Why Most Change Efforts Fail and What to Do Instead with Transformation Expert Kristy Ellmer

I'm excited to sit down with Kristy Ellmer, a senior leader at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of How Change Really Works, to talk about what it actually takes to lead meaningful change inside organizations. Rather than relying on intuition or management trends, Kristy explains how years of research in behavioral science, neuroscience, and real-world transformations led to seven practical principles for increasing the odds of success. We explore why so many change efforts stall, why getting genuine agreement matters more than quick consensus, and how leaders can create the conditions for lasting progress instead of temporary compliance.

Our conversation also moves beyond strategy into the human side of transformation. We discuss why people are more likely to embrace change when they have ownership in shaping it, how leaders can encourage productive disagreement without slowing momentum, and why stories often inspire action more effectively than metrics alone. Whether you're leading a company, managing a team, or guiding clients through change, these ideas offer practical ways to think differently about how people commit to new directions and sustain them over time.

 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Why "false alignment" creates more problems than open disagreement

• How to know when your team is truly aligned before moving forward

• A simple exercise that exposes hidden assumptions in leadership meetings

• What the "IKEA Effect" teaches us about ownership and commitment

• Why involving more people doesn't always slow a transformation down

• How stories and symbols can motivate people in ways data alone cannot

• The role of healthy debate in building stronger decisions and better execution

• Why successful change is often about designing the process, not just setting the goal

 

If you're responsible for leading change or influencing others through uncertainty, I think you'll find this conversation incredibly helpful.

 

Resources Mentioned:

Purchase How Change Really Works: https://a.co/d/08tqzPRZ

Connect with Kristy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-r-ellmer-b25b7a23/

Connect with Kristy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristy_ellmer/

 

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