What happens when you focus on building change capability instead of just managing individual projects? 

In this episode of The Only Constant, Dan Rickards (Interim Head of Change, BBC) discusses with Nellie Wartoft how transformation offices can grow by unlocking different parts of their function, all while creating consistency in how their organization interacts with change and increasing their credibility as a core office in its own right. 

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

What if the reason why so many transformations fail isn't due to poor strategy but due to poor financial storytelling?

In this episode of The Only Constant, Aric Wood (Chief Strategy Officer, Tigerhall) discusses with Nellie Wartoft why senior change leaders must learn to "speak CFO" to win the resources they need and bill strategy activation resources as "ROI insurance". It’s time to translate the realities you know all too well into terms your CFO will actually get. 

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

You have the budget, you need more hands on deck but who should you hire exactly? You might think ‘someone like me’ but Roger Guerrero has a completely different answer. 

In this episode of The Only Constant, Roger Guerrero (Head of Strategy Execution, Merck) discusses with Nellie Wartoft how to not be limited by your own definition of what a transformation office should be and shares his blueprint for building execution-focused teams that actually deliver results.

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

What happens when your organization's biggest strategic challenge isn't technology, process, or budget but just getting everyone to play for the same team?

In this episode of The Only Constant, Ben Cook (Head of Global Customer Service Strategic Transformation at Ford) discusses with Nellie Wartoft how to build more than surface-level alignment for the strategic direction your organization must follow. 

Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

Would you work out if you didn't gain any health benefit from it? 

Probably not. Yet this is exactly what we're asking our teams to do with organizational change.

If you’re ready to connect the dots between executive vision and frontline execution for your org, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of The Only Constant with James Hoch (Sr. Director of Transformation & Strategy, Teradata) and Nellie Wartoft 

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

When was the last time your organization redesigned work, not just reorganized jobs? Ravin Jesuthasan, bestselling author and global leader for transformation services at Mercer, explains why work redesign is the missing foundation for successful transformation. Drawing from his books "Work Without Jobs" and "The Skills-Powered Organization," Ravin shares how deconstructing work into its core tasks and redeploying them efficiently led to extraordinary results—like an oil company cutting performance variance from 35% to 2.3% without layoffs.

Discover why "fixed, flex, and flow" models are replacing traditional jobs, how resistance to change plummets when employees help redesign their own work, and why transformations should never be "one and done."

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction 
• 01:30 - Why work redesign is pivotal to organizational transformation
• 03:45 - The three steps of work redesign: deconstruction, redeployment, reconstruction
• 05:20 - How job architecture fits into the work redesign approach
• 07:10 - Signs that outdated work structures are blocking transformation efforts
• 09:15 - Why tech-forward approaches fail compared to work-backwards perspectives
• 11:30 - Case study: How an oil company transformed operations without layoffs
• 14:45 - The critical role of leadership in connecting work redesign to transformation goals
• 16:20 - How work redesign reduces resistance to change
• 19:40 - Moving from employment to employability: upskilling, reskilling, and outskilling
• 22:15 - The three models of work: fixed, flexible, and flow
• 24:30 - How internal talent marketplaces and "flow to work" models dramatically increase productivity
• 27:15 - Building leadership buy-in for flexible work allocation
• 29:35 - Final thoughts: Transformation is never "one and done"

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Breathe by RYGO | https://soundcloud.com/francesco-rigolon

Everything You Need Is By Your Side by Vlad Gluschenko |

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Why do technical experts often make poor change leaders? Roger Guerrero, Head of Enterprise Strategy Execution at Merck, challenges how organizations select and develop leaders in transformation environments. Drawing from his experience overseeing Merck's corporate strategy implementation, Roger explains why change leadership shouldn't be confined to specialized teams but embedded as a core expectation for all managers. He argues that companies over-index on technical expertise while undervaluing the ability to inspire and lead through change—creating what he calls a "silent killer" in organizations.

Whether you're struggling with resistant middle managers or disconnected executives, Roger offers practical strategies for identifying and developing genuine change leadership beyond technical competence.

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction 
• 01:30 - Why change management shouldn't be limited to specialized teams
• 03:45 - How technical industries often select leaders for technical expertise, not leadership ability
• 05:20 - Why change leadership competencies should be core criteria in promotions
• 07:10 - The problem with the "individual contributor to leader" career path
• 09:15 - Creating dual career tracks for technical experts vs. leadership roles
• 11:30 - How to identify people with natural change leadership abilities
• 14:45 - Addressing the "this isn't my job" mindset in middle managers
• 16:20 - Red flags that indicate poor change leadership potential
• 19:40 - The evolving profile of effective senior leaders—from engineers to MBAs to motivators
• 22:15 - Strategies for working around resistant leaders you can't replace
• 24:30 - Handling resistance at the C-suite level
• 27:15 - The importance of communication style in successful change initiatives
• 29:35 - Why transparency and empathy are critical for change leadership

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Breathe by RYGO | https://soundcloud.com/francesco-rigolon

Everything You Need Is By Your Side by Vlad Gluschenko |

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Restructuring without destroying morale? It's possible! 

Connie Klimko, Transformation Lead at Siemens Energy, takes us inside their successful flattening of a hierarchical organization that eliminated management layers while keeping talent. 

She reveals their strategy for reframing career paths beyond traditional "boxes" on org charts, empowering experts, and rebuilding trust between newly combined teams. From transparent job postings to innovative team-bonding tactics like role-swapping, Connie shares practical approaches to making restructuring work. Plus, she explains why even successful restructures can take years to fully settle in and how to maintain employee resilience through constant change. A must-listen for any transformation leader facing reorganization.

----

Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction 
• 01:30 - Context behind Siemens Energy's restructuring
• 03:45 - The initial employee reaction to flattening the organizational hierarchy
• 05:20 - What happened to managers who lost their "boxes" in the restructuring
• 07:10 - The expert career path as an alternative to management advancement
• 09:15 - Building trust between newly combined teams during restructuring
• 12:30 - Role-swapping and shadowing to build empathy between merged teams
• 14:45 - The importance of storytelling and reframing in transformation
• 16:20 - Practical advice for those currently managing a restructuring
• 19:40 - The ADKAR approach and why management often moves too quickly
• 22:15 - Communication strategies: why managers need to know first
• 24:30 - Managing morale through values consistency during constant change
• 26:50 - Using leadership essentials to guide teams through transformation
• 28:15 - Final thoughts on making restructuring successful

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Breathe by RYGO | https://soundcloud.com/francesco-rigolon

Everything You Need Is By Your Side by Vlad Gluschenko |

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Ever wonder why perfectly logical transformation plans meet fierce resistance? Travis Hahler, change management expert and neuroscience researcher, reveals how our brains are hardwired to fight change through two fundamental mechanisms: energy conservation and protection. 

For transformation leaders, this shifts the entire approach from trying to design "lovable" changes to creating environments where adoption can thrive despite neurological barriers. 

Travis explains why your most vocal critics might be your greatest allies, why resistance isn't a reflection of your leadership, and offers practical strategies for accelerating adoption. A game-changing perspective for change leaders tired of taking resistance personally and ready to leverage neuroscience for better results.

----

Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction 
• 01:30 - What actually happens in our brains when faced with change
• 03:45 - Why resistance is universal: the brain's energy efficiency and protection mechanisms
• 05:20 - Comparing work stress to our primitive fight-or-flight response
• 07:10 - The change curve and why most leaders plan for the wrong phase
• 09:15 - Why jumping straight to execution never works in change initiatives
• 12:30 - How vulnerability and honesty build trust when leading through uncertainty
• 14:45 - Why most leaders take resistance personally (and why they shouldn't)
• 16:20 - Creating environments for adoption rather than trying to design "lovable" changes
• 19:40 - Why quarterly processes might take years, not weeks, to fully adopt
• 22:15 - How leaders confuse resistance to change with rejection of their leadership
• 24:30 - Breaking the productivity loop: getting past denial faster
• 27:15 - Why conscious resistors are often your most valuable allies
• 29:35 - The difference between vocal "rebels" and silent "saboteurs"
• 32:10 - Three immediate actions for leaders: vulnerability, empathy, and addressing loss

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Breathe by RYGO | https://soundcloud.com/francesco-rigolon

Everything You Need Is By Your Side by Vlad Gluschenko |

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

When does a company need its first-ever Chief Technology Officer? Shankar Kalyana takes us behind the scenes of becoming Stantec's first CTO while simultaneously leading their digital transformation and AI initiatives. 

With refreshing honesty, he shares how he balanced technical expertise with transformation leadership, shaped a role that didn't previously exist, and executed a strategic 100-day plan that started with deep listening. Shankar explains why the traditional CIO/CTO division is disappearing, offers practical advice for those stepping into newly-created technology leadership roles, and predicts where these executive positions are heading as AI transforms business. A fascinating look at technology leadership when "digital" appears countless times in your company's strategic plan!

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction
• 01:30 - Why Stantec created their first CTO role
• 03:45 - Combining technology leadership with transformation responsibilities
• 05:15 - AI transformation as a core mandate from day one
• 07:10 - How to shape your role when you're the first person in the position
• 09:30 - Shankar's 100-day plan: Listen, build a SWOT analysis, formalize a vision
• 12:15 - Deconstructing and reconstructing understanding of digital transformation
• 14:40 - Common misconceptions about CTO responsibilities
• 17:20 - The evolution of technology leadership roles over the past 20 years
• 19:52 - How to divide responsibilities across multiple technology leadership roles
• 22:10 - Bringing transformation, digital and technology under one leader
• 24:30 - The future of technology leadership: fusion of roles vs. specialization
• 27:15 - The importance of personal leadership qualities in transformation roles

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Breathe by RYGO | https://soundcloud.com/francesco-rigolon

Everything You Need Is By Your Side by Vlad Gluschenko |

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US