Welcome to Your Favourite Podcast on Org Change and Transformation

Jan 28, 2025

Dive into the complexities of organizational transformation and discover the challenges leaders face in managing change. The discussion highlights the struggle between leadership visions and employee resistance. Tune in for valuable insights and strategies to navigate this tricky landscape, all while avoiding burnout. Learn from a seasoned change management consultant's journey and the importance of finding practical solutions that truly make a difference.

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INSIGHT

Complexity of Modern Change

Organizational change is becoming increasingly complex, fast, and hard to manage successfully.
Leaders face more demands while employees feel overwhelmed and resistant, causing a challenging dynamic.

ANECDOTE

Michael's Change Journey

Michael Bungay-Stanier shares his diverse background including agency work, consultancy, and leading internal change.
He highlights experiencing successes, failures, and many underwhelming moments in transformation projects.

ADVICE

Seek Practical Change Insights

Cut through noise by focusing on practical insights and tools that truly work for change.
Engage with thought leaders and senior practitioners to learn tested strategies for successful transformation.

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If you lead organizational transformation, this will be your favourite podcast.

Leading change in organizations is harder than ever. It’s complex, it’s unpredictable and it’s overwhelming. Change Signal cuts through the noise to find the good stuff that works.

New episodes drop every two weeks.

A welcome from Michael

I’m so delighted you’re here. Thank you.

If you know me at all, you might know me as the author of The Coaching Habit.

It’s become the best-selling book on coaching this century, Brené Brown called it “essential,” and Seth Godin said it is “the best book on coaching.”

So what am I doing digging into organizational transformation?

The truth is, I've spent three decades hunting for the best insights, strategies, and tools in change management.

My journey started in innovation, working in an agency helping clients launch new products and services. It was a fun first job … but we didn’t make much of a difference.

It’s true, I can boast playing a small role in stuff-crust pizza and in a whisky that’s been rated “the worst single malt whisky ever invented” … but mostly, we found it hard to get things done.

Frustration with our low success rates led me to become a change management consultant. I did end up writing the vision for GSK when it merged, but mostly I learned that consultants don't always have the answers. Or at least, not the useful ones.

I led an internal culture change initiative (with middling success), and then founded Box Of Crayons, where for more than twenty years we’ve helped major organizations harness curiosity as a catalyst for change.

Along the way, I've seen some transformation projects succeed brilliantly, a few fail spectacularly, and many be … underwhelming.

From digital transformations to mergers, from product launches to technology upgrades – I've collected a few trophies and a ton of scars.

I’ve learned enough that I’ve had the privilege of writing the introductions to books by two of my big change influences, William Bridges and Edgar Schein.

But I'm still learning. This field feels like it needs a shake up.

There’s too much that’s bland, predictable, tired, colonized by the big consultancies, and outdated.

I want to change that

I’m on a quest to bring you the good stuff that works. I want you to feel more confident and less overwhelmed, more influential and less stretched.

Change Signal feels like the culmination of a thirty-year journey.

I’m glad you’re here with me.

~ Michael Bungay Stanier

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