Phil Gilbert is best known for leading IBM’s transformation as their General Manager of Design, a project that updated the work of 400,000 IBM employees across 180 countries. The transformation became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, the documentary film The Loop, and feature articles in the New York Times and Fortune magazine. Phil was inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts’ Hall of Fame in 2018, and being a native from there was named a Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador in 2019 for his achievements in the world of creative thinking and innovation. He is the author of Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success.

Wedding cakes. Birthday cakes. Cupcakes. Shit umbrellas. The baggage that comes with using the word “design” in the business world. You might get a more unique guest than Phil, but the odds would be heavily against you. With tenacity and street smarts, this guy whose start-up was purchased by IBM shares with us the unlikely story of how IBM’s CEO Ginny Rometty got behind him, unleashing the creativity that had made his smallish business unit within the company a top performer. Into business unit after unit, as detailed here, Phil tells with verve the story of overcoming the sorry state that endless rounds of cost-cutting initiatives had landed a now bedraggled company. “Empathy is the hardest word you will ever learn,” Phil told colleagues, left and right, prodding them to move forward.

Real Transformations: Business Change That Works from the Inside Out is co-hosted by Julie Anixter and Dan Hill, PhD, entrepreneurs with deep experience as corporate change agents, devoted to helping companies make continuous change work for everyone through clarity and connection. To learn about their keynote talks, workshops and labs, check out Real-Transformation.com.

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