Episode 68- Beth Comstock on How Leaders Can Drive Organizational Change

Navigating change is hard, particularly inside of organizations. Most people are resistant and afraid. Yet we all have to confront change- personally and professionally- and…

Episode 68- Beth Comstock on How Leaders Can Drive Organizational Change

Navigating change is hard, particularly inside of organizations. Most people are resistant and afraid. Yet we all have to confront change- personally and professionally- and…

Navigating change is hard, particularly inside of organizations. Most people are resistant and afraid. Yet we all have to confront change- personally and professionally- and the pace of change is faster than ever. Beth Comstock led companies like NBC and GE through periods of transformational change. Her book, Imagine It Forward, encourages people to become change makers by leading with imagination. In this episode, we talk about embracing smart risks, challenging convention, and reinventing what’s possible.

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“If you want real change and you want it fast, people have to find a way to make it their own.”

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Show Notes

You have to give yourself permission to change (1:36)
The imagination gap (2:04)
How to deal with change that is forced on us (3:17)
Build on small steps to move forward (8:34)
The painful personal transformation that helped Beth learn to embrace change (9:06)
The advice she would give leaders who are trying to lead change inside of their organizations (11:18)
Using humility, vision and teamwork to overcome fear (12:24)
How her transition from NBC to GE sparked her creativity (16:04)
How she led the culture transformation at GE by bringing an outsider mentality (18:38)
Why you should invite conflict to spur innovation (22:20)
How story mobilizes people around change (26:10)
How to help people fail forward (27:24)
How she became a CMO with no marketing experience (33:20)
“Take the job no one else wants.” (36:01)
The business case for diverse teams (37:49)
Advice for leaders on how to manage introverts (39:06)
What she wishes she knew earlier in her career (41:49)

Resources / People Mentioned

Imagine It Forward by Beth Comstock
Ted Turner, media mogul
Jeff Immelt, former CEO of GE
Mark Parker, CEO of Nike
Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike
Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike
Quiet by Susan Cain
The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
Midnight Children by Salman Rushdie
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Serena Williams, athlete

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