Truth, Lies and Work 273. What Taylor Swift can teach leaders about workplace change, with Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, Lindsey Caplan
Why do so many change initiatives, town halls and big launches create excitement and then fade with no real behaviour change?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, Al and Leanne speak with Lindsey Caplan, a former Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, about why leaders struggle to influence groups at work and what actually works instead.
Lindsey shares the MOVED Model, a practical framework for driving engagement, influencing behaviour and communicating change in a way that sticks. If you lead teams, present ideas, manage projects or drive transformation, this episode explains why information alone never creates change and what does.
What you’ll learn
Why most workplace change fails
Many organisations fall into the transmission trap: the belief that more information leads to better results. More slides, more frameworks and more meetings rarely change behaviour. Real change happens when people feel involved, motivated and emotionally connected.
Informing vs influencing at work
Influencing one person is very different from influencing a group. Leaders often assume employees are already motivated and aligned, but many are neutral, cautious or distracted. Real change begins with a better question: What do we need people to do differently? Not: What do we need to tell them?
The MOVED Model explained
Lindsey’s framework maps how leaders try to influence behaviour using two key dimensions. Push vs Pull: is change being done to people or with people? Generic vs Personalised: is the message broad or relevant to individuals? These create four outcomes: compliance, awareness, entertainment and engagement. Most organisations aim for engagement but accidentally design for compliance.
What Taylor Swift can teach leaders
Great performers design experiences that involve their audience. Leaders can do the same by giving people a role in the change, creating curiosity with a central question, sharing emotion as well as expertise and showing why the change matters to employees. The message is simple: perform with people, not at people.
Practical leadership takeaways
Decide the behaviour you want before designing the message. Pull people into change instead of pushing information at them. Stop saying “I’m excited about this change” and explain why employees should be.
Resources and links
Take the MOVED Model quiz: https://www.gatheringeffect.com/quiz
Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycaplan/
Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork
Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/
Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global support: https://findahelpline.com