The Leadership Skills That Make Transformation Stick

About this episode

Julia Dhar discusses the behavioral aspects of leadership that are crucial for successful organizational change.

Why do so many organizational change efforts stall or flat out fail? Julia Dhar, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, says the problem often isn’t strategy, it’s behavior. Leaders spend enormous time designing change, but far less understanding whether employees are willing, motivated, and equipped to adopt it. She shares research around how leaders can create genuine alignment, and what it takes to sustain momentum once the novelty fades. Dhar is coauthor, along with Kristy Ellmer and Philip Jameson, of the book "How Change Really Works: Seven Science-Based Principles for Transforming Your Organization".

People in this episode

Guest: Julia Dhar

Topics covered

• organizational change
• leadership
• employee motivation
• behavioral change
• sustaining momentum

Keywords

• organizational change
• leadership skills
• employee engagement
• behavioral alignment
• change management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Boston Consulting Group

Books & works: How Change Really Works: Seven Science-Based Principles for Transforming Your Organization

More episodes of HBR IdeaCast

• We All Hate Meetings—Here’s How to Make Them Work · June 9, 2026 · 26 min
• Reinventing an Organization to Do More with Less · June 2, 2026 · 28 min
• What Leads Companies to Betray Their Own Principles · May 26, 2026 · 29 min
• How to Break Free of Negative Thought Spirals · May 19, 2026 · 30 min
• New Skills to Navigate Continuous Change · May 5, 2026 · 31 min
• Why Your Team Won’t Speak Up (And How to Fix It) · April 28, 2026 · 32 min