Episode 9 - Herding Humans, a new way to lead change

In this episode of “Thoughts on Change,” Kelly proposes a shift from pushing change to “shaping what’s possible” through credibility and influence. She defines a “change shaper” as someone who shows up effectively when resistance appears, regardless of title, and outlines six characteristics: connect with curiosity and compassion to create safety; help with intention to build others’ capability without rescuing; advocate for what truly matters by linking change to purpose, values, and priorities; navigate the business environment by understanding pressures, informal networks, and organizational politics while translating between leaders and frontline teams; get the right people involved rather than convincing everyone; and energize positive momentum by celebrating small wins and highlighting progress. She emphasizes practice over perfection and previews deeper future episodes.

00:00 Why Change Pushes Back

00:33 Meet Thoughts on Change

01:02 Becoming a Change Shaper

02:20 Connect with Curiosity

03:21 Help with Intention

04:03 Advocate What Matters

04:43 Navigate Business Politics

05:38 Get the Right People

06:19 Energize Momentum

06:56 Practice Over Perfection

07:20 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Links:

https://youtu.be/yjrXy_0Z2Xc

https://www.kellymallery.com/changeshaper

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

How many of you have had this experience? The harder you try to lead change, the harder it seems to push back. Like a chunky English bulldog who really, really doesn't want to go for a walk in the rain. You though, you've got the tools, you've got the data, you've got the best intentions. And yet, resistance shows up anyway. This is what we're going to dig into today on this episode of Thoughts on Change. Welcome to Thoughts on Change, the podcast about the messy, political, emotional, deeply human side of leading change. I'm Kelly, and I believe anyone can implement lean tools until they actually have to get people to use them. Around here, we talk about how to move culture, how to build credibility, and how to influence without bulldozing. Basically, how to herd humans without losing your mind. Today I want to introduce you to a different way of thinking about change leadership. One that feels less like pushing and coercing change, less like battling uphill, and more like shaping what's possible. I mentioned it briefly in the last episode, this notion of being a change shaper. And over the last few episodes, we've been talking a lot about credibility, how it's built, how it's lost, and why it matters so much when you're leading change. And here's what I want to name explicitly. Credibility is not something you add on to your work as a change leader. It's something that emerges from how you show up. And that's the realization that led me to the characteristics of being a highly successful and influential change leader, a change shaper. Now, a change shaper isn't someone with a bigger title or more authority. It's someone who knows how to show up when things get uncomfortable, like when resistance appears. So let's walk through what that actually looks like characteristic by characteristic. First, there's connect with curiosity and compassion. Every meaningful change starts with connection. A change shaper doesn't jump straight to fixing, convincing, or pushing. They don't assume they have seen enough problems like this one or have the full story from the first glance. Instead, they slow down long enough to genuinely connect. And they do that with curiosity about what people are experiencing and compassion for the uncertainty that change brings. Connection is not about agreeing or gaining consensus. It's about creating safety. And when people feel seen and heard, it gets easier for them to name the discomfort they are feeling and easier for you to see how to help them through it. And only then does real change have a fighting chance. So now there's H, help with intention. Here's a big one, especially for us women in CI roles. Helping doesn't mean rescuing. Helping doesn't mean doing the work for others. A chain shaper helps with intention. They're thoughtful about how and when they step in and help. They focus on building capability in others instead of creating dependence. They support learning instead of shortcutting it. This kind of help builds confidence on both sides. It's the kind of help that can also get you out of becoming the pair of hands. All right, A, advocating for what is really important. All right, business can get noisy. Metrics, opinions, urgency, priorities, external factors, they can all compete for attention and focus. And a chain shaper knows how to cut through that noise and advocate for what truly matters. That means connecting change to purpose, values, and business priorities, not just tools or initiatives with limited shelf life. It also means saying no to things when they don't align. Advocacy is about clarity, and clarity builds alignment. All right, now to N, navigate the business environment. This one is critical and it's often overlooked, and it goes hand in hand with advocating for what really matters. Chain shapers understand that in order to actually make an impact, you have to play the business politics game. They learn how to navigate the business environment, which are the priorities leaders care about, the pressures teams feel, and the informal networks and connections that actually move things forward. They translate strategy to the front line and the frontline reality back up to leadership. And yes, they know how to handle the politics that come with all organizations. This is a messy truth about change, and this is how the sausage actually gets made. All right, now we're at G, getting the right people involved. Here's some relief, many of you may need to hear. You don't need to convince everyone.

unknown 5:51

Right?

SPEAKER_00 5:51

A chain shaper focuses on getting the right people on board, the decision makers, the influencers, the people with social capital and trust. By engaging the right people at the right time, momentum and inertia can build faster. And it takes significantly less effort for you. That first domino sends that whole chain into motion. And a chain shaper knows how to find it. And last E for energize the positive momentum. Change can drain energy or it can create it. Chain shapers are intentional about noticing progress, celebrating small wins, and naming what's working. They shine a light on momentum and bright spots instead of only problems and what hasn't been accomplished yet. This kind of energy is contagious, and it's what sustains change over time and brings people back for more. So being a chain shaper isn't about perfection. It's about practice. It's about choosing curiosity over control, connection over force, influence over exhaustion. And the more you practice these characteristics, the more change starts to feel less like a battle and more like something you're actively shaping. If this resonated with you, stay tuned, because in future episodes, we're going to dive deeper into each characteristic and how to actually use them in real CI moments. Because you don't have to push harder to lead effective change. You just have to shape it differently. If you're enjoying learning a different way to herd humans, share it with another CI warrior who is battling resistance. You can also like, subscribe, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's get back to herding those humans. That's a wrap for this episode of Thoughts on Change. If you're also out there trying to move culture instead of just installing tools, hit subscribe and share this with a fellow CI warrior. And remember, progress beats perfection, curiosity beats control, and culture beats everything. See you next time.