made her the authority on how to guide the Modern Badass in your life–whether it’s you or someone you know. She’s an iPEC Certified Professional Coach with a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Parissa knows how to navigate being a Badass in any organization. Her passion is fostering the growth of creative minds, and she loves to help leaders from all walks of life grow their leadership and organizations.

During the conversation, Jessica and Parissa discussed how modern badasses can leverage vulnerability to bring people along for the ride. The most difficult thing for Parissa was asking for help or admitting she was stuck. Says Parissa, “You go further faster when you work with people who have complementary geniuses. You don’t have to do everything yourself.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ How Parissa defines modern badasses and how they show up in the workplace (plus ways leaders can help better support these individuals)

☑️ The value in enabling badasses with the freedom and creativity to explore ambiguity and new ideas

☑️ Balancing speed versus velocity as a modern badass in change and transformation

If you want to learn more about being a modern badass, be sure to tune in and hear what Parissa has to say!