Ashley Goodall on The Problem with Change

Hi friend!

My goodness, there’s so much we could be doing better.

Change for the better feels great, especially when it’s a change that you choose and that benefits you in simple, direct ways.

More often, though, change at work can feel overwhelming—whether you're managing it, living through it, or leading others through it. Adding insult to the disruptive injury, many workplace changes fail to benefit anyone.

Knowing how often these grand change initiatives bring more pain than parties, Ashley Goodall decided to dig into a disquieting truth. We have a problem with change.

Last week, I hosted an insights exchange with Ashley about his new book The Problem with Change. Check out the recording below to hear what he’s learned about how organizations can create stability amidst disruption, the power of rituals in reinforcing values, and why we should rethink the role of middle managers. This conversation is packed with practical insights on how to navigate change thoughtfully and in a way that’s good for all us humans caught in blender.

🚀 Episode Title: The Problem with Change: Insights Exchange with Ashley Goodall

🎧 Recording Available: Watch on YouTube here.

👉 Episode Timestamps (1 hr 3 minutes total):

• 00:57 The Problem with Change

• 06:22 Maintaining Belonging During Change

• 11:38 Leadership Challenges and Solutions

• 34:46 Exploring Holacracy and Organizational Design

• 35:14 The Challenge of Articulating the Middle Ground

• 36:07 Understanding Team Dynamics and Leadership Roles

• 37:42 Convincing Leaders with Evidence-Based Approaches

• 44:04 The Importance of Purpose and Meaning in Work

• 52:11 Ritualizing Values and Team Practices

• 58:28 The Role of Middle Managers in Organizations

• 58:58 Rebranding Middle Management

• 1:02:00 Balancing Change and Stability

🌟 About Ashley Goodall

Ashley Goodall is an executive, leadership expert, and author with a focus on exploring large organizations from the inside, most recently as an executive at Cisco. He is passionate about uncovering real-world lessons that help teams thrive and make work a more human experience.

Ashley co-authored Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019) with Marcus Buckingham. The book was named the best management book of 2019 by Strategy + Business and was selected as one of Amazon’s best business and leadership books. He also co-authored two Harvard Business Review cover stories: The Feedback Fallacy and Reinventing Performance Management.

His latest book, The Problem with Change, explores why change is challenging for people and offers insights on how to ease its impact.

Learn more at: https://ashleygoodall.com/

Thank you for following along with us, and thank you for all your thoughtful feedback. I’m curious: what stuck out to you?

Until next time,

– Elise

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