How to Drive Meaningful Change

Change Paralysis: Breaking Through "We've Always Done It This Way". How Tech Leaders Mold Modern Mindsets Ever rolled out a shiny new tool, only to find it gathering dust while everyone clings to their old ways? "We've always done it this way" is more than resistance—it's a mindset that tech leaders need to crack wide open. As a veteran CTO with years of experience driving digital transformation, I've developed strategies to overcome this challenge. Here's how to break through and drive true change: 1. Make Staying the Same Uncomfortable Change doesn't happen until the status quo hurts more than change. ↳ Quantify the Cost: Show what staying in comfort is costing—time, money, opportunities. ↳ Call It Out: Address the resistance openly; sometimes naming it is the first step to breaking it. ↳ Create a Crisis: If there isn't a burning platform, create one. Change is survival. 2. Banish the Buzzwords Change fails when wrapped in corporate jargon no one cares about. ↳ Speak Their Language: Drop buzzwords; connect with everyday reality. ↳ Use Stories, Not Slides: Show how change makes life easier, more productive, and rewarding. ↳ Be Brutally Honest: Change is hard. Acknowledge it, show why it's worth it. Honesty earns trust. 3. Leverage Change Champions Forget the usual suspects at the top—change comes from within. ↳ Identify Passion, Not Titles: Find excited people and give them influence. ↳ Make Them Visible: Let champions lead demos, share wins. Peers listen to peers. ↳ Reward Adoption: Recognize those who embrace change; create a ripple effect. 4. Take off the Training Wheels Old habits die hard if there's a safety net. ↳ Cut off the Old Way: Set a hard cutoff date for old tools and stick to it. ↳ Learn by Doing: Create real scenarios where the new way is the only way. ↳ Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Let people fail safely and learn; normalize early mistakes. 5. Make Change a Habit Change isn't an event—it's ongoing. ↳ Micro-Wins: Break change into small wins; celebrate each step forward. ↳ Normalize Iteration: Tweak, adjust, improve—make change a constant. ↳ Challenge the Default: Regularly ask, "What needs to evolve?" Keep change top-of-mind. Change paralysis is tough but beatable. Make the cost of inaction clear, get real, leverage champions, cut the safety nets, and make change a habit. For example, when I implemented a new project management system at a large global organization, we faced significant resistance. By quantifying the hours wasted on inefficient processes and showcasing early adopters' success stories, we achieved 95% adoption within three months. How do you overcome change paralysis? Share your thoughts below! 👇 Need help moving from resistance to readiness? DM me to talk about tailoring these strategies to your organization.

Leading transformation isn't for the faint of heart. After guiding organizations through change, I've discovered these universal principles apply — Regardless of industry, size, or challenge. These 10 Commandments of Transformation are your guide: 1. Start With Why Without compelling purpose, transformation dies. Your team needs more than "what" - they need "why." Make it meaningful, make it matter. 2. Lead By Example You can't expect what you don't inspect. Transformation begins with your own behavior. Be the change before demanding it. 3. Communicate Relentlessly When you're sick of saying it, they're just starting to hear it. Use every channel, every meeting, every chance. Consistency creates clarity. 4. Honor Resistance as Feedback Resistance isn't obstruction - it's information. Listen before dismissing. Understand concerns to address them effectively. 5. Focus On Vital Few Trying to change everything ensures changing nothing. Choose your battles strategically. Concentrate energy where it matters most. 6. Celebrate Progress Small wins fuel big changes. Recognition drives continuation. Make progress visible to maintain momentum. 7. Build Coalitions No leader transforms alone. Champions multiply your impact. Cultivate allies at every level. 8. Balance Structure and Flexibility Plan thoroughly but adapt quickly. Rigid plans break under pressure. Agility enables success. 9. Measure What Matters Select metrics that drive behavior. What gets measured gets improved. Make success visible and trackable. 10. Sustain The Change Transformation isn't an event. Reinforcement prevents regression. Build systems that maintain momentum. Which commandment resonates most with your transformation journey?

How I Improve a Process as a Program Manager at Amazon Improving a process sounds simple. But here’s the hard part: → People are used to the old way → The data is incomplete → The risks feel bigger than the reward → And the real friction is buried in “this is how we’ve always done it” Here’s how I actually drive meaningful improvements without slowing everything down: 1/ I talk to the people closest to the process ↳ Not the VP. Not the dashboard. ↳ The person doing the work every day. ↳ They know where it breaks and what’s already been tried. 2/ I measure before I recommend anything ↳ I ask what the current state looks like. ↳ What’s the cost of the problem? ↳ If it’s not measurable, it’s just an opinion. 3/ I map the full process step by step ↳ I document every step, not just the broken parts. ↳ Most issues hide in the handoffs, not the headlines. 4/ I test a small version before making a big change ↳ One pilot. One clear metric. One short timeline. ↳ If it works, we scale it. If not, we adjust fast. 5/ I document and share what happened ↳ Even if it wasn’t perfect. ↳ Sharing wins trust and helps others replicate what worked. Fixing a process doesn’t require a full redesign. It requires curiosity, structure, and momentum. Start small. Make it better. Tell people about it. What’s one change you’ve made that had a big impact?

My AI lesson of the week: The tech isn't the hard part…it's the people! During my prior work at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), we talked a lot about how any technology, whether a new drug or a new vaccine or a new information tool, would face challenges with how to integrate into the complex human systems that alway at play in healthcare. As I get deeper and deeper into AI, I am not surprised to see that those same challenges exist with this cadre of technology as well. It’s not the tech that limits us; the real complexity lies in driving adoption across diverse teams, workflows, and mindsets. And it’s not just implementation alone that will get to real ROI from AI—it’s the changes that will occur to our workflows that will generate the value. That’s why we are thinking differently about how to approach change management. We’re approaching the workflow integration with the same discipline and structure as any core system build. Our framework is designed to reduce friction, build momentum, and align people with outcomes from day one. Here’s the 5-point plan for how we're making that happen with health systems today: 🔹 AI Champion Program: We designate and train department-level champions who lead adoption efforts within their teams. These individuals become trusted internal experts, reducing dependency on central support and accelerating change. 🔹 An AI Academy: We produce concise, role-specific, training modules to deliver just-in-time knowledge to help all users get the most out of the gen AI tools that their systems are provisioning. 5-10 min modules ensures relevance and reduces training fatigue.  🔹 Staged Rollout: We don’t go live everywhere at once. Instead, we're beginning with an initial few locations/teams, refine based on feedback, and expand with proof points in hand. This staged approach minimizes risk and maximizes learning. 🔹 Feedback Loops: Change is not a one-way push. Host regular forums to capture insights from frontline users, close gaps, and refine processes continuously. Listening and modifying is part of the deployment strategy. 🔹 Visible Metrics: Transparent team or dept-based dashboards track progress and highlight wins. When staff can see measurable improvement—and their role in driving it—engagement improves dramatically. This isn’t workflow mapping. This is operational transformation—designed for scale, grounded in human behavior, and built to last. Technology will continue to evolve. But real leverage comes from aligning your people behind the change. We think that’s where competitive advantage is created—and sustained. #ExecutiveLeadership #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation #StrategyExecution #HealthTech #OperationalExcellence #ScalableChange

“They’re being difficult. They just don’t want to change.” Sound familiar? Let’s talk about what might really be going on: change fatigue, not resistance. And if that's the case, your org might be out of shape. Change fatigue isn’t resistance. It’s a warning sign. And it’s time we treated it like one. I recently hosted a session for our internal Change Management Community of Practice. When I introduced the idea of Change Fitness, most hadn’t heard the term, but instantly recognized its cousin: change fatigue. Change Fitness = an organization’s ability to sustain and absorb transformation over time. It’s not about the volume of change—it’s about the impact. Fatigue shows up as disengagement, silence, missed milestones, and cynicism. According to Prosci, change saturation happens when the disruption exceeds your organization’s capacity to absorb it. Imagine a bucket: The size = your change capacity The water = disruption When it spills = it burnout So what’s filling your org’s bucket? • Too many projects, not enough alignment • Communications that confuse instead of clarify • Leaders pushing isolated changes without visibility (or care) into other efforts • No structured CM plan—causing more chaos than calm Here’s what I often see: Leaders label fatigue as “resistance” and double down on “driving adoption” (usually more emails 🙃). But what’s really needed? Relief. Clarity. Focus. That’s where Change Fitness comes in. Just like physical fitness helps us meet physical demands, Change Fitness allows organizations and individuals to meet the demands of ongoing transformation. Instead of asking: “How do we drive adoption?” Try asking: 🔺 “Did we demonstrate the benefits of the last change?” 🔺“Have we responded to what’s draining our teams?” 🔺“Are we reducing friction—or adding more effort?” If you’ve built that trust, reinforced those muscles, and practiced good CM habits, your org will be more fit than most. Ways to build Change Fitness: • Use Prosci’s Change Saturation Assessment • Audit comms to simplify (less jargon, more showing) • Map your change portfolio to catch collision points • Equip managers as coaches, —not just messengers Because fatigue has a voice, it just speaks quietly...until it runs out of steam. Have you seen fatigue misread as pushback?

65% of AI & Tech Transformations Fail 🚫 Why? Because they forget one thing: People. I've spent 25+ years in healthcare leadership, and here's what I know: transformation fails when we forget the human element. Digital transformations often fall short of expectations. Why? Because we're solving the wrong problem. 7 critical shifts needed in 2025: 1/ From Tools to Trust ↳ Technology doesn't transform workplaces. People Do. ↳ Start with psychological safety and clear communication. ↳ Build trust before introducing new tools. 2/ From Training to Translation ↳ Stop teaching "how to use tools." ↳ Start showing "how tools improve lives." ↳ Connect every change to personal growth. 3/ From Metrics to Meaning ↳ Move beyond efficiency metrics. ↳ Measure impact on well-being and job satisfaction. ↳ Track how transformation enables better work-life integration. 4/ From Control to Collaboration ↳ Replace top-down mandates with team-led initiatives. ↳ Create innovation councils across departments. ↳ Let solutions emerge from front-line expertise. 5/ From Speed to Sustainability ↳ Stop rushing digital adoption. ↳ Build systems that support long-term resilience. ↳ Focus on sustainable change management. 6/ From ROI to Human Impact ↳ Expand success metrics beyond financial returns. ↳ Measure employee engagement and retention. ↳ Track improvements in work-life quality. 7/ From Digital to Hybrid Excellence ↳ Balance automation with human judgment. ↳ Preserve meaningful human interactions. ↳ Create frameworks where technology amplifies humanity. Real transformation isn't about adopting new technology. It's about enabling people to do their best work. In healthcare, I've seen both sides: - Teams that resist change because they don't see the "why" - Teams that embrace change because they shape the "how" The difference? Leadership that prioritizes people over processes. ♻️ Share if this resonates ➕ Follow Dr. Elise Victor for more.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several conversations with talent and learning leaders to better understand their priorities and perspective on the future. A recurring theme has been the work of those leading enterprise-wide transformation. These aren’t small, isolated projects, but bold efforts to fundamentally reshape how their organizations operate. Whether it’s rethinking company culture, driving skills-based initiatives, expanding career mobility, adopting AI, managing large-scale transformation, or implementing new leadership frameworks. These leaders are operating at the intersection of business strategy, people development, and organizational change. A question I often hear is: “What separates the most successful efforts from the rest?” After these conversations and dozens of guests on The Edge of Work, a few powerful patterns have emerged. Here are four that consistently show up: 🔶 Systems Thinking: They don’t approach these initiatives as standalone projects. Instead, they embed them into the full talent system, connecting culture, skills, mobility, leadership, and strategy into one cohesive ecosystem. Silos are broken. Work aligns to enterprise goals. 🔶 Coalition Building: While they’re accountable for outcomes, they don’t go it alone. These leaders act less like the “sage on the stage” and more like the “guide on the side,” bringing others along, building ownership across functions, and fostering collective success. 🔶 Change as a Practice: Change isn’t a task list; it’s a muscle. These leaders treat change management as an ongoing practice, embedding it into daily work, meeting people where they are (not just what the spreadsheet says) and continually reinforcing new behaviors to sustain momentum. 🔶 Business First Orientation: They lead as business strategists first. While deeply skilled in talent, they speak first in the native language of their business stakeholders, (then their own) connect initiatives to enterprise outcomes, and position people strategies as drivers of organizational performance. These are just a few of the themes I’ve observed. If you're leading enterprise-wide talent, skills, career, or AI initiatives, what resonates? What would you add? I’d love to hear your perspective. #talent #futureofwork #leadership