Here are three provocative questions that emerge from this Change Signal conversation with Dave Ulrich:
Why do so many leaders know what to do in change but fail to actually do it?
If change is always messy and iterative, how can leaders set expectations without killing momentum?
What does it really take to lead through paradox instead of choosing sides?
Most change leaders treat transformation like a neat plan: set the strategy, communicate the vision, and drive execution. Dave Ulrich, one of the most influential HR and leadership thinkers of the past 30 years, argues that this mindset misses the real challenge.
In this conversation, he explains why the knowing–doing gap is the biggest barrier to transformation, how to embrace experimentation and failure as part of the process, and why courage in leadership often means knowing when not to act.
The most provocative idea? Great leaders don’t eliminate tension — they learn to navigate the paradoxes between instinct and data, boldness and patience, top-down direction and bottom-up energy.
If you’re leading change management or organizational transformation, this conversation offers a practical, human, and honest look at what leadership really requires.
Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in the right place.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
💼Connect on LinkedIn
***
SAY THANKS
💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚Leave a review on Spotify
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29:53
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29:53
Are You Your Own Saboteur? Kirstin Ferguson
Here are three provocative questions that emerge from this Change Signal conversation with Kirstin Ferguson:
Why does character matter more than competence when it comes to inspiring transformation?
Do everyday leadership moments shape culture more than big, staged gestures?
What happens when leaders ask better questions instead of always giving answers?
Kirstin Ferguson, leadership thinker, board director, and author of Blindspotting: How to See What Others Miss, knows the difference between leaders who drive lasting change and those who unintentionally stall it by leaning too heavily on expertise.
In this episode, she explains why character-driven leadership sparks trust, how small daily interactions quietly accumulate into culture, and how curiosity creates the conditions for real transformation.
Most provocatively, Kirstin shows why competence on its own isn’t enough — and how the most effective leaders unlock momentum by asking better questions.
If you’re leading change management or organizational transformation, this conversation offers a practical, human, and transformative approach to leadership.
Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in the right place.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
💼Connect on LinkedIn
***
SAY THANKS
💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚Leave a review on Spotify
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29:44
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29:44
The Hidden Politics of Change Leadership: Dan Pontefract
Dan Pontefract’s three big insights on modern change mastery and leading meaningful organizational transformation:
Managing up is a critical part of change leadership, and there are smarter ways to do it;
Culture isn’t “soft” — it’s the real work of change and can’t be delegated away; and
Purpose, balance, and generational shifts are forces shaping how transformation actually succeeds.
Dan, formerly CLO at Telus and SAP, didn’t just improve engagement — he shifted it dramatically and built transformation capability that lasted. Today, as an author and advisor, he’s helping senior leaders connect strategy, culture, and humanity in ways that stick.
If you’re steering change management or organizational transformation, this conversation speaks directly to your challenges. You’ll hear practical strategies for navigating executives who quietly resist, cultures that talk engagement but don’t live it, and projects that risk burning people out.
This is about change leadership that’s grounded, human, and effective.
👉RESOURCES:Dan’s website: https://www.danpontefract.comLearn more about his books: https://geni.us/danpontefract
Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in the right place.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
💼Connect on LinkedIn
***
SAY THANKS
💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚Leave a review on Spotify
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28:32
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28:32
Is Your Exec Team BORED of change? Probably. Kate Lye
Here are three provocative questions that emerge from this Change Signal conversation with Kate Lye:
Why do executive teams excel at functional expertise but falter at systems thinking?
Can CEOs transform their organizations without first transforming themselves?
What happens if change leaders never secure permission to call out executive sabotage?
For decades, Kate Lye has watched change programs fade into irrelevance, and she knows why. As a performance partner to CEOs, she’s seen how even the sharpest executives unintentionally sabotage transformation by clinging to their comfort zones.
The real obstacle isn’t employee resistance. It’s leaders who mistake cheerleading for leadership, or strategic talk for actual work.
Lye explains how to spot the moment when a change effort quietly slips from priority one to priority nowhere. She argues that contracting conversations with CEOs — where you establish the right to challenge and hold them accountable — aren’t optional. They’re essential.
Most provocatively, she points out that while executives thrive in functional expertise, they struggle with systems thinking. That’s why they so often hand off the heavy lifting of change to others while reserving for themselves the figurehead role.
If you’re tired of watching transformation initiatives stall, Kate’s insights will shift how you see executive engagement. This isn’t about winning buy-in — it’s about getting leaders to own the role they play in whether change succeeds or fails.
Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in the right place.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
💼Connect on LinkedIn
***
SAY THANKS
💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚Leave a review on Spotify
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16:30
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16:30
Does Insubordination Help or Hinder Change? Todd Kashdan
Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Todd Kashdan:
Are you cooperating too much for change to succeed?
What personal costs are you willing to pay for principled rebellion?
Why do people hide their real beliefs just to fit in?
My friend Todd Kashdan, psychology professor and author of The Art of Insubordination, brings some unexpected wisdom about what it really takes to lead transformational change in organizations.
Todd argues that early cooperation actually destroys the cognitive diversity you need for breakthrough solutions. Instead of seeking harmony, change leaders should encourage criticality, independence, and productive conflict.
But here’s the trade-off nobody talks about: effective insubordination means accepting real personal costs — hits to your wellbeing, relationships, and peace of mind in service of meaning and purpose.
The most powerful insight? Change leaders can amplify unheard voices by leveraging their organization’s “socially attractive” people — and by separating ideas from their originators to overcome bias.
If you’re tired of change initiatives that revert to the mean, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on principled rebellion. Todd shows why being a transformational leader sometimes means being the rebel your organization needs, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. This is the podcast for transformational leaders seeking modern change mastery.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
💼Connect on LinkedIn
***
SAY THANKS
💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚Leave a review on Spotify
If you’re leading change in organizations, this will be your favourite podcast.
Change is harder than ever. Transformation is more complex, unpredictable and overwhelming than it’s ever been. Change Signal cuts through the noise to find the good stuff that works.
Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and organizational transformation student for thirty years, talks to the best thinkers, senior leaders, and experienced practitioners in the world of change, to find what works, what doesn’t, and what to try instead. With Change Signal as your guide, you’ll be more efficient and less overwhelmed, and your change projects will more likely succeed.
Change Signal: Where we cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.
Sign up for weekly updates at TheChangeSignal.com
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