Change Signal: Modern Change Management that Works

Here are three questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Neil Hoyne: 

How is data really used in your organization?

How much uncertainty can your culture comfortably handle? 

And what ideas are your people quietly shelving because they don’t think anyone will listen?

If you lead change in a large organization, you already know the promise of being “data-driven” often runs into the reality of politics, incentives, and human behaviour. Neil Hoyne — author, analyst, and Google’s Chief Strategist — joins me to explore how data can help transformation, and also how it can unintentionally slow it down.

We dig into the difference between using data to learn and using it to justify decisions already made. Neil explains why intuition isn’t the opposite of data, but a compressed form of expertise that deserves to be surfaced and tested.

We also talk about what really shapes a data-driven culture: the decision standards leaders set, the level of uncertainty they’re willing to tolerate, and who takes responsibility when experiments fail.

If you’re navigating change management, digital transformation, or complex initiatives where data plays a starring role, this conversation offers a practical, human way to think about decisions, experiments, culture, and influence — so your organization can move faster and learn smarter.

Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.

***

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Emily Moore:

Who’s missing from your system map?

What are you rushing to solve? 

And what is resistance actually trying to protect?

If you lead change in a big organization, you already know the neat diagrams rarely survive contact with reality. Emily Moore — engineer, educator, and longtime industry leader — joins me to explore how systems thinking becomes far more useful when we stop pretending the world is tidy.

We dig into the surprising truth that most “systems maps” forget the most important element: the people who hold influence, create friction, or quietly keep things running. Emily shows why the real work of change begins when you sit with ambiguity a little longer than feels comfortable, resist the urge to leap to solutions, and allow humility to do some heavy lifting.

We also talk about resistance — why it’s not just inevitable but essential. Emily argues that vocal laggards often reveal leverage points the formal org chart hides.

If you’re navigating complex transformations, leading change management initiatives, or trying to make progress inside tangled systems, this conversation will help you see your organization — and your role in it — with fresh eyes.

Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with John Anthony: 

Are you engaging people before you try to influence them?

What resistance are you avoiding that you should be exploring?

And how do you know whether you’re dancing with someone… or wrestling?

John Anthony joins me to unpack why so many change conversations in large organizations stall, even with experienced leaders at the helm. He draws from motivational interviewing to show how change works best when it’s done with people, not to them.

We talk about why your first job is positioning yourself as a supporting partner, not a persuader. JA explains the power of OARS — open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries — as a simple way to diagnose whether you’ve actually engaged someone before asking them to move.

We also explore resistance as a source of insight rather than something to avoid. JA makes a compelling case that paying attention to the discord is what shifts people from outright cynicism into genuine consideration.

If you lead transformation, change management, or complex initiatives, this conversation with John Anthony offers practical tools and a more human way to navigate the messy middle of change.

Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Three questions sit at the heart of this Change Signal episode:

How much responsibility for change is owned throughout your organization?

How much room is there for more change?

How good are your mechanics at change?

In this solo anniversary episode of Change Signal, I reflect on a year of conversations, experiments, and learning — and make the case that change management is a tired label for the realities leaders now face.

I introduce three core drivers of modern change mastery: claimed agency, real capacity, and technical excellence. I explore why so many transformation efforts stall even when the plans look immaculate, and why ownership, space, and craft matter more than control.

Along the way, I reframe the experience of change itself — from kitchen fires and fast-food efficiency to more nourishing, adaptive systems that can flourish under pressure.

If you’re leading change in complex environments and wondering why the old playbooks keep falling short, this episode offers a clearer orientation for the work ahead.

Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Simone Ahuja: 

Are you solving the real problem or just the first one?

What constraint might actually spark creativity?

And who’s missing from the table when you design change?

In this episode, Simone Ahuja — innovation strategist, intrapreneurship champion, and longtime student of jugaad — joins me to explore how change really happens inside large, complex organizations. She shows why the most valuable innovations don’t come from big budgets or big teams, but from leaders who know how to work with constraints, stay fluid in their approach, and widen the circle of who gets to shape the solution.

We talk about why so many change projects stall before they even begin, often because teams are solving the wrong challenge or operating inside systems that resist anything unfamiliar. Simone offers a practical, grounded way forward: think smaller, go earlier, and design experiments that create momentum instead of overwhelm.

If you lead transformation, change management, or innovation work — and want tools that work in real organizational life — this conversation with Simone is going to be useful, surprising, and energizing.

Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Charlie Gilkey: 

What if success scares you more than failure?

Where is your “head trash” quietly derailing your best ideas?

And who belongs in your corner so your ambitious projects don’t stall?

In this episode, I’m joined by Charlie Gilkey — author, coach, and champion of helping people finish what matters. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck between a big vision and the messy reality of actually delivering change, this conversation will feel very familiar.

Charlie gently exposes the inner frictions that stop meaningful change from taking hold, especially for experienced leaders. We talk about the fears we don’t admit, the competing priorities we don’t notice, and why the lone-hero model quietly limits our impact.

You’ll hear practical tools too, including Charlie’s 5-10-15 rule to help you make progress on what matters, rather than just staying busy. It’s a simple way to reclaim time, focus, and momentum without adding pressure to your already full plate.

If you lead transformation, change initiatives, or complex projects, this episode offers a mix of insight, self-reflection, and concrete practices to help you not just begin, but truly finish.

Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Here are three big ideas that stand out in Bob Sutton’s conversation:

 leadership is about being a trustee of people’s time

 friction isn’t the enemy—it’s the signal 

 and power makes you blind to the mess you’ve created.

Bob—Stanford professor, author, and organizational psychologist—joins me to explore why good intentions in big organizations often create bureaucratic nightmares. We talk about what happens when leaders chase “efficiency” but forget empathy, and why treating time as a shared, limited resource can transform how teams work together.

He reminds us that not all friction is bad: the best leaders know which processes to streamline and which to slow down so people have time to think, connect, and create quality work.

And he unpacks a truth that’s both humbling and practical—power shields you from everyday inconvenience. The forms you don’t fill out, the meetings you skip, the hoops others jump through: they’re invisible to you unless you go looking.

If you’re leading change in a large organization, this one’s about designing systems that respect time, energy, and reality.

Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change, transformation, and growth.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Charles Conn:

 What’s the smallest experiment you can start today?

 Where can you loosen control without losing direction?

 And could your team learn faster if you planned less?

Charles Conn — investor, conservationist, and author of The Imperfect Leader — joins me to talk about how great change leaders stop waiting for perfect clarity and start moving through curiosity. He argues that big “master plans” have had their day. Progress now comes from small, reversible bets, the kind you can learn from quickly and cheaply.

We explore why senior leaders should push more decisions to the edges, how to create trust inside small, cross-functional pods, and why imperfectionism is the essential mindset for real transformation.

If you’re steering large change projects or guiding cultural shifts, this episode is a practical invitation to trade certainty for learning — and to rediscover the messy, energizing craft of strategy that actually works in complex systems.

Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

***

CONNECT

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SAY THANKS

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Rachel Botsman:

 What kind of trust are you actually building?

 How much uncertainty can you hold before you grab for control?

 And when was the last time you slowed down enough to build real trust instead of just speed?

Rachel Botsman—Oxford University lecturer, author of How to Trust and Be Trusted, and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on trust—joins me to explore the fragile, fascinating relationship between trust and change. She makes a compelling case that trust isn’t about control or certainty; it’s a confident relationship with the unknown.

We dig into why every change is a “trust leap,” why leaders need to spot their people’s different trust states, and why “move fast and break things” might be the worst mantra for transformation.

If you’re leading a big change or cultural shift, this episode offers a fresh, human take on what actually helps people cross the sea of uncertainty with you.

Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

***

CONNECT

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SAY THANKS

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Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Dr. Ryan Brown:

What are you measuring that doesn’t matter?

 Where might your data be lying to you?

 And what if the “immeasurable” parts of change are exactly what count?

Ryan’s a behavioral scientist who studies how organizations measure what actually works—especially in complex, human systems of change. We talk about why measurement needs to start with humility—the courage to admit you might not know what’s really creating impact—and how clarity about your true objectives changes everything.

He shares his simple but powerful framework: measure across three domains—feelings, thoughts, and behaviors—so you capture both what people do and what they believe. And we dig into the hidden traps of data itself: how metrics get gamed, why context shapes truth, and why “data never speak for themselves.”

If you lead large-scale transformation, this episode helps you move beyond dashboards and surveys to something more essential—learning what’s real, what matters, and what’s worth measuring at all.

Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.

***

WHEN YOU’RE READY

🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)

The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly

***

CONNECT

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***

SAY THANKS

💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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