What happens when a leader realises that the success of every major initiative, from AI projects to return to office plans, rests on something far deeper than strategy or tools? In my conversation with Phil Gilbert of Irresistible Change, we look at why culture is the deciding factor behind whether transformation takes root or quietly falls apart. Phil has spent a career inside some of the most complex organisations on the planet, and his work at IBM showed that change only becomes real when people want it, when they feel part of it, and when they see its value in their daily work.

Across our conversation, Phil explains how he approached transformation inside a company with nearly four hundred thousand employees without forcing anyone into compliance. Instead of relying on memos or mandates, he treated change like a young startup that needed to earn believers. He focused on proof rather than persuasion, clarity rather than slogans, and an understanding that people respond to meaning, autonomy, and trust. It is a refreshing contrast to the typical corporate playbook that often leans on pressure rather than participation.

We talk through the mindset shifts that helped him rebuild a culture at scale, including treating change like a product with a clear value proposition. Phil shares stories from inside IBM and reflects on why the same lessons now apply across industries. Today's workforce is more informed, more selective, and less willing to accept top down directives that lack substance. His view is that leaders who miss this reality are the ones left wondering why their carefully crafted strategies never quite land the way they expected.

Phil's new book, Irresistible Change, digs into these ideas in detail. Our conversation gives a taste of that thinking and offers practical insight for anyone wrestling with transformation in their own organisation. Culture shapes the outcome of every big shift, whether leaders acknowledge it or not. So how can organisations build change that people choose to be part of, and what might be possible if more leaders approached transformation this way? I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Sitrep January 21st 2010