AUA: How Honest Should Leaders Be During a Transformation?

About this episode

Rodney and Sam discuss the complexities of honesty in leadership during organizational transformations.

Your company announced a shiny new transformation, set to herald a new era of possibility. But a few weeks in, it's starting to feel a lot more like a top-down cost-cutting exercise with a nicer label—and people are afraid that speaking up will put a target on their back. Sound familiar? In this mini episode, Rodney and Sam respond to a listener caught in the middle of it all: working with the consultants, reporting to senior leaders, and hearing directly from employees who aren't buying the official story. They unpack why "transformation" means different things to different buyers, why RIFs aren't always the villain, and how the gap between stated goals and actual behavior erodes trust faster than any layoff. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Let's talk!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Mentioned references: traditional consulting: AWWTR Ep. 8 layoffs and restructuring: AWWTR AUA different approaches to layoffs: BNW Ep. 152 Sound…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rodney Evans, Sam Spurlin

Topics covered

• leadership
• organizational transformation
• employee trust
• consulting
• communication

Keywords

• transformation
• leadership
• trust
• consultants
• employee communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Coupe Studios

Books & works: AWWTR Ep. 8, BNW Ep. 152

More episodes of At Work with The Ready

• AUA: Is Real Change Possible Inside Federal Bureaucracy? · June 8, 2026 · 7 min
• Traditional Consulting Sold You a Great Idea. Now What? [Rebroadcast] · June 1, 2026 · 51 min
• 49. How To Make Big Things Happen At Work · May 18, 2026 · 49 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