Have you heard our clients describe what happens when they work with us? Beyond Solutions – How This Team Transformed From Within At our first meeting, the CEO of a 200-person financial services firm shared a powerful realization: their company had fallen out of alignment with the diverse, multicultural clients they served. “We’ve built […]
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Dear Change Leader, Imagine this scene with me… It’s a windy day in the forest. Trees sway dramatically as gusts intensify, their rustling growing louder in your ears. Suddenly, one tree—its roots perhaps not as deeply anchored as others—topples onto a power line. An electrical arc sends sparks flying in all directions. In these
Finding Renewal in Disruption: The Forest Fire Principle of Resilience Read More »
In a recent newsletter, I introduced the concept of “personal resilience” as a foundational element for organizational strength. This post is part of a series exploring more concrete ways to develop this critical capacity. As leaders, we often focus on organizational systems while neglecting the foundation upon which they all depend: our own ability
Building Personal Resilience: Simple Practices for Challenging Times Read More »
Dear Change Leader, “How are you doing?” I asked a leader recently. “I’m taking it one day at a time, and I’m okay with that,” he replied, a note of celebration in his voice. You see, until we connected in a CEO Roundtable I was hosting, he had been worried that his ability
The Pathfinder Approach: Leading When You Can’t See the Full Trail 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
Five Critical Mistakes with Michael Randel Read More »
Dear Change Leader, What do you do when you can no longer take anything for granted? When familiar patterns and relationships are disrupted? When routines and well-established processes are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the moment? I believe we’re facing exactly such a moment today. The political and regulatory environment is unstable.
Navigating Uncertainty: Leadership in Tumultuous Times Read More »
Dear Change Leader, Have you ever found yourself in a meeting where half the agenda items feel like routine business, while the other half discuss existential threats to your organization? This cognitive whiplash isn’t just common in leadership today—it’s the defining feature. Consider what might be on your plate this week: Your finance team needs
Leading Through Complexity: Embracing the Messy Middle Read More »
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
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Have you heard our clients describe what happens when they work with us? Rebuilding from the Ground Up: Revitalizing an Academic Department When James accepted the interim chair position at a prestigious university department, he inherited what many would consider a leadership vacuum—the department had lost not only its previous chair but most of
Rebuilding from the Ground Up – Coaching Impact Read More »
Dear Change Leader, Let’s be honest — this is a challenging time. The last few weeks have brought more than their fair share of disruptions, affecting us at personal, team, organizational, and community levels. That’s a lot, isn’t it? And you’re not going to be comforted when I share with you an assessment recently made
Dear Change Leader, Ready. Fire. Aim. Sound familiar? If you’re wincing right now, you’re not alone. This all-too-common approach to change initiatives might be the most expensive three-word sequence in business. As one veteran change leader noted in Bent Flyvbjerg’s “How Big Things Get Done“: “Change Projects, not only do they often go wrong, but