How to Make Radical Change In... Lessons from an Unconventional Agent of Change

[ What is change? ] 

Welcome to the Pillars of Radical Change Weekly Posts

The Catalyst: Recognizing the Power of Change

This is the start of a series of newsletters that I want to share with you this year. Every Monday, I will be sharing “nuggets of wisdom” on how to drive positive, radical change in your life and your organizations.  Every post in the series will be called “How to Make Radical Change In …” with each week delving into a specific topic. Experiential content will be combined with research that I have performed throughout the years, from reading many leadership, self-help books, faith, and current readings in neuroscience, and more.

My goal is simple: To help you dive deeper into the mechanics of change—how to trigger it, how to manage the "radical" shifts, and most importantly, how to sustain it.”

Why Change? Why Now?

For years, I was hesitant to write about this. It took time to realize that my career wasn't just a series of roles, but a consistent practice of being an agent of change.

The turning point was in 2019. A Chief Engineer I worked with looked at my approach and called it out: he saw that my willingness to take risks wasn't just about being bold—it was a deep-seated drive to improve the systems around me.

I have always known I was different. I am not your typical engineer, and it has often been a challenge to fit in. However, my engineering background and transition to Technical Program Management (TPM) have allowed me to align my purpose with what truly matters to me: creating healthy work environments where people can thrive. I’ve learned that by providing an organized thought process to meet business goals, we can build something sustainable. But the reality is that none of this can happen without Change. I realized that my passion for personal growth and organizational evolution was actually a built-in resilience. Making change happen doesn't just come "easily" to me—it is how I navigate the world.

Change is NOT a Trend; It's a Constant

Well, now that we have outline the goal of the series and my why. Let’s define what change is.

We often treat change as an event we must "get through." But as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said:

Change is the only constant in life.

From radical organizational restructuring to the quiet or not-so-quiet, involuntary waves of life’s challenges, we are always in flux. The reality is that every single situation we encounter in life is pushing us through change, pushes us through, as the  Oxford English Dictionary defines it as an “exchange”, i.e., exchange one behavior for another.  Change is a verb; it is an action moving with us, partnering with us through life’s event. I see change intertwined with the gift of life.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Change as:

• As a Noun: The process of making or becoming different.

• As a Verb: To replace something with something else—especially something newer or better.

In the world of leadership and operations, I define it more simply: Change is Transformation. It is the active choice to trade the "comfortable current" for a "better future."

The Road Ahead

Navigating change gracefully builds more than just better processes; it builds character. It renews the mind and, perhaps most importantly in today's world, it fosters hope. I don’t know about you, but in difficult times, I need to stay hopeful every day. Strategic change is the tool that allows us to do that.

Reflection

• What is the one thing about going through a major transformation that you find the most difficult? Is it the start, or the struggle to sustain it?