Michael joins Carol Hamilton to unpack why psychological safety is far more than a ‘soft’ concept — it is the foundation that allows teams to innovate, raise hard questions, and navigate change without fear. Drawing on real client experience, Michael outlines the practical steps nonprofit leaders can take to build genuine safety into their culture, […]
Building Psychological Safety in Nonprofit Organizations Read More »
Sudden, large-scale growth — even when it is welcome — can destabilise an organisation that is not prepared for it. In this conversation with Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken, Michael explores how nonprofits can build the organisational readiness to absorb transformational gifts and rapid scaling without losing the culture, mission focus, and operational discipline that made them
What Nonprofits Must Know About Transformational Gifts and Sudden Growth Read More »
What does it mean for a nonprofit to be truly prepared for change — not just reactive, but proactively resilient? Michael’s conversation with Mickey Desai centres on the critical role of identity and purpose clarity in enabling nimble, adaptive organisations. When a crisis hits, the organisations that navigate it fastest are those that already know
The Prepared Organization with Michael Randel Read More »
In this wide-ranging conversation, Michael and Mickey Desai dig into the five most common — and costly — mistakes that leaders make when trying to navigate organisational change. From underestimating resistance to skipping the stakeholder engagement phase, these are the patterns Michael has observed across 250+ client engagements over 25 years. If you lead a
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Resistance is not the enemy of change — it is information. In this lively conversation with Cecilia Sepp, Michael reframes pushback as one of the most valuable signals a leader can receive during a change initiative. He shares why leaders who dismiss or suppress resistance consistently fail, and what it looks like to engage resisters
The Power of Pushback Read More »
What happens when a leader invests in coaching — not for their team, but for themselves? Michael joins Sarah Olivieri to explore the underappreciated value of executive coaching for nonprofit leaders, including how coaching accelerates leadership development, reduces decision fatigue, and creates the reflective capacity that drives sustainable high performance. Michael draws on his work
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Culture change is one of the hardest things a nonprofit can attempt — and one of the most expensive to get wrong. Michael speaks with Haley Cooper about what culture change actually involves (beyond the posters and values statements), the real costs of staff turnover during change transitions, and how leaders can hold teams together
Navigating Culture Change Read More »
Associations face a unique set of change challenges — balancing member expectations with the need to evolve, often with volunteer boards and distributed governance structures. Michael joins Elisa Pratt and Andrew Chamberlain on the Association Transformation podcast to explore how association leaders can stop fighting resistance and start listening to it. A must-listen for association
Embracing the Gift of Resistance Read More »
Why do smart, well-intentioned leaders keep making the same change management mistakes? Michael returns for a second conversation with Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken to go deeper on the psychology of resistance, the structural reasons change initiatives fail, and what leaders can do differently from the very first day of a change effort. Practical, evidence-based, and grounded
Mastering organizational change management: unveiling leadership mistakes Read More »
What can nonprofits learn from MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy about being ready to receive — and act on — opportunity? Michael joins Carol Hamilton to discuss the six key areas of organisational preparedness that determine whether a nonprofit can seize a major opportunity or is simply overwhelmed by it. Grounded in Michael’s research and client experience,
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What proactive steps can nonprofit leaders take today to create the organisational foundation that will support growth tomorrow? Michael speaks with Cynthia Sepp about the structures, habits, and leadership practices that separate organisations that grow sustainably from those that grow chaotically. An accessible, forward-looking conversation for executive directors who want to lead growth intentionally rather
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Michael joins Patton McDowell for a frank conversation about the five mistakes that most frequently derail nonprofit change efforts — and what leaders can do instead. From failure to build a coalition of support to moving too fast without adequate communication, Michael draws on 25+ years of change management work to give listeners a clear-eyed
Five Critical Mistakes to Avoid In Navigating Nonprofit Change Read More »