205 The Science of Change: Interview with Dr. Richard Boyatzis

When seeking to create change in our own lives or within our teams and organizations, one of the biggest challenges is finding a way to ensure that the changes can be sustained over time and desired by all who are affected by them. For leaders in particular, developing an awareness of some of the psychological and neuroscience-related factors behind change – and what often triggers resistance to it – can aid in the process of building positive, lasting change. 

With his well-established intentional change theory and complexity theory, Dr. Richard Boyatzis continues to research how people and organizations engage in sustainable, desired change. The theory predicts how changes occur in different groups of human organizations, including teams, communities, countries, and globally. Dr. Boyatzis has a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University, a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT, and is the author of more than 200 articles and nine books, including “Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth” and “Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence.” He is a frequent speaker on the international circuit, has consulted to many Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and organizations, and his massive open online course (MOOC), titled “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence,” has over 1.5 million unique visitors from over 215 countries. As our guest in Episode 205 of The Mindset Game® podcast, Dr. Boyatzis discusses the following:

• Why adaptability and openness to new ideas – rather than strict adherence to defined goals – are crucial for bringing about change
• The importance of entering a “positive emotional attractor” state, which is linked to feelings of openness and renewal, as well as some tips that can help you attain this state 
• Why diversity in organizations – both diversity of people and diversity of thought – is crucial for driving innovation and other key goals 
• Specific tips to help leaders create a sense of purpose among their teams, imagine more possibilities for the future, and build more caring relationships within their organizations

To learn more about Dr. Richard Boyatzis or to access his MOOC courses, visit https://www.coursera.org/instructor/richardboyatzis. 

To check out The Mindset Game podcast, visit www.TheMindsetGame.com. To subscribe, visit https://apple.co/3oAnR8I.