Change Signal Hard Questions About Change (With Answers). Michael Bungay Stanier
Susan Geller, executive director of a synagogue and longtime practitioner, joins to probe hard questions about leading change. She explores where leaders push on walls instead of leverage points. She reframes resistance as system feedback. She champions tiny, fast experiments and practical ways to influence without formal authority.
53:54
Use Small Experiments Over Fixed Strategy
- Treat strategy as iterative experiments rather than fixed plans.
- Run small experiments, learn fast, then run another experiment to refine strategy.
See Resistance As A System Signal
- Resistance is a system response and a signal about what the change threatens.
- People who voice resistance often reveal what most others won't say, so lean into curiosity to learn.
Lead With A Tight, Audience-Focused Headline
- Short headlines that speak to the audience's pain win attention over long rational explanations.
- Position people as the hero and present your change as the guide's promise to solve a specific problem.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app 1 chevron_right 2 chevron_right 3 chevron_right 4 chevron_right 5 chevron_right 6 chevron_right 7 chevron_right 8 chevron_right 9 chevron_right 10 chevron_right 11 chevron_right 12 chevron_right 13 chevron_right
Intro
00:00 • 1min
Why linear change models fall short
01:10 • 3min
Finding and loading leverage points
04:02 • 4min
Resistance as system signal
08:30 • 5min
Balancing agency with clear communication
13:14 • 2min
Crafting concise, audience-centered messages
15:30 • 11min
Experiments vs. pilots: aim for data not success
26:11 • 5min
Leading without formal authority
31:10 • 4min
Stop relying on tired change models
35:28 • 4min
Use assessments as conversation starters
39:51 • 3min
Ask better questions to invite collaboration
42:37 • 2min
Design sessions that surface real concerns
44:52 • 8min
Outro
53:12 • 42sec
#94789
Best Work Relationships
Five Questions to Create Stronger Ties, Deeper Trust, and More Success at Work
Michael Bungay Stanier
#2828
• Mentioned in 16 episodes
Reset
Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society
Ronald Deibert
#9385
• Mentioned in 5 episodes
The Imperfectionists
Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times
Rob McLean, AM
Charles Conn
This book, a sequel to 'Bulletproof Problem Solving,' presents a dynamic approach to developing organizational direction in uncertain times.
It emphasizes the importance of curiosity, looking at problems from multiple perspectives, and gathering new data and approaches.
The authors advocate for stepping into risk through trial and error, utilizing nimble and reversible moves to deepen understanding and build capabilities.
The book helps readers fight decision biases and develop informed strategies to navigate rapidly changing environments.
#260
• Mentioned in 96 episodes
The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
Michael Bungay Stanier
In 'The Coaching Habit,' Michael Bungay Stanier provides a straightforward and effective approach to coaching.
Drawing on his extensive experience training managers worldwide, he introduces seven essential coaching questions designed to help managers unlock their team's potential.
These questions include the Kickstart Question, the AWE Question, the Lazy Question, the Strategic Question, the Focus Question, the Foundation Question, and the Learning Question.
The book emphasizes the importance of saying less and asking more, fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment.
It combines practical advice with research in neuroscience and behavioral economics, making coaching a daily, informal part of managerial work rather than a formal event.
#668
• Mentioned in 50 episodes
Alchemy
The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business and Life
Rory Sutherland
In this book, Rory Sutherland explores the art and science of creating magic in brands, business, and life.
He combines scientific research with entertaining stories and case studies from his career, including campaigns for AmEx and Microsoft.
Sutherland emphasizes the importance of understanding human behavior, highlighting how decisions are often influenced by subtle external signals rather than objective qualities.
The book challenges traditional marketing strategies by advocating for a more holistic and creative approach, using techniques such as storytelling, social proof, and framing to influence consumer decisions.
It also explores how these principles can be applied to various social aims beyond just selling products.
#889
• Mentioned in 41 episodes
StoryBrand
Donald Miller
En "StoryBrand", Donald Miller presenta un marco para comunicar de manera efectiva el valor de una marca a través de la narración de historias.
El libro se centra en la creación de un mensaje claro y conciso que resuene con el público objetivo, utilizando un modelo de narrativa que involucra al cliente como protagonista de su propia historia.
Miller ofrece herramientas y estrategias para construir una marca que conecte emocionalmente con los clientes, generando confianza y lealtad.
La obra destaca la importancia de la claridad, la simplicidad y la conexión emocional en la comunicación de marca.
Su enfoque práctico y orientado a resultados lo convierte en una lectura valiosa para profesionales del marketing.
#1187
• Mentioned in 33 episodes
Playing to Win
How Strategy Really Works
Roger Martin
A.G. Lafley
This book teaches the 5-question Strategy Choice Cascade and the 7-question Strategy Logic Flow, frameworks developed by Roger Martin and applied by A.G.
Lafley during his tenure as CEO of Procter & Gamble.
It emphasizes the importance of focusing on where and how to win, using real-life examples from P&G to illustrate how these strategies can be applied across various organizations.
The authors argue that companies must 'play to win' rather than just 'play to play,' highlighting the need for clear strategic goals and selective focus on winning aspirations.
#2025
• Mentioned in 22 episodes
Decisive
How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
Chip Heath
Dan Heath
In 'Decisive', Chip and Dan Heath address the critical topic of decision-making, highlighting the biases and irrationalities that disrupt our choices.
The book introduces a four-step process—WRAP (Widen your options, Reality-test your assumptions, Attain distance before deciding, Prepare to be wrong)—designed to counteract these biases.
Through engaging stories and practical tools, the Heaths provide strategies to stop agonizing over decisions, make group decisions without destructive politics, and ensure that valuable opportunities are not overlooked.
Here are three questions that shaped this special Change Signal episode:
-
Where are you pushing on walls instead of leverage points?
-
What is resistance trying to teach you about the system you’re changing?
-
And how small could your next experiment actually be?
In this episode, I join Dave Stachowiak and the Coaching for Leaders community for an open Q&A on the messy, human reality of leading change inside complex organizations.
I respond to questions from leadership practitioners who know the theory of change but wrestle with what it looks like in practice — especially when systems push back. We explore why most change efforts stall, not because people don’t care, but because leaders misunderstand the systems they’re trying to shift.
I talk about resistance as a signal rather than an obstacle, the importance of finding real leverage points, and why small, fast, low-stakes experiments often teach us more than carefully engineered pilots. We also dig into what it takes to lead change without formal authority, where relationships matter more than titles, and how influence actually works inside organizations.
If you’re leading change, transformation, or complex initiatives — especially without a big title or a big budget — this conversation offers a clearer, more grounded way to think about how change actually moves.
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 exactly the right place.
***
WHEN YOU’RE READY
🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!)
The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly
***
CONNECT
***
SAY THANKS