A Bold, Human-Centered Guide to Leading Change, with Frank Danna and Chris Pitre

Episode recap

 

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In this episode, Marcel interviewed Frank Danna and Chris Pitre, co-authors of "Love as a Change Strategy," discussing their book's themes and their experience at Softway, a technology company that transformed from a toxic culture to a human-centered organization. The conversation explored how embracing discomfort, prioritizing relationships, and practicing empathetic curiosity can lead to successful organizational change. Frank and Chris shared personal stories about their own transformation journeys and how they apply these principles at Softway. They discussed the importance of leaders modeling change behavior and the role of AI in enhancing human connection at work. The authors emphasized that change should be led, not managed, and highlighted the need for leaders to be intentional with their words and actions.

 

 

Guest Bio

 

Chris Pitre is Vice President at both Culture+ and Softway. Chris has spent his career helping companies reimagine how they work, focusing on how they treat their people and communicate.

 

Frank Danna serves as the Marketing Director at Softway and is the Co-Founder of Culture+, where he helps leaders transform their leadership through love, empathy, and behavior-based change.

 

 

Quotes: 

• Chris Pitre: “Without a positive or strong culture, it's actually harder to bounce back. Adversity becomes that much scarier and that much more formidable.” 

• Chris Pitre: “If you are a leader who is about to implement change and you're not uncomfortable, that should be a scary thing.” 

• Frank Danna: “If you want to change, discomfort is the solution.” 

• Chris Pitre: “I truly believe that comfort is a privilege and change, and so if you are comfortable, that means that everybody else is paying for your comfort, and likely you are someone who is probably oppressing the team.” 

• Chris Pitre: “You get to decide at a certain point in your career who you will become: are you the boss that leaves a mark or a scar?” 

 

 

Takeaways: 

• Real, sustainable change fails when it’s treated as a technical process instead of a deeply human, emotional experience. 

• The six principles of change—embracing discomfort, prioritizing relationships, practicing empathetic curiosity, wielding your influence, experimenting, and being effective—act as a flexible “middle layer” between rigid processes and long-term behavior change. 

• Leaders themselves are often the biggest blockers of transformation when they cling to titles, certainty, and comfort while expecting others to do the hard changing. 

• Resistance to change is frequently a signal that people feel unheard, and genuine empathetic curiosity can turn resistors into powerful champions. 

• AI, when introduced from a humane, people-first lens, can remove transactional work and actually create more room for empathy, collaboration, and truly human leadership. 

 

 

Timestamps: 

00:00:02 Introduction and Softway’s turnaround story 

00:03:30 Welcoming guests Frank Danna and Christopher Pitre 

00:03:55 Frank’s story: from imposter syndrome to belonging 

00:05:26 Chris’s story: corporate “robot,” stroke, and the power of workplace community 

00:11:36 What Softway does and its evolution to AI-focused transformation 

00:15:02 What people get wrong about love as a change strategy and why change fails 

00:21:53 The six principles of change 

00:24:00 Embracing discomfort and why leaders must feel uneasy 

00:27:12 How leaders become the blockers of change 

00:31:06 Personal transformation, accountability, and resistance as unheard voices 

00:36:21 Rabbit hole: traditional male leadership, narcissism, and the cost to culture 

00:40:13 Can AI actually increase humanity and love in the workplace? 

00:43:35 Have we missed any essential questions? 

00:44:55 Practical ways to lead with love day in and day out 

00:47:39 Final takeaways: be like the buffalo and don’t manage change—lead it 

00:50:15 Teasing the third book in the series 

00:51:08 Where to learn more about Softway, the books, and the podcast  

 

 

Conclusion: 

Love isn’t a soft extra in business—it’s the toughest, most practical strategy for real change. This episode shows how embracing discomfort, listening with empathy, and leading like a “buffalo” through the storm can turn a toxic culture into a place of belonging and growth. Frank and Chris prove that when leaders go first, drop their ego, and put people at the center, both performance and humanity rise. AI, handled with a humane-first mindset, becomes a catalyst—not a threat—for more meaningful, human work. Take what you’ve heard today and decide: will you manage change from a distance, or step in and lead it with love? 

 

 

Links/Resources: 

Softway: https://www.softway.com/  

Culture+: https://www.culture-plus.com/  

Love as a Strategy: https://www.loveasastrategy.com/  

Softway LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsoftway/  

Culture+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culture_plus/  

Love as a Change Strategy: https://loveasachangestrategy.com/  

Love as a Business Strategy: https://www.loveasabusinessstrategy.com/  

Frank Danna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankDanna/  

Chris Pitre on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispitre/  

Episode 183 with the CEO of Softway, Mohammad Anwar: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/mohammad-anwar-love-as-a-business-strategy-ep-183/  

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/      

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/  

Twitter/X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9fO2r_ZQ3wy5ie522f-DTQ  

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