Fill In The Blanks: A Change Practitioner's Story
Every project has the same story. Different names, different numbers, same sponsor who never shows up. Fill in the blanks. Read it back. Feel seen.
Dispatches from the front lines of change work: satirical, subversive, and uncomfortably true. These posts call out the corporate absurdities we all endure—and offer just enough wit to keep going.
Every project has the same story. Different names, different numbers, same sponsor who never shows up. Fill in the blanks. Read it back. Feel seen.
The company finally found the one collaboration tool to rule them all. Unfortunately, it’s joining five others still in use, while leadership continues to communicate exclusively via email. A satirical look at how “single sources of truth” multiply inside modern organizations.
Leaders love to toss out slogans like “People hate change” or “We’re like a family here.” They sound sharp, but they shut down feedback and disguise deeper issues. Real resistance isn’t fear of change—it’s frustration with poor planning, muddled priorities, and chaos masquerading as strategy.
The infamous “70% of change projects fail” stat isn’t data — it’s folklore with a pharma ad makeover. Meet Seventyprol™: the placebo number that makes slides sound smart, leaders feel justified, and practitioners roll their eyes.
You’re hired, but not operational. No email, no calendar, no access—just endless waiting in provisioning purgatory. Welcome to the new normal of onboarding, where security delays, IT black holes, and compliance rituals leave you ghosted by your own job.
In every meeting, there’s one—or four—who just can’t help themselves. The recappers. The performers. The idea thieves. The oracles. This field guide catalogs the most common corporate monologuers and offers survival strategies for anyone trapped in their echo chamber.
Agile rituals up front, Waterfall habits behind the curtain. This piece explores the rise of “Agilefall,” where teams cosplay Scrum while clinging to timelines, sign-offs, and Gantt charts. It’s process theater, and everyone knows it.
Corporate jargon has its own dialect—and "let's circle back" is its anthem. This post breaks down the real meaning behind the phrases that stall change, bury decisions, and keep us endlessly syncing on things we’re never going to do.
Town halls should build trust and foster real dialogue. Too often, they’re scripted updates. Done right, they create space for honest questions and shared understanding.
In every organization, there are two communication plans: the one you draft... and the one whispered over coffee before the deck even loads. Guess which one works faster.
Buy-in is a beautiful concept. So is Bigfoot. You’ll hear stories, but rarely see proof. Everything was going according to plan until the stakeholders saw the plan. Then it turned into group therapy with office chairs.