HOW TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL MOVEMENT THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR CULTURE with Greg Satell

Audio production by James Ede, Be Heard

In 2014, Greg Satell experienced the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. What he observed in Kiev during that time seemed to defy all logic or reason: thousands of people would all of a sudden stop whatever they were doing and do something else entirely. And they did it in unison as if guided by a mysterious force. This whole situation baffled Greg so much that he decided to research what makes some social movements successful while others fizzle out without making an impact.
The outcome of his decade-long quest for understanding the principles of successful change is Greg’s new book, “Cascades – How to Create a Movement That Drives Transformational Change.”

In the blurb of the book, Greg asks the readers a poignant question:

If you could make a change―any change you wanted―what would it be?

For most of our listeners, the change they seek to make is improving their company or team culture.

And you will probably be relieved to find out that you don’t really need a catchy slogan or a charismatic leader to do that. What you need is a cascade: small groups, loosely connected but united by a common purpose.

You will find that Greg’s new book and our conversation are full of practical tips on how to successfully challenge the status quo, create transformational change, and maintain it over time.

Episode Highlights

In this interview, Greg and I discuss:

• What makes some movements successful while others are just a brief flash in the pan?
• What cascades are and what you can do to encourage them to form and drive transformational change in your company.
• What a keystone change is and why it’s so important to identify one on the outset of your change initiative.
• The role that values play in helping transformational change be successful.
• The reasons why it’s essential to plan for success and…how to survive it.

Listen to the interview in the player below, or on iTunes. If you like what you hear, please leave a review, and it may be featured on a future episode.

Audio production by James Ede, Be Heard

More about Greg Satell

Greg is a popular author, speaker, and trusted adviser whose new book, Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change, was published by McGraw-Hill in April 2019. His previous effort, Mapping Innovation, was selected as one of the best business books of 2019.

Greg regularly contributes to Harvard Business Review and Inc. He has been featured in other A-list publications such as Barron’s and Fast Company. Recently, Greg was named by Innovation Excellence as #2 on its list of the Top 40 Innovation bloggers and by IDG as one of the “10 Digital Transformation Influences to Follow Today.”

You can learn more about Greg on his website, GregSatell.com and follow him on Twitter @DigitalTonto.

Books Mentioned on the Podcast

Mapping Innovation: A Playbook for Navigating a Disruptive Age by Greg Satell
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Bob Sutton
Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less by Bob Sutton
Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best… and Learn from the Worst by Bob Sutton

Check out a short preview of this episode: