Using Whole Brain Thinking to communicate change with empathy, clarity and balance.

In this episode, Rich and Dave explore how Whole Brain Thinking offers a practical framework for leading change in a world that is complex, fast-moving, and full of uncertainty.  

Research studies suggest that only a third of organisational change initiatives successfully meet their objectives. Of the circa 70% of change efforts that fail, this is often due to poor planning, employee resistance, and/or cultural inertia.

Too often, leaders default to purely analytical or procedural communication during change, overlooking creating sufficient big picture context and underestimating the emotional and relational needs of their people. Whole Brain Thinking offers a way to step back and engage in change initiatives using four distinct lenses:

• The Forensic Telescope: The analytical case for change
• The Celestial Telescope: The vision, future story, and creative opportunity
• The X-Ray Specs: The human, emotional, relational impact
• The Safety Goggles: The process, risk management, and planning of specific actions

By walking through these lenses, Rich and Dave show how leaders can design communication and engagement strategies that resonate with all stakeholders, no matter how they prefer to process information.

This episode gives leaders a refreshingly simple but highly actionable way to avoid being one of the 70% of change programs that fail. It helps avoid transactional change and implement transformational leadership practices.

Key Talking Points:

• Why resistance to change is often misunderstood
• How stress pushes leaders into narrow thinking during change
• The importance of managing ambiguity alongside clarity
• Why “transactional change” alienates people
• The practical power of the Whole Brain Walk Around for planning communication
• Balancing empathy and objectivity without falling into emotional overreach
• The leadership discipline of flexing your thinking style