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 »
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
The Benefits of Coaching for Leaders Read More »
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 »
When a headline reads “Director removed after staff complaints,” it’s natural to feel a ripple of concern. What’s really going in our organizations? And what does it mean for leaders like you? Beyond the Headlines The story itself is straightforward: A museum director was removed following concerns about their behavior and treatment of staff.
Creating Conditions for Success: A Fresh Look at Leadership Development Read More »
When was the last time you had space to truly think through a major organizational change before you were in the midst of it? It’s probably been a while, right? What’s Going On? To be fair, there are occasions when there truly is limited time to plan and prepare—like a crisis or emergency that requires
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 »
In a world where company growth and success should fuel employee satisfaction, 67% of staff are not positively engaged. Here’s why, and what you can do about it. The Engagement Paradox I recently heard from an executive-level leader at a growing company. This company was good at what it did, it had a sterling reputation,
“When I reviewed my staff, I noticed that I scored 50% of them at 4 or 5 on a Trustworthiness scale, with 5 being the highest score. 40% of the staff were at a 2 or 3, and I worry about their work quality all the time.” This is what I heard from an executive
How to Have a Team of ‘A Players’ Read More »