
49. How To Make Big Things Happen At Work
From At Work with The Ready by Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin
May 18, 2026 · 49 min · Season 9 · Episode 20
About this episode
Rodney and Sam explore the challenges of implementing change in organizations and why traditional methods often fail.
You've built the asset. You've done the comms. You even held office hours (that no one came to). And still…nothing changes. Sound familiar? These moves are still everyone’s go-to plays for substantial transitions in the workplace, even when we have decades of experience that they fall flat. In this episode, Rodney and Sam dig into one of the most under-explored problems in organizational life: how you actually get people to do shit. Not just understand it. Not just nod at it in a meeting. Actually do it. They walk through why the classic change playbook (comms, training, socialization, stakeholder management) keeps failing, and what a real system of activation actually looks like. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? Let's talk. Get our newsletter: Sign up here. Follow us: LinkedIn Instagram -------------------------------- Mentioned references: "change management is broken": AWWTR Ep. 26 with Michael Bungay Stanier "comms and change management": BNW Ep. 3 with Deirdre…
People in this episode
Hosts: Rodney Evans, Sam Spurlin
Topics covered
- change management
- organizational behavior
- employee engagement
- activation systems
- workplace transitions
Keywords
- change management
- organizational change
- employee behavior
- activation
- workplace strategies
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: AWWTR Ep. 26, BNW Ep. 3
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- Traditional Consulting Sold You a Great Idea. Now What? [Rebroadcast] · June 1, 2026 · 51 min
- AUA: How Honest Should Leaders Be During a Transformation? · May 25, 2026 · 12 min
- AUA: How To Lead When You Don’t Have The Answers? · May 11, 2026 · 10 min
- 48. Office Politics: The Fun and Frustration of Palace Intrigue · May 4, 2026 · 50 min
- AUA: How Does HR Rewrite Job Descriptions for AI? · April 27, 2026 · 8 min
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