Leaders struggling with slow change adoption are often working hard on exactly the wrong thing. I learned this in a roundabout way this past weekend…My wife took the kids to visit her family for a few days, and I decided to tackle a home improvement project that had been quietly annoying me for months.We had

Slow Change Adoption? Maybe You’re Not Solving the Problem. Maybe You’re Just Patching It.

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend (all the way back to childhood!) Dr. Anish Mahajan for a fascinating conversation about leadership, listening, and leading through uncertainty.Anish has led at the highest levels of healthcare and public health, from helping implement the Affordable Care Act to leading a major public hospital through

Say “Yes, And!” to Leadership, Listening, and Change with Anish Mahajan

Image credit: xavigm99Two weeks into my book launch, I had 9 signups.I was looking for over 200.In professional terms, that is what we call a “WTF!? moment.”I want to be honest about what happened next, because it’s not a heroic story. There was no dramatic moment where I rolled up my sleeves and got to

The Quiet Voice That’s Killing Your Team’s Buy-In

I spent 14 years meaning to write this book. Here’s what finally made me do it (and what it’s actually about).My first “Yes And” book came out in 2012.I always planned to write a follow-up. A deeper one. One with more tactical meat on the bones, not just mindset and inspiration. Something a leader could

The Biggest Obstacle to Change Isn’t Resistance; it’s Apathy. Here’s How to Fix It.

In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on my brand-new book, Say “Yes, And!” to Change.For years, I believed the biggest challenge in change was resistance. But after working with leaders and teams across many industries, I realized something surprising:Resistance isn’t the biggest problem. Apathy is.Most people aren’t openly fighting change—they’re quietly checked out.In

“Yes, And!” to Saying “Yes, And!” to Change (Inside the Framework from My New Book) 

Image credit: iqonceptHere’s something I learned from 20+ years of improv: The scenes that fall flat aren’t usually missing skill. They’re missing commitment.The performers are hedging. Playing not to fail instead of playing to win. Trying to be acceptable rather than authentic.I see the exact same pattern in teams navigating change. And the fix isn’t

Stop Playing Not to Fail: Why Teams Get Stuck During Change