Change Signal
Michael Bungay Stanier
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 13, 2026 • 28min
How Your Origin Story Runs Your Change Program: Ron Carucci
Ron Carucci, organizational consultant, Navelin founder and leadership author, explores how leaders’ early origin stories quietly shape culture and decisions. He contrasts old linear change methods with building readiness for constant uncertainty. Conversations cover diagnosing leader patterns, practical coaching to surface origins, and a three-domain model for lasting transformation.
19 snips
May 6, 2026 • 30min
How to Start a Change Initiative. Bryan Walker
Bryan Walker, longtime IDEO partner and design-thinking leader, shares a different approach to organizational change. He talks about starting small, iterating between understanding, imagining and doing. He explains building movements not mandates, immersing leaders in frontline work, using real projects to surface needed shifts, and turning early wins into lasting identity change.
43 snips
Apr 29, 2026 • 32min
Just How Dead is Change Management? Caroline Kealey
Caroline Kealey, an executive facilitator who blends change, leadership and communication, argues traditional change models no longer fit. She explores how change is now emergent and ambiguous. Short takes cover why roadmaps fail, leading like a compass, and the ABCs: agency, belonging, and certainty anchors. Communication should prune noise and help people make sense.
21 snips
Apr 22, 2026 • 31min
The OG of Scenario Planning Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham, long-time leader of Shell’s scenario planning team and strategic thinker on uncertainty. He discusses why scenario thinking is a strategic mindset. He explains how to map steady factors and critical uncertainties. He shares techniques to make scenarios sticky and to help leaders discover insights for themselves.
23 snips
Apr 17, 2026 • 21min
Kübler-Ross was Wrong! Jacqueline Kappers
Jacqueline Kappers, a change practitioner and researcher focused on grief and transitions, challenges the routine use of the Kübler-Ross curve. She explores how treating change as linear harms people. She introduces the ideas of a grief fingerprint and change fingerprint. She argues for individual-focused, scalable approaches and practical language to build real change capacity.
43 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 36min
AI Won’t Fix Your Change Problem. Andrew Kilshaw
Andrew Kilshaw, a change and transformation leader who’s worked at Nike, Sanofi, BlackRock and Shell, now advises at the intersection of change and AI. He explains the “thirds” coalition approach to move organizations. He explores using storytelling and ambassadors to win the middle, and treating AI as an augmenting layer that connects data, sharpens judgment, and builds practical adoption.
17 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 33min
Let’s Netflix and Change: Jessica Neal
Jessica Neal, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix and current investor, shares lessons from scaling culture in fast-growing companies. She talks about leaders visibly modeling change. She warns against nostalgia and control-heavy rules. She champions tiny experiments, empowered decision-making, and using clear values to guide judgment.
32 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 37min
Stop Writing Boring Change Messaging: Donald Miller
Donald Miller, author and marketing thinker behind StoryBrand, teaches leaders to reframe change as a story people want to live. Short, repeatable soundbites and the PEACE formula (Problem, Empathy, Answer, Change, End result) replace long strategy docs. The conversation covers empathy, repairing trust, and how to make messaging clear, memorable, and action-driving.
13 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 28min
Where Should You Intervene? Dr. Leyla Acaroglu
Dr. Leyla Acaroglu, sustainability strategist and systems thinker who founded Disrupt Design, explains practical ways to map and work with complex systems. She discusses pen-and-paper cluster mapping, using tactile tools to surface hidden dynamics, and finding leverage points for real interventions. The conversation highlights iterative, grounded approaches to change in messy organizations.
30 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 18min
Does Caring Less Help You Lead Better? Michael Bungay Stanier
A deep dive into the paradox of caring deeply while loosening your grip on results. A practical scale for how leaders relate to outcomes, from indifference to overattachment. Pitfalls of goal-checklist busyness and how to choose which outcomes to champion. Three drivers to navigate tension: ambition, embracing smallness, and steady daily practice.
