Make or Break
The Problem With Treating Change Like a Project
In this episode of Make or Break Hot Take Edition, Mo Berkner Boyt sits down with Michelle Yanahan, principal and owner of ChangeFit 360, for a conversation about what change leaders keep getting wrong. Michelle argues that too much change work is still measured by activity instead of impact, shaped by templates instead of context, and managed like a project when people actually experience it as a constant, overlapping human reality. Throughout the conversation, Michelle makes the case for a more disciplined and more human approach. She points to behavioral science as a practical lens for identifying the specific actions people need to take, measuring behaviors that predict adoption, and reinforcing change through the leaders, peers, and relationships closest to the work. She pushes for metrics tied to behavior, leader support, stakeholder voice, and the outcomes the change is meant to produce, rather than lagging indicators typically used. Mo and Michelle challenge some of the field of change management’s cookie-cutter techniques by calling out the false comfort of deliverables that do not drive results, and questioning the idea that people adopt change one initiative at a time. Michelle’s perspective on AI brings the argument into the present: organizations treating AI as another technology rollout will miss the deeper culture shift underneath it. The throughline is clear from start to finish: change becomes more effective when it is designed around human behavior and connection and the lived experience of the people asked to implement it. Follow Make or Break on your favorite streaming channel to effectively manage human risk during organizational change: https://c2iq.io/spotify https://c2iq.io/apple https://c2iq.io/audible https://www.youtube.com/@C2IQMakeorBreak – Follow + Connect with our guest: Michelle Yanahan LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-yanahan-changefit360/ Website - https://changefit360.com/
