Change Signal

Michael Bungay Stanier
  • 5.0 (14)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

If you’re leading change in organizations, this will be your favourite podcast. Change is harder than ever. Transformation is more complex, unpredictable and overwhelming than it’s ever been. Change Signal cuts through the noise to find the good stuff that works. Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and organizational transformation student for thirty years, talks to the best thinkers, senior leaders, and experienced practitioners in the world of change, to find what works, what doesn’t, and what to try instead. With Change Signal as your guide, you’ll be more efficient and less overwhelmed, and your change projects will more likely succeed. Change Signal: Where we cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.  Sign up for weekly updates at TheChangeSignal.com

  1. How to Find the Next Wise Move: David Lancefield

    1D AGO

    How to Find the Next Wise Move: David Lancefield

    Here are three big questions that David Lancefield asks in the quest for modern change mastery: Where are you stuck in one system? What linkage are you overlooking between systems? And what’s your next wise move? David Lancefield, strategist and leadership advisor, argues that all leaders are systems leaders — whether they admit it or not. Real change doesn’t live in a plan or a single silo; it emerges in the messy spaces where systems overlap. He explores five interconnected systems — inner, relational, organizational, technological, and societal — and shows how to navigate them without freezing, overreaching, or waiting for perfect clarity. You’ll learn how to see the patterns that hold your organization in place, and how small, intelligent actions can ripple outward. David also reframes what it means to act with agency: listening for what’s missing, seeing where you’re complicit through silence, and stepping forward even when control is impossible. If you lead transformation in complex environments, this episode offers a grounded, systemic way to see more, link more, and move smarter. Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    21 min
  2. Be A “Discovery-Driven” Change Leader: Rita McGrath

    3D AGO

    Be A “Discovery-Driven” Change Leader: Rita McGrath

    Here are three questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Rita McGrath:  Are you still treating change as an interruption? Do you know whether you’re facing disruption or just noise? And are you leading with certainty when curiosity is what’s required? In this episode, I talk with Rita McGrath about what senior leaders are getting wrong about change — and what actually helps organizations adapt when the ground won’t stop shifting. Drawing on her work at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and leadership, Rita makes the case that change is no longer episodic. It’s the operating environment, and leaders who keep reaching for old playbooks are quietly increasing risk. We unpack a precise and useful definition of disruption — not “big change,” but the moment something once complex becomes easy, and something once expensive becomes affordable. That’s the kind of shift that rewires value chains and demands a different response from change leaders. Rita also explores what she calls discovery-driven leadership: staying deeply engaged without micromanaging, listening for weak signals at the edges, and treating so-called failures as hypotheses that didn’t pan out. If you lead transformation in a large organization, this conversation offers a sharper lens on modern change mastery — practical, grounded, and refreshingly honest. Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    22 min
  3. The Four Leadership Paradoxes: Michael Bungay Stanier

    MAR 4

    The Four Leadership Paradoxes: Michael Bungay Stanier

    Here are three questions worth exploring from this Change Signal episode:  Are you leading change from technique or from who you are? Where are you avoiding the tension that real leadership requires? Can you care deeply about outcomes while letting go of control? If you lead change or transformation inside a large organization, you already know that tools and frameworks only take you so far. In this solo episode, I explore what sits below the waterline of effective change leadership. It’s not just about better questions, smarter plans, or tighter process design. It’s about the “being” of leadership — how you show up, how you relate, how you hold the process, and how you sit with outcomes. I introduce four paradoxes that sit at the heart of modern change leadership: humble confidence, fierce love, light and grounded process, and the tension of caring and not caring. These are not problems to solve but tensions to hold. For senior leaders responsible for organizational change, culture shifts, and transformation initiatives, this episode offers a practical and human lens on change management. It’s about mastering presence, embracing paradox, and leading change in a way that builds agency rather than compliance. Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    21 min
  4. The Environment Is Running the Show: Kristen Berman

    FEB 25

    The Environment Is Running the Show: Kristen Berman

    Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Kristen Berman: What if your environment matters more than your intentions? How specific are your behaviours — really?  And what structures in your system quietly cancel the autonomy you think you’re giving people? Kristen Berman brings a behavioural scientist’s lens to change, and she makes a simple but unsettling point: most organizations try to shift beliefs when they should be redesigning environments. We dig into how tiny details — distance, defaults, visibility, timing — shape decisions far more reliably than persuasion or mindset work. Kristen also explains why so many change efforts stall at the first step. Leaders define ambitions like “increase engagement” or “coach more” without getting uncomfortably specific about the exact behaviours they want people to do, when, and how often. The magic, she argues, is in that specificity. We explore agency, too, and why you can’t create it with encouragement or slogans. People feel agency only when structures change — meeting norms, workflows, approvals, and habits that shape day-to-day experience. If you’re leading transformation or behaviour change in a large organization, this episode offers practical tools and a sharper way of seeing how change actually happens. Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    32 min
  5. What Really Moves/Changes a System? Helen Bevan

    FEB 18

    What Really Moves/Changes a System? Helen Bevan

    Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Helen Bevan:  Is your belonging actually just assimilation?  Are your relationships stronger than your strategy? And what fear is your system quietly running on? Helen Bevan has spent decades leading large-scale transformation inside the NHS, and she brings that rare blend of deep experience and fresh thinking. She makes a compelling case that the real levers of change aren’t the ones we normally obsess over—plans, resources, or methodologies—but the relational fabric that holds a system together. We talk about belonging as a core condition for change, and why the best leaders know how to help people both “belong” and “unbelong” as the system shifts. Helen also shares the surprising results of a major five-year transformation experiment, where social capital — not expertise or investment — predicted which organizations moved forward and which fell behind. And we explore agency: why you can’t give it, why people have to build it themselves, and how leaders can create the routines that make that possible. If you’re navigating complexity, leading transformation, or trying to spark change in a large organization, this conversation offers practical insight into how change actually travels through a system. Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    29 min
  6. Hard Questions About Change (With Answers). Michael Bungay Stanier

    FEB 13

    Hard Questions About Change (With Answers). Michael Bungay Stanier

    Here are three questions that shaped this special Change Signal episode: Where are you pushing on walls instead of leverage points? What is resistance trying to teach you about the system you’re changing? And how small could your next experiment actually be? In this episode, I join Dave Stachowiak and the Coaching for Leaders community for an open Q&A on the messy, human reality of leading change inside complex organizations. I respond to questions from leadership practitioners who know the theory of change but wrestle with what it looks like in practice — especially when systems push back. We explore why most change efforts stall, not because people don’t care, but because leaders misunderstand the systems they’re trying to shift. I talk about resistance as a signal rather than an obstacle, the importance of finding real leverage points, and why small, fast, low-stakes experiments often teach us more than carefully engineered pilots. We also dig into what it takes to lead change without formal authority, where relationships matter more than titles, and how influence actually works inside organizations. If you’re leading change, transformation, or complex initiatives — especially without a big title or a big budget — this conversation offers a clearer, more grounded way to think about how change actually moves. Change Signal. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works in change. If you’re a transformational leader seeking modern change mastery, you’re in exactly the right place. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    54 min
  7. How to Be Unafraid of Data: Neil Hoyne

    FEB 11

    How to Be Unafraid of Data: Neil Hoyne

    Here are three questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Neil Hoyne:  How is data really used in your organization? How much uncertainty can your culture comfortably handle?  And what ideas are your people quietly shelving because they don’t think anyone will listen? If you lead change in a large organization, you already know the promise of being “data-driven” often runs into the reality of politics, incentives, and human behaviour. Neil Hoyne — author, analyst, and Google’s Chief Strategist — joins me to explore how data can help transformation, and also how it can unintentionally slow it down. We dig into the difference between using data to learn and using it to justify decisions already made. Neil explains why intuition isn’t the opposite of data, but a compressed form of expertise that deserves to be surfaced and tested. We also talk about what really shapes a data-driven culture: the decision standards leaders set, the level of uncertainty they’re willing to tolerate, and who takes responsibility when experiments fail. If you’re navigating change management, digital transformation, or complex initiatives where data plays a starring role, this conversation offers a practical, human way to think about decisions, experiments, culture, and influence — so your organization can move faster and learn smarter. Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    35 min
  8. How an Engineer Would Map Your Org. Emily Moore

    FEB 4

    How an Engineer Would Map Your Org. Emily Moore

    Here are three provocative questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Emily Moore: Who’s missing from your system map? What are you rushing to solve?  And what is resistance actually trying to protect? If you lead change in a big organization, you already know the neat diagrams rarely survive contact with reality. Emily Moore — engineer, educator, and longtime industry leader — joins me to explore how systems thinking becomes far more useful when we stop pretending the world is tidy. We dig into the surprising truth that most “systems maps” forget the most important element: the people who hold influence, create friction, or quietly keep things running. Emily shows why the real work of change begins when you sit with ambiguity a little longer than feels comfortable, resist the urge to leap to solutions, and allow humility to do some heavy lifting. We also talk about resistance — why it’s not just inevitable but essential. Emily argues that vocal laggards often reveal leverage points the formal org chart hides. If you’re navigating complex transformations, leading change management initiatives, or trying to make progress inside tangled systems, this conversation will help you see your organization — and your role in it — with fresh eyes. Change Signal. Where transformational change leaders seek and find modern change wisdom. Cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works. *** WHEN YOU’RE READY 🎧 A new episode every week (and sometimes two!) The Change Signal newsletter. Short, practical, weekly *** CONNECT 💼Connect on LinkedIn *** SAY THANKS 💜Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚Leave a review on Spotify

    31 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

If you’re leading change in organizations, this will be your favourite podcast. Change is harder than ever. Transformation is more complex, unpredictable and overwhelming than it’s ever been. Change Signal cuts through the noise to find the good stuff that works. Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and organizational transformation student for thirty years, talks to the best thinkers, senior leaders, and experienced practitioners in the world of change, to find what works, what doesn’t, and what to try instead. With Change Signal as your guide, you’ll be more efficient and less overwhelmed, and your change projects will more likely succeed. Change Signal: Where we cut through the blather, the BS, and the noise to find the good stuff that works.  Sign up for weekly updates at TheChangeSignal.com

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Bungay Stanier
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025, The Banging Spaniel Corporation
  • Show Website
    Change Signal

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