change management Archives

Human Factor Podcast Season 1 Episode 007: The Vulnerability Advantage: Why Admitting Weakness Makes Organizations Stronger

Episode 007 The Vulnerability Advantage: Why Admitting Weakness Makes Organizations Stronger Why Vulnerability isn’t Weakness. It’s a Superpower Hosts: Kevin Novak and Elizabeth Stewart Duration: 28 minutes Available: November 20, 2025 🎙️Season 1, Episode 7 Episodes are available in both video and audio formats across all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and via RSS, among others. Transcript Available Below Episode Overview Picture a Fortune 500 boardroom where everyone knows a $12 million transformation initiative failed, yet…

Kevin Novak

November 20, 2025

Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

When Your Expertise Becomes Obsolete – Navigating Professional Identity Crisis in the Age of Constant Change and Transformation

When Your Expertise Becomes Obsolete Navigating Professional Identity Crisis in the Age of Constant Change and Transformation Issue 239, November 21, 2025 A senior radiologist with thirty years of experience recently shared something that haunts many professionals: “I spent twenty years learning to see what others miss in diagnostic imaging. Six months later, the algorithm outperforms every human radiologist in the department.” AI hadn’t replaced her job entirely. But her professional identity was formed around her expertise. That expertise came…

Kevin Novak

November 19, 2025

Change and Transformation Leadership

The Authenticity Paradox in Transformation Leadership

The Authenticity Paradox in Change and Transformation Leadership Why Being “Authentic” During Organizational Change Can Sometimes Be the Most Inauthentic Thing a Leader Can Do, and What Psychological Adaptability Actually Requires The Leadership Dilemma Nobody Talks About Every eader faces the same impossible question: Should I share my doubts about this change initiative, or project confidence I don’t entirely feel? Conventional leadership wisdom says “be authentic.” Research on psychological safety emphasizes transparency. Your executive coach probably tells you to “bring…

Kevin Novak

November 14, 2025

Human Factor Podcast

Human Factor Podcast Season 1 Episode 006: The Communication Paradox: When More Words Create Less Understanding

Episode 006 The Communication Paradox: When More Words Create Less Understanding Why more Communication often Creates Less Understanding Hosts: Kevin Novak Duration: 34 minutes Available: November 13, 2025 🎙️Season 1, Episode 6 Episodes are available in both video and audio formats across all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and via RSS, among others. Transcript Available Below Episode Overview Why does more communication often create less understanding? In this solo episode, Kevin Novak tackles one of the…

Kevin Novak

November 12, 2025

Human Factor Podcast

Human Factor Podcast Season 1 Episode 5 The Psychology of Letting Go: Why ‘We’ve Always Done It This Way’ Is Killing Organizations

Episode 005 The Psychology of Letting Go: Why ‘We’ve Always Done It This Way’ Is Killing Organizations Why Your Greatest Asset, Your Organizational Experience and Memory, Might Actually be Your Greatest Liability Hosts: Kevin Novak Duration: 35 minutes Available: November 6, 2025 🎙️Season 1, Episode 5 Episodes are available in both video and audio formats across all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and via RSS, among others. Transcript Available Below Episode Overview Your best employees are…

Kevin Novak

November 5, 2025

Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

The Grief You Can’t Name – How Change and Transformation Influence You

The Grief You Can’t Name How Change and Transformation Influence You Issue 237, November 6, 2025 “This process, these checks, they’re not just procedures. They’re who we are. Without them, what are we?” A quality control inspector at an organization said this during the implementation of AI-powered quality systems. His voice wasn’t defensive. It was vulnerable. He wasn’t arguing against efficiency. He was mourning an identity. This is what most change and transformation leaders miss. When organizations ask people to…

Kevin Novak

November 5, 2025

Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

Convenient Lies vs Inconvenient Truths: Why We Choose Fantasy Over Math

Convenient Lies vs Inconvenient Truths: Why We Choose Fantasy Over Math Issue 236, October 30, 2025 As we anticipate the end of a challenging year, we feel compelled to face up to some inconvenient truths that make us uncomfortable. We know that when we look “under the hood,” things don’t always look good. AI is buffering the market and making it look better than it is. Job creation is down, profits are up principally from price increases, and inflation remains…

Kevin Novak

October 29, 2025

Ideas and Innovations Newsletter

The AI Double-Edged Sword: A Professional Identity Problem

The AI Double-Edged Sword: A Professional Identity Problem Issue 232, October 2, 2025 As artificial intelligence rapidly matures across industries, what does this mean for human intelligence, decision-making, and professional expertise? How do professionals understand how AI is shifting and how it influences their professional identity? How do individual leaders redefine and transition themselves to the new reality? Nearly a year ago, we wrote Will AI Replace You? Our intent was to spark a conversation among professionals to explore how…

Kevin Novak

October 2, 2025

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Transformation Psychology

The Communication Paradox in Transformation Leadership

The Communication Paradox in Transformation Leadership Why saying all the right things the right way can still create resistance, confusion, and transformation failure Assess Your Transformational Readiness The Paradox That Puzzles Leaders You craft the perfect transformation message. You deliver it with passion and clarity. You repeat it consistently. You answer questions thoughtfully. Yet people remain confused, resistant, and skeptical. This isn’t a communication failure—it’s the communication paradox. In transformation contexts, traditional communication approaches often create the opposite of their…

Kevin Novak

September 25, 2025

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Transformation Psychology

Change vs. Transition: Why Leaders Manage the Wrong Thing

Change vs. Transition: Why Leaders Manage the Wrong Thing The critical distinction that separates transformation success from failure—and why most leaders focus on the easy part Assess Transition Readiness The Fundamental Misunderstanding Killing Transformations Most leaders think change and transition are the same thing. They’re not. Change is external and situational—new systems, processes, organizational structures. Transition is internal and psychological—the mental and emotional journey people take to accept and internalize change. You can mandate change overnight, but transition takes months…

Kevin Novak

September 25, 2025

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