Change on the Run

Phil is joined by communication and corporate affairs leader Saira Absar to discuss responding to praise during change. Change initiatives can be gruelling and can feel like a succession of uphill battles characterized by tight deadlines, difficult challenges, stretched capabilities, and long hours. Giving and receiving recognition energizes individuals and teams and builds momentum to tackle the next tasks and activities.  There is a lot of advice on how to acknowledge people's efforts but little on how best to receive this recognition. It can be an opportunity to acknowledge those who give it, your contributing peers, and the strategy and tactics that led to the achievement. So, how do you respond to praise in ways that leverage the compliment for you, others and the project? You can reach Saira at:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairanabsar/

Phil is joined by change and business transformation expert Cathy Brown to discuss negotiating deadlines during change. Setting realistic project timelines requires a thorough understanding of the change and the context in which it is being made. The level of change complexity, resource availability, and operating environment are inputs into creating a fact-based calendar for the timing of deliverables.  Negotiating deadlines requires aligning leader and project team expectations with your assessment of the transition work and the time needed to complete it. So, how do you negotiate deadlines that enable you to complete tasks and activities to their specifications within dynamic operating environments? You can reach Cathy at: Email: bcathy188@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathybrown188/

Phil is joined by change capability development and change execution expert Michelle Yanahan to discuss handling mistakes during change. Mistakes are inevitable when managing change. There are too many moving pieces on different schedules, and run by different people to avoid missteps. Given the stress that major change initiatives inevitably produce, people can default to responses that deflect ownership, compromise resolution, and obscure learning when something goes wrong. This behavior often adds risk to the project and damages relationships. A better and more difficult approach is to expect and address mistakes as they appear. So, how do you handle mistakes in ways that identify root causes, resolve issues, and make changes, so they are less likely to happen again? You can reach Michelle at:  Email: michelle@changefit360.com Website: https://changefit360.com/

Phil is joined by senior engineering and organization change management professional Denis Kelly to discuss competing for resources. Securing adequate resources to implement your plan is one of the most important negotiations impacting your success. Most companies take on larger change agendas than the resources available to implement them. This can lead to insufficient or misaligned resources supporting your change initiative. A large portfolio of change projects can also limit the capacity of those impacted by the change to implement your plan and transition to new ways of working. So, how do you compete for the resources your need to support people as they adopt change and achieve intended results? You can reach Denis at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisrkelly.

Phil is joined by business transformation and change management leader Jennifer Rhodes to discuss reporting against a timeline. At the center of every change initiative is a project plan that maps the activities and tasks required to transition people from current to new ways of working. It functions as a work back schedule from the post-launch support to the project kickoff. Teams supporting a change spend significant time reporting against the timeline. Being “ahead of” or “on plan” is the goal, but often, falling behind is a reality. The ability to communicate progress against a timeline is an essential change management skill. Those who do it well can influence expectations and plan details; those who don't can experience greater scrutiny, extra work and lost confidence in their capabilities. So, how do you report against a timeline to inform stakeholders, guide expectations, and make required enhancements that lead to successful change? Jennifer can be reached at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermrhodes/.

Phil is joined by executive and change leader Stephen Sotto to discuss defining change support. Preparation activities are key enablers of change readiness and adoption. The options are many, including, training, coaching, ways of working sessions, job aids, and simulations. The types and amounts of support need to be appropriate for people's needs and circumstances. It's a fine balance between too much and too little change assistance. If you provide too much, people get stressed and may choose to opt-out of activities; if you provide too little, people won't have the required mindsets, routines and behaviours to effectively adopt the change. So, how do you define what change support you need to prepare people to adopt change? Stephen can be reached at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-sotto-08b605b/

Phil is joined by Professor of Organizational Behaviour Dr. Jamie Gruman to discuss overcoming a blocker during change. Blockers are people who raise barriers to organizational change and your success. They either oppose what you are doing or want it done differently. This form of resistance is challenging because it is intentional and leverages the blocker's influence through authority, relationships, and organization knowledge. Inaction is not a good option because the barriers will remain, and the wrong type of action can lead to escalation and more setbacks. So, how do you overcome a blocker to achieve your and the organization's goals and avoid triggering greater resistance? Jamie can be reached at: https://www.jamiegruman.com/about-jamie Links to writings and research: https://www.jamiegruman.com/read-me

Phil is joined by change and innovation leader Tim Creasey to discuss how to close a change project. A project team's effectiveness in transferring responsibilities to operating groups often dictates the level of long-term adoption of new ways of working. Managing the closing of a change project can be challenging because most leaders and project team members may have physically or mentally moved on to their next roles and challenges. Building awareness of the importance of the project's final steps is necessary to ensure people fulfill their roles. If they don't, a poor shutdown will negatively affect the benefits realized and the perception of the project team's capabilities. So, how do close a change project to build capability, transfer accountabilities and sustain the new ways of working that deliver the intended outcomes? Tim can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timcreasey/ Website: https://www.prosci.com  Additional resources from Tim: Metrics for Measuring Change Effectiveness Change Management Process Achieving Sustainable Performance with Organizational Change Webinar Replay: Making Change Stick: Best Practices for Reinforcing and Sustaining Change Outcomes

Phil is joined by HR and change management expert Kathy Repa to discuss how to identify your lessons learned during change. Understanding how our experiences impact outcomes helps build change capacity and skill, and dramatically improves organizational knowledge on how projects work within our cultures.  So, how do identify, record and learn from your experiences during a large change initiative?  Kathy can be reached at: Email: kathy.shanley@yahoo.com EPISODE TRANSCRIPT PHIL: Hello everyone, welcome to the change on the run podcast, where we discuss common change challenges and ways to address them. When you're short of time, and I'm your host, Phil Buckley. Today's topic is identifying your lessons learned. Understanding how our experience impacts outcomes helps build change capacity and skill and dramatically improves organizational knowledge of how projects work within our cultures. Experience is the best teacher, which enables us to repeat success patterns and eliminate future roadblocks to achieve our goals in the quickest and most effective way. Learning occurs in the moment. Something worked or didn't work because of specific factors, and we often lose learnings we don't record quickly. This applies equally to organizations and individuals and is especially true in the middle of projects because we tend to remember only beginnings and endings, leaving the key middle ground foggy. So, how do you identify, record and learn from your experiences during a large change initiative? And my guest today is Kathy Repa. Kathy, welcome to the show. KATHY: Thank you so much for having me, I am so excited to be a guest. PHIL: Thank you, Kathy, and thanks so much for taking the time to be here. Kathy has over thirty years of global human resources and change management experience. She is currently the Vice President HR, Global Supply Chain at Mondelez International. Kathy holds a BA, Human Resources Development at DeSales University. So, Kathy, looking back at your thirty-plus year's career and we've known each other for over ten years, what's been your experience with personal lessons learned. I look at you as the queen of lessons learned and I've learned so much about how you do so just generally. What's been your experience? KATHY: You know, one of my biggest lessons, and I think your book Change on the run really triggers a lot for me, is that we run a lot when we're doing these changes. We run from one change to another. We're change junkies. It's sort of our drug of choice and we look forward to those things. What we don't take time often enough as change professionals, to take a pause and to think about what we have actually learned, what lessons we can pass on to others or what lessons we can take forward ourselves, and I think that by doing that you don't often get as much value as we possibly could from that pause for purpose, that time to refresh, that time to reflect, and I'm a huge journalizer, so I do often sit back at the end of the week and maybe as I've gotten into my twenty and thirty years of running change, I do it much more frequently to say, you know, what things went well about this and what am I most proud of and what do I want to learn from that to take forward and make sure that I incorporate in the next ones? You know what things didn't go so well, and sometimes we punish ourselves for what didn't go so well, and I like to sit back and say, well, was that in my control? Because if it's not in my control, then why would I punish myself for it not going well? Then? That's not to say I don't take that as a lesson to do something differently, but I don't sit there and beat myself up over and over again about something that wasn't in my control, but rather reflect on how I can manifest it into something that next time might be much more controllable. And then I do celebrate, even if I do a happy dance around my place by myself. You do have to pat yourself on the back, you know, because it's not that people don't recognize your value, it's just that it doesn't often come out as the thank yous that maybe you need to generate that spirit and energy to go forward. PHIL: Thanks, Kathy, and it's great to see that you reward yourself and do the happy dance. But then also learn from, hey, this didn't work so well. And why do you think people focus more on what didn't work, or at least that's been my experience personally, but also observing other people? The one thing that didn't go well in the nine things that went very well to plan. We just focus on that thing that didn't go well and replay it off and as a tape in our heads. Why do you think that happens? KATHY: Well, think about how we approach anything, in life and at work. Think about performance reviews. People focus on what didn't go well during the year and they might have a sixty-second tidbit on what went well. Our nature is to focus, unfortunately, on the downside. When business is good, you get a little bit of a rave, but when business is bad, you hear it forever and then it becomes the stories that people tell. So, it becomes a legacy of the company or the legacy of the business or the legacy of the person, and it's hard to break out of that. So, I think, as change leads, it's our job to let people know that it's okay to have things go not so well as long as we're learning from them. But what's not okay to do is to not celebrate equally the things that went well, very well, and even the things that went okay that you're able to, later on, come back to. So, make sure you don't lose those gold nuggets because future-forward, you might have an opportunity to take that to a diamond. PHIL: No, that is great. What I find fascinating is if the project was deemed as a success, so we hit our targets, the lessons learned can be really glowing and it focuses on that. Hey, we're the champions, my friend, but the ones that didn't work well, there are no good parts in it. It's all about we should have been better at this, we could have done that, we made a mistake here, and I think the impact is we're not going to learn from those good bits so we can replicate them. Have you ever seen that? KATHY: Yeah, and you know, I often reflect back to when you and I were partnering. We knew our clientele. I mean you know very well the clientele at Cadbury. I knew very well the clientele at Kraft. We needed to really sit and say what would be best for our clientele. If you remember, we went from place to place to place, leadership team to leadership team to leadership team. Each one of them brought a unique flare to what it was we were trying to do from an acquisition integration perspective. Each time we took the time to first and foremost talk to the senior-most leader and find out what the business agenda was. And then, even though we came equipped with discussion points and activities and whatever, we spent time with the members collectively and individually, and then we decided how to shape them for future-forward and align them. And then know that if you go to the next part of your journey on this massive thing that you've been asked to run and task to do, it might not be the same experience. It might be a hybrid and you have to be flexible enough to adapt that high bread and feel okay, you know, feel comfortable with that and feel okay and not just say, oh well, gosh, I didn't do it exactly like I did it with this team. So what? Because this next group isn't the same organism, and that's what we're dealing with every day, an organism, and we have to make sure that we're addressing every part of that organism in the right way. PHIL: Fascinating, and the point that you made was so important that it was co-created by going to the different teams and then sharing what the last team said to the next team and any comments on that lesson learned. KATHY: I think we gave them good things to think about. I remember one team that we went to that it was old Kraft, new Kraft, Lu Biscuit, Cadbury, and now we had some brand-new members that were already hired to be this hybrid. I think what we did was gave them things to think about, not necessarily the entire cookbook, but you know what ingredients you should go shop for, but when you bring those ingredients back, it has to be your recipe, it has to be your product that someone's going to consume. And the someone that is going to consume that is the people that work for them. It's the business that benefits by them being top of their game, and I do believe we were significantly successful. It was that we could go from place to place and we could say, hey, this is what we learned from team Australia, but we're in team South Africa now, and so team South Africa isn't team Australia. You have different people that work for the company, you have different government challenges, you have all these things, but could you think about some of these things from team Australia, because this is what they wrestled with, this is what they talked through, and now let's talk through your things. So, it was taking the legacy of the stories that we got along our journey and sharing those and having them say, do I want to take that chapter out of that book and does that make sense for the story that I'm constructing, or is my chapter completely different? PHIL: But the fact that somebody thought through it puts it in a context that I can decide how to go with it and I remember that at that time specifically where the leader said, so we get to choose. There was that ability to pick which parts will work as long as the principles are the same. Remember when we were starting we pulled together all the lessons learned from the two companies, from all the mergers, and it's some they're hard to find. They were archives somewhere, and then we distilled the learnings from both sides. But really, I think more importantly it was the list of learnings as one organization. This is it. KATHY: We presented it to the leadership team at the end. We added to that, but it really did raise a challenge I think most organizations and individuals have is once it's archived, it can often be forgotten. People change and they move. How do you break that pattern where it's go, go, go and we don't have time to find our past lessons learned, we're a new team? Let's just jump in and get busy. Yeah, I think that's an enormously important part and someone has to figure out where all those archives are when they go through this because what you get is what's the culture. Kraft was a series of acquisitions, whether it be Oscar Myer or the coffee business in Nabisco, they all came with a different culture and a different identity, and I think the most fun we had, in the beginning. It was a show storm, I brought you some chocolate, you brought me some peanut butter. We exchanged our own cultural likes and whatever it allowed us to say. You know, these companies have never fully been integrated culturally. They don't have one culture. They still have their own identities. In this, Nabisco still goes by Nabisco. We had a side. What's this new identity? What's this being of one? How do we create shared values? That then allowed us to start off as a new company. If you remember, we said A and B must equal C, and C has to have a little bit of A and a little bit of B, but it still has to be more of a future-forward where you know, A and kind of set it to the side. At some point, C becomes the being that exists. And that, I think, was a really satisfying and actually an astounding learning experience that took us several weeks to collect and then put in an order. It was worth every minute and ounce of time that we did. PHIL: Such a great experience and taking the time to do so and understanding the culture that you're working in, and especially you're insight about there are many cultures within these organizations and I wondered are there any lessons learned for people that are going through a major change? Any lessons learned about culture and how you work within it to get the outcome that you're looking for? KATHY: I think when you're going into the culture, you have to go in and make sure that you're digging into the observable and the non-observable elements. Initially and visually. You'll see, as we walked into buildings, if you remember, the personality of the entity could be what's up on the walls. It could be the way you're greeted when you walk in there. It could be the formality of the conference rooms. You know, it could be any of those things. What kills you are the invisible elements. Do we say we want to be risk-takers, but we are completely risk adverse? Do we say that we allow failure, but quite simply, if you fail, you're almost out the door? Are there cliques within the organization that have the power and run things, but they let people think and believe every now and then that they have the ability to make decisions? Those are the most dangerous elements to eventually allowing the change to take hold because if you just go in with what's on the wall, how nice the receptionist was to you, do they have a great canteen and we had wonderful lunches? The board room is absolutely stunning, you won't be able to sustain what it is that you're wanting to sustain, because as this new entity forms, it's going to trip over those land mines that were there and not discovered early enough. To create a road map around them or through them, because sometimes they'll still remain. Sometimes you won't be able to change and shift everything, but if you create a navigational map for somebody, it becomes a very powerful tool to be successful: here's another obstacle that's in front of you. So that's why exploring culture is absolutely key and making sure you don't think you just got it because you've talked to a handful of people, or you've seen it visually or you get a document that shows their values. You need to go out and ask people in the organization. Do they really tell it like it is, or do they just tell those things that you want to make sure you're discovering to the degree of discovery that allows you to help shake the path forward? PHIL: Great advice. I find it's by making mistakes and then they say, well, we really don't do this here, and it's like, oh, you know, I just found part of your culture. We don't ask tough questions in leadership meetings or whatever it might be. When I used to hire people or interview people for leadership positions, and especially after our experiences with change leadership, I'd always ask what have you learned from running or being part of a change initiative versus what have you learned, because I found they're two different things. That I maintain mandate is very different than a change growth mandate, and what I found is a lot of them would give those textbook answers. Well, it's important to support the team and just something from the latest magazine. And I'd ask the question again and I'd probe specifically about change initiatives and often times people would repeat the same answer that they had before. One's that had not learned and I think there are great leaders who have learned and sell in the answer. Why do you think leaders don't take the time to capture their lessons learned as you talked about earlier? KATHY: I think it doesn't resonate to do it. Oftentimes they get caught up and get sent on the next change. So, you're just flowing from one thing to the other. You just like set that one aside and it's off to the new adventure. It's exciting to go on a new adventure. Our change was a year, but it was so intense that after that year we were waiting for what's the new adventure? But some changes can be like two-three years and by the time you get that through, that two three year journey, you just want to set it aside and unfortunately, you miss out on not taking that time to sit back and say, you know, what did I learn from that? I also think there are changes that go on and on and on and then they reshape, and they get a new name, but it's the same thing. It just has a different name because it failed along the way, it didn't go as planned and rather than even say did it fail, or could we have taken an alternative route, rather than just scrap everything and start from scratch? I still see today, unfortunately, a lot of start from scratch, scrap what you have and not even sit and look at that and say well, what can I take forward? But restart everything. I don't think organizations have the money or the time to keep doing that. PHIL: No, certainly. And any thoughts about how you change the story where it's seen as a success behavior, it's expected by leaders. How do you build that mindset in so you don't lose those lessons learned? PHIL: I think that you have to purposely put it as part of your strategy, and you and I remember we did a big debrief at the end, but we put it as part of our strategy. We basically said we're going to have a beginning and an end to this change approach. We're going to understand what the business case is and then we're going to know how we have to address it in each country, each part of the world, and each leadership team. In the end, probably the best thing that we did was say, how did this whole thing go? We captured that, we presented it to the senior leaders, including the CEO, and we said, well, this is what we see from a cultural perspective, this is what we learned from a systems and a work processes. This is what we learned about the leadership teams, hoping that they too would do something with it. You and I consciously put those steps in there and I think until you make it a norm or obtain the value out of it, naturally, you almost have to outline your entire approach. We do often change process, but we don't always put that last step in place. PHIL: I agree, and good for the leadership team that once we got started everyone was engrossed in what we had heard, and I think it was the stories we told because we were constantly with the twenty top markets. It added color and texture to what the lessons were. But such a rare occurrence to have that happen. Kathy, you've done so many huge integrations and changes and functional shifts and you name it, you've done it. How do you capture your lessons learned? What do you do now that you might not have done thirty years ago? How do you do it? KATHY: I think I do more checkpoints in with others, in addition to my own self-reflection and reflecting with partners because I do have some wonderful partners. When I have gotten to do these things, what I have started to incorporate more is reaching out to various parts of the organization and say you know, now that we've gone through this, now that we've made this transformation, how do you feel about it? How did you feel about it when you first heard about it? How do you feel about it now? What could I have done differently, or the team of folks that were doing this? What could we have done differently that maybe would have had you on board sooner or made this a less painful process to go through? And then what, again, did we do very well that if you had to go through something else again, and we all do, you know nothing, stay stagnant, that we should make that top of mind when we go through it.? PHIL: Thank you, Kathy. And I remember after the integration, often you'd say, well, this is what I've learned because you were equal. You said, hey, this didn't go well, and this went well. I thought was a great sort of cultural map to say it's okay to criticize something you didn't think was good because I've just done it myself. And then what did you appreciate? I'm so keen to get your lessons learned. We talked about how you do it and you journal, and you reflect and then play it back and resource it. But I'm really keen for you to share some of the lessons that you have learned with a couple of big change topics. The first one I would say is what have you learned from the sponsorship aspect? The leaders that take the charge. What makes them successful sponsors? KATHY: They are so important and having the right sponsor is absolutely key. A sponsor is just not a title. So, it's not somebody who says, oh, you're going to sponsor this change initiative and you put their name on every presentation. You know when you're listening, who the folks are that are change leads. I know, by the way, Joe is our sponsor. Joe has to be significantly engaged in this process. They have to have the passion for what it is that you're trying to shift within the organization. They have to show up, they have to be there in good times and bad times. They have to help you remove the obstacles and the roadblocks. They have to really listen when you tell them what's happened and then they have to believe that because you're closest to that fact. The other thing is sponsorship does not end when your sunset the team. Sponsorship continues for a while to maintain sustainability, because if ever anybody sunsets and goes off to something else, then it kind of looks like it was just an activity. And so, when the activity ends, then so do the ones that have been waiting for the activity and the sponsors are going away to go back to where they were before. And, as we all know who's been in the change field a long time, if you don't reach that level of sustainability and operate in a new norm, you're back to where you were and the journey was for not. I think my lesson learned is who you choose as your sponsor and their engagement and then being there and in the presence of sustainability is critical for success. PHIL: What do people need to be able to change? KATHY: A couple of things, I think, one, the more that you get them to engage in changing their destiny, the more they will desire to go on the journey and adapt to change. But getting somebody to engage takes on so many different forms. So, what you would want, Phil, to look at what engagement will look like might not be the same as what I would want. So, it's understanding. How do you get this pocket of the organization engaged and what does engagement look like? But it's also not giving them false promises. So, it's not saying, hey, I want you to be engaged and so I want to listen to your point of view and get them all excited and have them think that everything they tell you is going to be part of where you go or adopted. But it is I'm selecting these ideas and I'm going to come back to you when it made sense to put something in place. But why some things didn't make sense based on the goal. So, it's that exchange with them so that they know what they had to say was valued. Even no, it wasn't used at that particular point in time, because then you validate what they said, and it's about validation, which is part of the adoption and engagement. You validated that they have something important to tell you and they're okay if you don't use it, as long as you let them know that you considered it. But if you never come back and tell them that you considered it, it's not going to happen again. It was a matter of how they could feel as if they were contributing to their own destiny absolutely and that they mattered, which is such a great point. PHIL: This is so fascinating. I'm wondering, in the spirit of Change on the Run, if you only had time to do one action to capture your personal lessons learning, what would be, that one thing that you would always do that would give you eighty percent of the results in twenty percent of the time? KATHY: What I would really do is spend the time understanding what the as-is is, make sure I know deeply what the current culture is, what the current work processes are, and what the current work environment is. Then that time they reflect. Don't short-change that step, because it is so, so important to do that before rushing into designing the to be stay because it's impossible to do something that is much more optimal if you don't know what's ineffective or not optimal today. And then the other thing is, I think before rushing the structure, changing the structure because it's so easy for somebody to get out a box chart and start moving the boxes around and think that that is going to solve all the problem if I change this reporting line or that reporting line, and eventually you have to get to the box charts and the structure. But I do think again that the areas that you should explore when before understanding the to-be state is decisions. How are decisions made today? Are they made at the lowest level possible, or is there a decision committee or is there somebody that overrules it? But decisions are so important to how an entity operates. How do we inform our people? How do we let them know what information they need to do their jobs effectively? Or don't we and then we wonder why they're not doing what we want them to do. So, that discovery on how information is shared, what information is shared, how it gets to the sources, I think is sometimes another cultural element as well that you have to discover. I always look at how are we rewarding? How are we rewarding the behaviors that we want to be there, and then, basically, how are we tending to the undesired behaviors, because I think we've all discovered that sometimes we're rewarding because, a, we don't want to have the powerful conversations or be it's just easier to manage difficult persons. We've rewarded undesirable behaviors, we give people outstanding ratings or whatever, and then one day we say this is no longer acceptable and they're shocked. So, I do think we have to see how that's done. How are their rewards and recognition system? How are the consequences dealt with for the things that you don't want to exist anymore, and maybe even have to recommend that as they go forward? The other one is do we understand, and does everybody understand, what they're being held accountable for? We go through the goal-setting process every year, but truly do they understand what it is that they do every day, what it contributes to in terms of what somebody else needs to do to be successful? What are those intersect points. I think testing that to make sure if it's just a list of goals not connected versus driving a business outcome is an important step. And then one of the last things I look at is our workforce skilled and equipped to do what we want them to do? Have we provided the right training? And training does not always mean a class. Have we provided the right coaching mechanism so that they know precisely how to do their jobs very well, or have we failed them? And that's a key component that has to shift before I do things like move the boxes around, because if I move the boxes around and I still have people ill-equipped to do their jobs or the product job profile, that what I'm rescoping, I still get the outcome that I have today, as opposed to being to do the moving. So that's what I do in looking at the as-is clearly so that even designing to-be, those elements are addressed and then I hit the structure. PHIL: Isn't it true that the to-be is the glamorous part and it's the easiest part? I would say all we have to do is move a couple of boxes and it sounds great, but, where were we starting from? And the point about decision-making, I think is such an important part, because you don't necessarily see that on paper. Thank you so much, and I'm just what are you as we close off the show today? Is there a headline comment or a watch out or a thought about capturing your personal lessons learn and how to do that well so that you can be your best during change? KATHY: Yes, I think we have to remember that this is like a road trip. Every change that we take somebody on or go through ourselves, it's a road trip. When you go on a road trip when you're taking your family and vacation. We're going on a vacation yourself and you get in the car, and you have all these things planned. You have to stop along the way, you have to stop and fill your car up with petrol, you have to get a snack, you have to, you know, just get out, walk around, stretch your legs, turn your neck, crack out all the little creaks and whatever, before getting back in that car again, you know, and continuing on the road trip. I don't know that we take enough time for those rest stops or we take the adequate time to really refresh and reignite and reflect and then be able to get back in that car for the next hour or two, or whatever it is that we are, and I've learned that, especially for us that do this a lot, you can mentally become overly exhausted to the point where you just can't think straight anymore. And I know we hear that being said, but it happens. You can become so mentally exhausting that everything just blurs into the same thing and you're not at your best and you're not contributing at your best. You can become physically ill as well because you're not taking care, you're not taking care of your whole body and your whole mental well-being. So, for me, it is so important that you have fun, and you go on this road trip, and you pick your partners on this road trip, by the way, because you want to have lots of fun. And that's why, even picking your partner on the road trips is fun, you have to help each other take that time out to rest and balance each other out, because it can be exhausting, but it also can have you miss some key indicators that you should be picking up on when you're all present. That's my biggest reflection. PHIL: Oh thanks, Kathy, and that's definitely how I felt with the two of us on the road for a solid year almost every week. So, thank you for that and thanks so much for taking the time to be on the Change on the Run podcast. I really appreciate your sharing your lessons learned and guidance, and this is going to be the first episode of the podcast where we'll include the full transcript of our conversation so people can maximize their learning from you. And how can people get in contact with you? Yes, I'm excited. I'm soon to be retiring. My email is kathy.shanley@yahoo.com. I am a change junkie, so I will have to satisfy my needs when I'm not in the aggressive business environment through the stories of others. So, I look forward to connecting with people. Thanks so much for having me. PHIL: Thanks Kathy, and thanks for being a great friend and a great partner and for the lessons that you've taught me, and thanks for your leadership, your guidance, and the humanity that you provided through change, and I know with HR as well. You set the bar really high for all of us. So, thank you and all the best for the next chapter. And thanks to our listeners, and I hope Kathy has been as much of an inspiration as she is to me. And until the next time, I wish you all the best as you continue to lead change.

Phil is joined by board member, breakthrough consultant and executive and team coach Stephanie Wilkes to discuss how to make decisions during change. Most transformation post-mortems uncover decisions that led to success or failure. Facts, options, assessment criteria, available time and risk all play roles in the decisions made and the ability to implement them. During large change initiatives, decisions are often made quickly in response to new conditions or information. They require focus, process, and at times, management intuition to make the best call and align leaders and their teams on how to activate them. So, how do you make decisions during transformations that direct and move an organization to new ways of working to adopt change? Stephanie can be reached at: Email: stephanie.wilkes@bridge-partnership.com

Phil is joined by CFO/COO and change leader Matt Lloyd to discuss how to reward team members during change. People have a need to be recognized for work that is meaningful and is necessary for success. From recognition to gifts, rewards play an important role in maintaining morale, focus, and performance. They acknowledge people's hard work and give them confidence in their future contributions.  Rewards also shape team members' perceptions of how they were treated, appreciated, and valued, influencing their levels of engagement and commitment to future projects. So, how do you reward team members to acknowledge their work and inspire future efforts and performance?  Matt can be reached at: Email: matt@collectively.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-lloyd-avfc/ Collectively Website: https://collectively.com/

Phil is joined by change management and not-for-profit leader Laura Oliver to discuss how to respond to adjustments during change. Change initiatives typically involve continual revisions. New information emerges, stakeholder needs shift, and requirements change. Many people dive into accommodating the changes without assessing whether they help or hinder the projects and their success. Conversely, reacting quickly and taking action can be more important than extensively assessing options and determining the best response. So, how do you respond to plan adjustments that accommodate necessary changes and keep resources focused on delivering your defined outcomes? Laura and the Grindstone Award Foundation can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraoliver12/ Email: https://grindstoneaward.com/

Phil is joined by change and transformation expert Sarah Smith to discuss how to leverage your existing culture during change. An organization's culture describes how work gets done. It's a collection of attitudes, beliefs, practices and behaviours that dictate how people treat each other. It is also a source of strength you can tap into because it's familiar, deeply rooted and has emotional connections with people. So, how do you leverage your existing culture and its strengths to adopt new ways of working? Sarah can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlcsmith/ Email: sarah@hundredbrands.com

Phil is joined by change expert Brendon Baker to discuss how to identify and apply project lessons learned. Managing the closing of a change project and capturing learnings is challenging because most leaders and project team members have mentally moved on to their next roles and challenges.  A lessons-learned exercise is essential for building change capacity and skill in your organization. It documents which approaches and activities worked and should be repeated by other project teams, and which didn't and shouldn't. So, how do you identify project lessons learned that are instructive, recorded, acknowledged and embedded in an organization's ways of working? Brendon can be reached at: Website: https://valuablechange.com/ Additional Resources: The Change Leader Weekly Newsletter: https://valuablechange.com/

Phil is joined by change management expert Yvonne Thevenot to discuss how to optimize your limited time during change. Most people have fewer resources to fulfill their change role than they need. With full calendars and large to-do lists, they must choose the most important activities to spend their time on. Determining which activities offer the most value is one of the biggest personal and project success factors. So, how do you optimize your time on a change initiative to maximize your contribution to achieve its outcomes? Yvonne can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-thevenot-she-her-64779a5/

Phil is joined by consultant, speaker, and leadership coach Søren Pedersen to discuss how to measure progress during change. Measuring progress is an essential element of good project management. Consistent updates on progress remind leaders and colleagues of the work being done, the success achieved, and the benefits realized once the change is made. It also identifies areas falling short of the plan that need extra resources.  The absence of consistent measurement encourages subjective assessments of gains, or exaggerations of risks that lead to inertia, knee-jerk responses, distraction, or additional cost. So, how do you measure progress and setbacks to assess the status of a project accurately? Søren can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedersen-on-software/ Website: https://www.buildingbettersoftware.com/

Since there are many parts in motion during change, it makes sense that sometimes some of those parts just don't work. Plans are made with the best available information, and many assumptions are created to fill in the unknowns, especially when time is short. In this environment, emergencies are inevitable. They also are risks that can determine the success of your change initiative.  So, how do you address emergencies to minimize damage and quicken recovery?  David can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgdonaldson/ Email: david.donaldson@howspace.com Additional resources: David's TEDx talk: Resilience, The Upside of Down, https://www.ted.com/talks/david_donaldson_resilience_the_up_side_of_down

Phil is joined by business and market development expert David Smyth to discuss how to create a Plan B during change. Most change and transition plans don't go as intended because there are too many variables to predict. Variances can cause delays, extra costs and compromise credibility, especially if you haven't thought through responses to organizational shifts.  So, how do you create a Plan B to avoid major disruptions from unanticipated events and to increase team agility?  David can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-smyth-b815a34/ Email: davidsmyth@greenprojectmanagement.com Telephone: 01 647-980-5234 Additional resources: The Global Standard for Sustainable Project Management: https://www.greenprojectmanagement.org/gpm-standards/the-p5-standard-for-sustainability-in-project-management/

Phil is joined by business transformation expert Andrew Freedman to discuss how to avoid team burnout.  Burnout is a stress-related state of emotional, physical or mental exhaustion. It occurs when the demands of a job are greater than a person's ability to manage them. Change projects contain environmental factors that can lead to team burnout, such as long hours, tight deadlines and insufficient resources.  So, how do you avoid team burnout during change so that people can be their best within challenging conditions?  You can reach Andrew and view his resources at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afreedmanthrive/ Twitter: @afreedmanthrive Instagram: afreedmanthrive The Thrive: The Leader's Guide to Building a High Performance Culture book site: https://thrive.shiftthework.com/

Phil is joined by change and innovation leader Tim Creasey to discuss how to measure the success of a change initiative. Measuring success is an important part of setting up and managing a change project because it defines tangible indicators of the benefits realized from the initiative. In a rush to get a project going, it's easy to miss or gloss over this crucial step, making it difficult to demonstrate progress and achievements throughout and after the project. So, how do you measure success to estimate the benefits of change and monitor the approach taken to realize them? Additional resources on measuring change from Tim: A Better Way to Talk About the ROI of Change Management Evolving to Elevate Change Success Webinar Replay Tim can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timcreasey/ YouTube – Tim Talks Series: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProsciChangeManagement Website: https://www.prosci.com

Phil is joined by leadership researcher and writer Jennifer V. Miller to discuss how to test a leader's thinking during change.  During large change initiatives, leaders often feel pressure to set a destination and quickly marshal resources to get there. As circumstances change, they must make decisions that may change course, shift priorities, or adjust outcomes.  Leaders can get excited by or invested in their ideas and potential solutions before thinking through the implications on timelines, resources, or costs. Without evaluation, their approach to solving one problem can unintentionally create new ones.  The greater a leader's commitment to their ideas, the more difficult it is to influence their thinking. So, how do you test a leader's thinking to ensure their decisions lead to the intended results? You can reach Jennifer at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifervirsikmiller/ Blog: https://people-equation.com/blog/ Resources: Why Is It So Hard to Shut Up? Free Tip Sheet: https://people-equation.com/free-tip-sheet/ References: Liz Wiseman's Impact Players Adam Grant's LinkedIn page Derek Thompson's Book - Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction

Phil is joined by Organizational Effectiveness and Talent leader Kate Georgiades to discuss how to help people let go of the past.  All big change initiatives require people to think, act and behave differently. To do so, they must let go of current ways of working that are familiar, comfortable and have contributed to their success. If they don't, they hold onto what they know, become fearful of what they don't know, and jeopardize adoption of the change that secures its benefits.  So, how do you help people let go of the past so they grab hold of their future? You can reach Kate at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kategeorgiades/

Phil is joined by entrepreneurship and productivity key opinion leader Rob Napoli to discuss how to impress leaders during change. One of the benefits of working on a major change initiative is exposure to cross-functional leaders. You get the opportunity to learn from their experience and skills as they solve complex challenges during uncertainty. You also get the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and skills as you contribute to the future of your organization. So, how do you impress leaders with your capabilities in a dynamic and often chaotic environment? You can reach Rob at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robnap/ Twitter: @RobbieNap Instagram: rise_up.robnap Beacons: beacons.pagerobnapoli YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGYo5lvQt6hV--Sxxzvj2CA

Phil is joined by organizational and talent development leader Sarah Patterson to discuss making training effective during change. All large change initiatives require people to work differently to achieve the desired results. How they think, act and behave are modified to optimize the benefits of what they are adopting—informing people on what will be different forms the foundation of learning. Once they are clear on what's new, the team can discuss how these changes will affect how their work will be done in the future, including handoffs between roles. So, how do you train people on the mindsets, routines and behaviours required to adopt new ways of working effectively? You can reach Sarah at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahpattersonctdp/

Large change projects require people to work through uncertainty, and their ability to make progress with insufficient information or experience is a must. Moving forward under these conditions requires confidence that the team is skilled and effective at removing barriers to success. It improves focus and galvanizes resolve to make good decisions around the questions that are critical to a change project's success. You can reach Skot at: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOJlfolBPegykJ9LJkLnkWw

Phil is joined by transformation expert Graham Christie to discuss motivating people to care about a change initiative It's not surprising that many people view new company initiatives as either more work or irrelevant to their success. Most have too many things to accomplish, given the resources available – time, influence, people and money. Without making a personal connection, the change often represents just more work to do. So, how do you get people to care about a change initiative, so they are personally committed to its success? You can reach Graham and learn more about his book, Change the Game, at: Website (download a free chapter): https://www.ctgplaybook.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamchristie/

Phil is joined by leadership expert Jeffrey Hull to discuss establishing team ways of working. Change initiatives are governed by teams with mandates to scope, plan and implement activities to transition their organization from current to future operations. Getting agreement on how teams will work best together aligns expectations, facilitates relationship building and jumpstarts productivity. Unclear team ground rules can lead to conflicting assumptions, tensions, and minimal progress. So, how do you establish team ways of working to set team members up for success? You can reach Jeffrey and view his resources at: Website: https://www.jeffreyhull.com/ Institute of Coaching: https://www.instituteofcoaching.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-hull-phd-bcc-062b09/ Book: FLEX: The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World: https://amzn.to/3ryaNUx

Phil is joined by Human Resources leader Jennifer Waxman to discuss how to join a team during change. Team membership is dynamic, especially during change. Often we are asked to join new or established groups with little notice. Getting to know all members might seem like a given, yet most people don't do it. They stay in their comfort zone of people they already know or reach out only as needed. Integrating yourself into a team is a skill worth mastering. The sooner you connect with other members, the faster you will get up to speed, collaborate and influence how the project manages the transition. So, how do you join a team in a way that forms connections that foster relationships, collaboration and contribution? You can reach Jennifer at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-waxman-hr/ Email: jwaxman@mcleanco.com

Phil is joined by IT leader Jesse Gold to discuss how to tell people what to expect during change. People evaluate how well things are going during change based on their expectations. Setting realistic expectations is critical to the success of a change project. If they aren't clear, people will make assumptions based on their past experiences or current knowledge and will become disappointed if they aren't met. So, how do you set people's expectations, including how they will be impacted, what are required readiness activities and timelines they need to accommodate to enable them to fulfill their roles? Jesse can be reached at: Email: jesse@jessegold.ca LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseasgold/ Website: https://www.jessegold.ca

Phil is joined by change and innovation leader Tim Creasey to discuss how to engage leaders during change. Leaders have the greatest influence on the success of a change initiative, and without their full support, a project has little chance of succeeding. A leader's lack of visible commitment, reluctance to adopt new behaviours or poor attendance at project review meetings will result in similar actions from their teams. Conversely, an aligned, energized, and fully supportive leader will motivate and galvanize their teams to adopt new ways of working and endure difficult transitions. So, how do you engage leaders during change to fulfill their roles and ensure people have everything they need to take on new mindsets, routines, and behaviours? Tim can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timcreasey/ Website: https://www.prosci.com

Phil is joined by communication expert and leadership coach John Millen to discuss how to present at a leadership review. Leaders can make or break the success of a big change initiative. They influence the level of engagement of their teams, make the highest-impact decisions, control the allocation of resources and the ability to overcome barriers. Agenda, presentation style, data, insights, recommendations, and engagement level all play roles in a successful leadership review presentation. So, how do you present at a leadership team review, so leaders fulfill their roles to their full potential by making the best decisions that lead to successful transformations? John can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmillen/ Website: https://www.johnmillen.com Newsletter: https://www.johnmillen.com/newsletter

Phil is joined by change strategy and leadership expert Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta to discuss the importance of trust and how to earn it during change. Trust is the glue of relationships and the foundation of collaboration. Without it, people spend their energy protecting themselves from harm. When meeting someone new or learning about a change, people’s “fight, flight or freeze” response is often triggered, causing them to either defend their territory or hide. Both mindsets add risk to the initiative and slow you down—mistrust is costly. So, how do you build trust during change so people can focus on being their best instead of watching their backs? Yvonne can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonneakpoveta/ Website: https://www.thechangeleadership.com Information on The Change Leadership 2021 Conference, May 26, can be found here: https://thechangeleadership.com/changelead2021/

Phil is joined by strategic effectiveness experts John Bradley and Carrie Bradley to discuss how to convey insights through data. Shared understanding is essential during change. People must align on the why, what, when, where, and how of the initiative. Everything must make sense, or doubt, resistance, and risk seep in. Data is the foundation of knowledge. It is the raw materials of pattern recognition, insights and fact-based decision making. A challenge is that most people struggle to make sense of data. They think in stories instead of numbers and need context for data within their frames of reference to have meaning. Without personal connections to new concepts, people may become confused and distrustful of your insights and your recommended way forward. So, how do you convey insights from data so that they are understood, build consensus and lead to positive action? John and Carrie can be reached at: Website: https://adeffectiveness.solutions/ LinkedIn - John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbradley1/ LinkedIn - Carrie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriebradley/ Strategy Magazine (latest article): https://strategyonline.ca/2021/04/19/knowing-your-brand-assets-from-your-elbow/

Phil is joined by change and transformation expert Barbara Trautlein to discuss how to engage those who are changing. Ultimately, the people impacted by a change decide its level of success. Their mindsets, actions and behaviours either support or reject the new ways of working required to unlock its benefits. Either they advocate for and take pride in the change, or don't take ownership of it and block adoption. So, how do you engage people to enable the changes impacting them so they become committed to securing their success and outcomes? Barbara can be reached at: Website: https://www.changecatalysts.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaratrautlein/

Phil is joined by change and coaching expert Cindy Smith to discuss the best ways to effectively assess risks in change. All plans include risks because transition roadmaps are based on assumptions about the future. Knowing what could go wrong removes the surprise factor and potential knee-jerk reactions when things don’t go as planned. The proactive assessment of risks also demonstrates that you’ve thought through your plan and identified potential blind spots that could jeopardize your success. So, how do you assess project risks that lead to greater awareness of organizational realities and the development of contingency plans to activate, if needed, which avoid distraction and cost? Cindy can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindysmithmba/ Email: cindysmith1@sympatico.ca

Phil is joined by communications, change management and strategy execution expert Greg Voeller to discuss how to build momentum during change. Change initiatives often are exhausting for project teams and people taking on new ways of working. Managing tight timelines, increased workloads, and navigating through challenges can drain team members and sap energy. Momentum is a way for an initiative to stay relevant and supported by igniting leaders’ and employees’ commitment, focus and effort. So, how do you build momentum, so people are engaged, focused, productive and avoid burnout through change? Greg can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregvoeller/ Email: g.voeller@gagenmac.com

Phil is joined by organization development, change and HR leader Sandeep Aujla to discuss the best ways to make change stick in an organization. It doesn’t take long for people to revert to pre-change ways of working once the excitement of go-live fades and the project team disbands if they aren’t supported through their transition to new ways of working. The familiarity and comfort of past routines and behaviours is a greater motivator than the benefits gained from change. So, how do you ensure that the changes stick an organization and its employees realize an initiative's full benefits? Sandeep can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saujla/ Twitter: @SandeepAujla

Phil is joined by change and project management leader Mary Jacobs to discuss the importance of and steps to documenting project lessons learned during change. Managing the closing of a change project is challenging because most leaders and project team members have mentally moved on to their next roles and challenges. Documenting lessons-learned at the end of a change project is essential for building change capability in your organization. It documents which activities worked and should be repeated by other project teams, and which didn’t and shouldn’t. So, how do you identify project lessons learned to build change capabilities in your organization? Mary can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-jacobs-a979882/ Email: jacobsmaryc@gmail.com

Phil is joined by commercial strategist Matt Ross to discuss the importance and steps of building cross-functional strategies for change. In our digital world, cross-functional alignment is essential during change projects because everything is connected. All big changes require every business area to support them through new ways of working. Most large changes have different benefits and drawbacks for each part of the organization. This means you must motivate groups with different perspectives to collaborate, share information and follow your plan. So, how do you create cross-functional alliances to increase buy-in, secure resources and reduce roadblocks? Matt can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrosstoronto/

Phil is joined by marketing and business transformation expert David Vivenes to discuss the best strategies to employ when developing a business case for change. A business case identifies the anticipated benefits of a change initiative and the investment required to implement it. Benefits include increased sales, profit or market share; decreased costs; greater customer service; and retention of talent. These gains need to be greater than the investment of resources required to secure them, mainly money, time, skills and leadership attention. So, how do create a business case for change to activate your chosen strategies to achieve organizational goals? David can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidvivenes/

Phil is joined by sales professional Sam Buckley to discuss the importance of confidence during change. Confidence is the most important trait leaders and managers can draw upon when navigating through the uncertainty that comes with large transformations. People perform at their best when they’re confident they’re doing the right thing given the circumstances they face when they know what to focus on and what to do next. Without confidence, their “fight, flight or freeze” response is triggered, and their thinking, actions and behaviours can be hijacked by the need for self-preservation and survival. This can make them be at their worst when they need to be at their best. So, how do you build your confidence so you can fully leverage your knowledge, skills and behaviours to successfully manage change? Sam can be reached at: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-buckley-589345b5/

Phil is joined by group and team coaching expert Glain Roberts-McCabe to discuss strategies for changing an organization's culture to enable change. All big changes require some form of culture change. This requires modifying how people think, interact and behave. The challenge in doing so is that these traits are deep-rooted, difficult to alter, and even more difficult to sustain. So, how do you change an organization’s culture so that it aligns with and enables a change initiative? Glain can be reached at: Email: groberts@goroundtable.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glain/

Phil is joined by change resiliency expert Jacqueline Kappers to discuss the best ways to address resistance to change. It’s natural for people to resist change. Their organization is asking them to exchange strongly held beliefs and routines for untested and uncomfortable ones. People resist new ways of working for many reasons, including fear of the unknown, loss of what they know and value, being overloaded, disagreement with what’s new, or the perceived lack of skills required to succeed in their new world. Their resistance can lead to indifference to not changing to sabotage. So, how do you address resistance to help people transition from where they are now to where they need to go? Jacqueline can be reached at: Email: Jacqueline@bluemorphogroup.ca LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-kappers Website: https://www.bluemorphogroup.ca/

Phil is joined by strategy expert and leader Alejandro Colindres to discuss the importance of asssessing your strengths as you begin a role in a change initiative. Knowing and using your strengths is an antidote to fear and an amplifier of abilities. So, how do you identify the strengths that you can leverage during a change initiative to enable your and the project’s success? Alejandro can be reached at: Website: roadtochampagne.com

Phil is joined by change expert Rich Batchelor to discuss the best ways to define how people must change to adopt a large-scale change. People need to operate differently for positive change to happen. Organizationally, this could include new reporting relationships, skills, processes, co-workers, locations and culture. Preparation and readiness for these adjustments require people to adopt new mindsets, actions and behaviours. So, how do define how people must change to prepare them for taking on new ways of working? Rich can be reached at: Email: rich@capillaryconsulting.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbatchelor/ Websites: https://www.capillaryconsulting.com/ https://capillarylearning.com/ Twitter: @RichBatchelor Instagram: @richbatchelor1

Phil is joined by speaker, podcast host, and Master Certified Coach Melanie Parish to discuss the best ways to reset team behaviours during a change initiative. Team ways of working can morph as a change project progresses. Agreements made at a team kick-off meeting can be forgotten or ignored, and new ones emerge. Although some new behaviours can enhance productivity, most have the opposite effect. It’s important to reset how people work together when bad behaviours occur because they quickly become established and form new norms. So, how do you reset team behaviours during a change initiative to increase productivity and enable success? To contact Melanie or get a copy of her book, The Experiential Leader, go to ebook.experimentalleader.com.

Phil is joined by mindful business coach, entrepreneur and speaker, Jen James, to discuss how to create a vision for a change that enables strategic alignment and implementation excellence. A change vision is a compelling picture of a better future, a futurethat aligns with the leadership question: “What does the company aspire tobecome?” Once set, it acts as a North Star for leaders and employees to envision,plan, implement and sustain a change to achieve the desired future. So how do you create a vision of a different, better, and compelling future that guides and motivates people to adopt change and its new ways of working? Jen can be reached at: Website: doublejlifestyle.com Instagram: doublejlifestyle Facebook: Mindful Entrepreneurs Her Latest Program: theartofmindfulstorytelling.com

Phil is joined by change and communications expert Rob Caldera to discuss strategies for building change champion networks. Change champions (or agents) are respected and trusted people whose views and actions influence their peers. A Change champion network organizes these highly regarded individuals into a team to support a change by sharing information, articulating benefits, role modelling new ways of thinking and behaving and providing feedback on how people are doing. They are essential to a nimble and successful change initiative. So, how do create a Change Champion Network that enables its members to act as your arms and legs throughout your organization as you implement a change plan? Rob can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcaldera/ Website: https://www.futureshiftconsulting.com/

Phil is joined by change expert Jess Riley to discuss the best ways to build an effective change plan. Change projects are natural pressure cookers. Multiple teams, working on different activities with different timelines often conflict over the resources they need to deliver their responsibilities. Misunderstandings and frustrations are natural and to be expected. So, how do you create an effective change plan that will help people adopt new thinking, acting and behaving? Jess can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicariley2/

Phil is joined by mindfulness expert and bestselling author Nina Purewal to discuss ways to stay calm during stressful change initiatives. Change projects are natural pressure cookers. Multiple teams working on different activities with different timelines often conflict over the resources they need to deliver their responsibilities. Misunderstandings and frustrations are natural and to be expected. So, how do you remain calm under pressure so you can be your best in stressful situations? Nina can be reached at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-purewal/ Instagram: nina.pure.minds Website: www.unfilteredmindfulness.com

Phil is joined by change leader Dr. BehNaz Gholami to discuss how empathizing with people going through change leads to optimal transitions. Change management often fails when there’s little understanding of, or empathy for, the people who are changing. Without deep knowledge of the environments in which they work, “ivory tower” assumptions guide change planning and lead to generic and ineffective support programs. So, how do you empathize with people who are changing so that you can provide them with the best support to help them transition to new ways of working?