Shapeshifters

by Makeshapes

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Business
Updated Biweekly

Join us as we hunt for Shapeshifters – passionate individuals determined to (re)discover ways to transform people, organizations and communities for good. We'll explore how these wayfinders are shaping the way we think, learn, interact, and collaborate together. Conversations spanning thought leaders, pioneering practitioners, community builders, movement sparkers, and more. A podcast by Makeshapes.

5d ago

The language of intent: What separates good leaders from great ones

In this episode we explore how to dismantle transactional, soul-sucking meetings and build genuine team trust by mastering the language of intent. Our guest is Chad Littlefield, Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of We and Me. A TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and creator of the Connection Toolkit™—now used in over 80 countries worldwide—Chad has been named by Forbes as a global expert on asking questions that build team trust and connection. Partnering with organizations like Google, JetBlue, and Starbucks, Chad helps leaders strip away corporate theater, ditch boring slide decks, and design conversations that genuinely matter. In this dynamic and candid conversation, Chad flips the script on facilitation from the very first minute to demonstrate what happens when leaders replace performative exercises with radical transparency. He unpacks why hidden agendas feel like manipulation, how appending two simple words ("so that") transforms organizational resistance into buy-in, and why leaders must eradicate the word "icebreaker" in favor of purposeful connection before content. In this conversation, we explore: 🎯 The Language of Intent and the "So That" Shift: Why having an agenda for a group without clearly stating it borders on manipulation, and how adding "so that" followed by a currency the other person cares about stretches compliance into genuine buy-in. 🤝 Eradicating Icebreakers for "Connection Before Content": Why standard corporate icebreakers breed cynicism, and how intentionally connecting human beings to the core objective of a meeting creates communication shortcuts that save hundreds of hours every year. 👥 Trios as the Units of Transformation: Why real cultural change never occurs while an executive lectures from a podium, and how breaking large rooms into small groups of three exponentially multiplies perspective, connection, and accountability. 🎛️ The Two Dials of Facilitation (Risk vs. Value): How to navigate vulnerability by balancing risk against value, while giving participants complete autonomy over their depth of engagement. 💌 Invitation Over Mandate: Why efficiency is the enemy of connection, and how shifting from mandatory training compliance to irresistible invitations sparks voluntary engagement and boosts learning retention.This conversation is packed with actionable facilitation frameworks and leadership insights for anyone in L&D, organizational development, or people leadership looking to elevate how their teams gather and communicate. Chad’s energetic, human-first approach will fundamentally change how you enter your next meeting. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with Chad: Chad Littlefield on LinkedIn We and Me 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Sep 18

Don't wait for a mandate: How to lead bottom-up AI adoption

In this episode of our Transformation Series, we look at how to drive enterprise AI adoption from the ground up—without waiting for top-down corporate mandates or fully approved enterprise toolsets. Our guest is Sarah Heller, Director of Organizational Effectiveness Consulting at Dolby Laboratories. Operating at the intersection of business strategy, organizational design, and leadership transformation, Sarah partners with executive leaders and People Business Partners to navigate complex change. Rather than rolling out rigid, top-down training modules, Sarah has focused on equipping leaders to act as force multipliers, designing lightweight experiments to help teams make sense of generative AI in their day-to-day workflows. In this practical and grounded conversation, Sarah unpacks how she began enabling leaders before official enterprise tools were even in place, why classical L&D needs analysis fails in a fast-moving AI landscape, and how she launched low-cost monthly Leader Roundtables that foster peer-to-peer workflow redesign. In this conversation, we explore: 🚀 Don't Wait for the Mandate: Why waiting for top-down direction or approved tools delays transformation, and how diagnostic questioning shifts mindsets from individual productivity hacks to structural team workflow redesign. ✖️ Leaders as Force Multipliers: Why enterprise AI adoption succeeds or fails at the leadership level, and how creating space for leaders to interpret AI's functional impact cascades adoption down to their teams. 🧩 The "60/40" Ecosystem Framework: How to balance an enterprise-wide 60% shared spine of common language and expectations with 40% tailored enablement that meets technical and corporate teams where they actually are. 🔄 The Monthly Leader Roundtable: How Sarah built a low-cost, 1-hour peer forum connecting curious leaders across functions, and the tactical challenge of steering conversations away from cool technical demos toward strategic work redesign. ⚡ Why Classical Needs Analysis Fails: The costly trap of multi-month discovery cycles when technology shifts weekly, and why rapid piloting in the flow of work is essential to keep from constantly chasing outdated needs.This conversation is packed with actionable advice for anyone in L&D, OD, or change leadership trying to navigate the shifting AI landscape. Sarah’s pragmatic, experiment-driven approach will inspire you to stop waiting for permission and start building connection and capability today. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with Sarah: Sarah Heller on LinkedIn Dolby Laboratories 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Sep 4

How to prove L&D ROI by solving real business problems

In this episode of our Transformation Series, we look at why stripping back heavy theoretical frameworks and focusing on real, tangible business problems is the secret to effective leadership development. Our guest is Kristen Hartley, Senior Principal of Executive Development & Effectiveness at Workday. Kristen and her team are responsible for equipping senior leaders with the on-the-ground skills and enterprise-level tools needed to navigate complex change. In a grounded shift away from traditional, content-heavy training models, Kristen's team redesigned their leadership programs to rely on peer coaching and immediate business application. In this highly practical conversation, Kristen unpacks how they shifted Workday's programs to focus on peer-driven problem-solving, how to actually answer the elusive L&D "ROI" question, and why making your learning programs "simpler and more spacious" is the ultimate key to behavior change. In this conversation, we explore: 🎯 Solving Real Problems: Why having leaders bring their most pressing business challenges to a program is the ultimate hack for relevance and proving tangible ROI. ⚖️ Flipping the Instructional Design Ratio: How moving away from the traditional model of 50% content and massively expanding time for peer networking creates better outcomes with less design effort. 🤝 The Hidden Power of Peer Coaching: Why leaders often believe their challenges are unique, and how structured peer consulting proves otherwise. 🌐 Making a Large Organization Feel Small: How the real value of an in-person leadership program is often the informal "vacation space" it provides for cross-functional connection. 🧘‍♀️ The "Simpler is Better" Mandate: Why designers need to stop "gunking" programs with too many modules, and why giving busy executives spacious time to reflect is incredibly valuable.This conversation is a must-listen for anyone in L&D, OD, or change management looking to drive real business impact. Kristen’s practical approach to designing spacious, relevant learning experiences will inspire you to do less telling and create more space for peer wisdom. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with Kristen: Kristen Hartley on LinkedIn Workday 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Aug 20

Scaling a leader-led development program globally

In this episode of our Transformation Series, we look at the practical reality of rolling out a leadership development program across a complex, global organization. Our guest is Luke Morriss, Global Organisational Development Manager at Fisher & Paykel Appliances. Luke and his team were tasked with building a foundational leadership program for their 4,000+ employees operating across 50 countries. Instead of relying on external consultants or standard HR theory, they did something uniquely powerful: they built a program entirely facilitated by their own senior leaders. In this grounded and highly practical conversation, Luke unpacks the mechanics of how they recruit, support, and scale a community of 50+ internal facilitators, and the massive impact this has had on cross-functional collaboration. In this conversation, we explore: 🚫 Scrapping the HR Speak: Why employees tune out off-the-shelf theory, and why Fisher & Paykel shifted to real leaders sharing real, battle-tested stories. 🤝 The Co-Creation Playbook: How the OD team gets busy executives to actually facilitate (hint: it doesn't involve just handing them a PowerPoint and presenter notes). ⚖️ Consistency vs. Flexibility: How to maintain a standardized global leadership framework while giving leaders the freedom to share their unique, contextual experiences. 🔄 Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap: Moving from foundational workshop learning to peer-to-peer, on-the-job application to drive real business performance. 🌐 The Power of a Shared Language: How a common leadership framework acts as a cultural shortcut, breaking down silos across different countries and languages.This conversation is full of actionable insights for anyone trying to scale learning inside a large organization. Luke’s transparent look at what works (and the scaffolding required to support it) will leave you inspired to leverage the in-house talent you already have. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website: https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with Luke: Luke Morriss on LinkedIn Fisher & Paykel Appliances 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Jun 8

Moving from rigid training to intentional human connection

In this episode, we dive into the complex, vital, and often overlooked world of the frontline workforce—the 70-80% of the working world that keeps our daily lives running. Our guest is JD Dillon, a leading voice in frontline enablement who began his career managing theme parks and movie theaters before transitioning into corporate L&D. Today, he advises global organizations on performance strategy and AI-enabled solutions. He is the author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem and the brand-new book, The Frontline Enablement Playbook. In this practical and deeply human conversation, JD shares his journey from a terrified college tour guide to a global speaker, unpacking why frontline managers have the hardest job in the world, and how to use technology to genuinely elevate the human experience at work. In this conversation, we explore: 🗣️ Finding Your Voice: The hilarious, calculated risk during a college campus tour that instantly shattered a lifelong fear of public speaking. 🤖 AI on the Frontlines: Why language translation and digital assistants are game-changers for the deskless workforce, and why the frontline shouldn't be left out of the AI conversation. 🛡️ The Hardest Job in the World: Why the frontline manager is the single point of failure for corporate strategy, and how to build essential "scaffolding" to support them. ❤️ The "Kathy" Effect: Lessons from a legendary Disney manager on the messy art of balancing rigid operational rules with deep, human empathy. 🤝 The Power of Intention: Why community and connection can't just be an HR mandate, and why people stay for the team, not the corporate KPIs.This conversation is incredibly grounding. JD's deep empathy for the frontline worker is infectious, and you'll leave rethinking not just how you design work, but how you interact with the people who power our everyday lives. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website: https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with JD: JD Dillon Website The Frontline Enablement Playbook JD Dillon on LinkedIn 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Mar 24

Why you need to build a "learning playground" to transform your organisation

In this episode, we explore the messy, beautiful, and deeply human art of building communities of practice. Our guest is Anamaria Dorgo, a Romanian-born, Amsterdam-based community builder, learning experience designer, and facilitator. Anamaria is part of the global L&D team at Adyen, the visionary founder of the massive international community L&D Shakers, host of the Mapping Ties Podcast, and writer of the IRrEGULAR LEtTER newsletter. In this insightful and energizing conversation, Anamaria breaks down how to take a community from two people to over 8,000, why we are desperate for genuine connection at work, and how to stop over-engineering human interaction. In this conversation, we explore: 📢 Learning Out Loud: How struggling to find a job in a new country sparked a "rabbit hole" of public learning that birthed a massive global network. 🛝 The Personal Learning Playground: Why true communities of practice offer a vital, zero-stakes environment to experiment and fail outside the pressures of your day job. 🐭 The "Trojan Mouse" Strategy: Brilliant tactical advice for sneaking collaborative learning into rigid, traditional corporate cultures without setting off alarm bells. 🍳 Show Your "Dirty Kitchen": Why people are exhausted by polished "sage on the stage" presentations and crave the messy, unpolished reality of how work actually gets done. ⚙️ The Friction Paradox: Why making community networking too easy (like auto-matching emails) actually destroys commitment, and why we need to design a little friction back in.This conversation is a masterclass for anyone looking to build, scale, or simply belong to a meaningful professional community. Anamaria's passion is infectious, and you'll leave inspired to start your own ripple effect. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with Anamaria: Anamaria Dorgo on LinkedIn L&D Shakers Mapping Ties Podcast IRrEGULAR LEtTER 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Mar 6

Institutionalized Idiocy and How to Cure It

In this episode, we share a provocative, brilliant masterclass on why releasing control and abandoning rigid goals are the true keys to organizational transformation. Our guest is Rodney Evans, a pioneer in adaptive organization design and the Steward (CEO) of The Ready. Known for her clarity, candor, and precision, Rodney helps leaders shed outdated mental models to build organizations that are coherent, humane, and ready for what’s next. She focuses on intervening where it matters most—using behavioral economics to redesign everyday work rather than trying to change "hearts and minds." In this conversation, we explore: 🎯 Stop over-indexing on the end state: Why fixating on rigid future goals stifles creativity and sets us up for frustration. 🤝 The liberating power of Stewardship: Why leadership is lonely and isolating, while stewardship is a shared "team sport." 🧠 Behavioral economics over "hearts and minds": Why trying to change culture directly is a trap, and how tweaking processes nudges unconscious behavior. 🔀 Where to start your transformation: Why you should tackle cross-functional problems first, where no one has "home court advantage."This conversation should leave your brain firing. Rodney has an incredible ability to cut through the expected and institutional with absolute precision. We think you'll love her insights on how to intervene where it matters most and allow your team to be fueled by surprise. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok
Feb 19

The future of work is collaborative: How to design connection

In this episode, we dive into the tension between our obsession with efficiency and our desperate need for connection. Our guest is Sonia Clarke, the founder of Clever Manka and a strategist who sits at the intersection of corporate rigour and creative storytelling. Sonia brings a refreshing, human-centric lens to the future of work. She is currently writing a book on collaboration and isn't afraid to call out where modern "efficiency" is actually killing our ability to innovate. In this conversation, we explore: 🧩 The Collaborative Differentiator: Why being able to work together is the only skill that matters in an AI-driven future where "efficiency" is commoditised. 🏙️ The Death of Lingering: An MIT study on walking speeds reveals how removing "friction" from our lives removes serendipity. 🤖 Robot Origins: The surprising fact that the only English word derived from Czech is "Robot"—and what that tells us about our obsession with work. 🧠 The Neuroscience of Story: How "mirroring" allows an audience to physically experience a story as if it happened to them. 📅 Fix Your Meetings: The "Scope, Objectives, Givens" framework that stops aimless gatherings in their tracks.This conversation is a delight. Sonia wanders down wonderful rabbit holes but always lands on practical, human truths. We think you'll love her perspective on why we need to stop rushing from A to B and start designing for serendipity. 🖥️ Shapeshifters Website:https://www.makeshapes.com/shapeshifters 🔗 Connect with us: Makeshapes on LinkedIn Makeshapes on X Makeshapes on Instagram Makeshapes on Facebook Makeshapes on TikTok

Join us as we hunt for Shapeshifters – passionate individuals determined to (re)discover ways to transform people, organizations and communities for good. We'll explore how these wayfinders are shaping the way we think, learn, interact, and collaborate together. Conversations spanning thought leaders, pioneering practitioners, community builders, movement sparkers, and more. A podcast by Makeshapes.

Creator

by Makeshapes
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

15
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© by Makeshapes
Show Website

Shapeshifters