AUA: Can You Change an Org When Leadership Doesn’t See the Problem?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: At Work with The Ready

Episode: AUA: Can You Change an Org When Leadership Doesn’t See the Problem?
Hosts: Rodney Evans & Sam Spurlin
Date: February 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this candid, listener-driven Q&A, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin tackle a real-world workplace conundrum:
How do you spark meaningful change in an organization when those with the most power neither see the problem nor feel motivated to solve it? The hosts break down why traditional change efforts often hit a wall when leadership is complacent, and offer practical guidance on finding agency, satisfaction, and even impact—despite significant structural or cultural resistance.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Core Challenge: When Power Centers Don’t Feel the Pain

• Listener Question (00:19): “How do you introduce change in a system where the power center doesn’t see the need for it because the system is already optimized for them? How do you create movement when those at the center of gravity don't feel the weight?”
• Rodney’s Initial Reaction (00:38):
  • Rodney bluntly admits, “My honest answer is: you don’t.” She illustrates that in many large, especially publicly traded companies, the system is engineered for leadership’s comfort. Unless they feel immediate pain, top execs have no incentive to change.
  • Quote: “For an executive who has an optimized system and a business that’s growing and happy shareholders, there is no burning platform. And you’re not going to convince them that there is. It is okay to sometimes call it.” — Rodney Evans (01:32)

2. Realism: Accepting What Can’t (and Can) Be Changed

• Rodney shares that at The Ready, even successful initiatives can be shut down if they threaten executive comfort:
  • Quote: “We kind of flew too close to the sun and then ultimately got kicked because at that level they’re kind of like, oh, this is very threatening…I am not interested in giving. And no, thank you.” — Rodney (01:16)

3. Finding Leverage: Focus on Your Sphere of Control

• Sam’s Take (02:39): He adds nuance, acknowledging geographic and hierarchical “centers of gravity,” noting a case where global power imbalance (US HQ vs. non-US offices) intensifies the dynamic.

• He suggests identifying improvements that do not inconvenience those in power but can have huge benefits locally:

  • Quote: “If you can propose something like, hey, this affects you 0% and it makes my life 25% better, there's the potential for something to, to maybe happen.” — Sam Spurlin (03:44)

• Rodney’s Advice (04:03): Don't underestimate what’s really within your locus of control—senior leaders often “don’t care how you meet, who you hire, anything except whether you’re hitting your numbers.” There’s “a ton of surface area” you can play in—even if your ambitions are bigger.

4. Mastery and Enjoyment: Practice Craft in Your Context

• Focus on doing excellent work in the spaces you can control, not just on breaking through barriers. Rodney urges listeners to find satisfaction and pride in their craft, even when their reach is restricted:
  • Quote: “Try to be in the saddle on whatever it is you have to do…Try to enjoy practicing the craft that you are invited to practice and really flexing the mastery that you have.” — Rodney Evans (05:10)
• She addresses ambition and the tendency to dwell on what’s off-limits but highlights the value in mastering what is available.

5. Energy and Optimism Despite Constraints

• Sam comically notes the whiplash from “the most pessimistic answer” to feeling “jazzed up” by Rodney’s reframing:
  • Quote: “We had maybe the most pessimistic answer that you could have... I feel like I’m ready to run through a wall. I’m jazzed up. Let’s go. Let’s perfect our craft. Hell, yeah.” — Sam Spurlin (06:02)
• Both hosts embrace the complexity: It’s “confusing and it’s true.” (Rodney, 06:24)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Realism:
  “It’s not our job to convince those people that that’s not true for them, because it is.” — Rodney Evans (01:30)
• On Small Wins:
  “Sniff around that tree a little bit if you want. But I’m skeptical.” — Sam Spurlin (03:28)
• On Locus of Control:
  “There’s just a ton of surface area that most centers of gravity don’t give a shit about.” — Rodney Evans (04:08)
• On Professional Craft:
  “It’s all just fucking work. Try to enjoy practicing the craft that you are invited to practice.” — Rodney Evans (05:23)
• On Energy Shift:
  “I feel like I’m ready to run through a wall. I’m jazzed up. Let’s go.” — Sam Spurlin (06:02)

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:19—Listener's question introduced
• 00:38–02:39—Why execs don’t change; realism about barriers
• 02:39–04:03—Geographic power centers; finding room to maneuver
• 04:03–06:02—The importance of focusing on your controllable domain
• 06:02–06:36—Recap and emotional turnaround

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Takeaways

• You may never convince comfortable executives to change. Accept that reality.
• Find and maximize your actual sphere of influence—there’s often more than you think.
• Instead of focusing on blocked pathways, pour energy into what you can shape, and derive satisfaction from mastery in your work.
• A sobering challenge can also be an energizing call to focus on craft and local wins.

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This episode cuts through the idealism of organizational change, delivering both realism and renewed energy for impact, no matter your position on the org chart.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, y'. All. Welcome back to Outwork with the Ready. I'm Rodney Evans and that guy is Sam Sperlin.

[B]

Hello, everybody.

[A]

Every other week we are tackling one tough, thought provoking listener question sent to us by you and sharing a few ideas that might help. Let's get right to it. Sam, what have you got for us this week?

[B]

All right, this week's question is, how do you introduce change in a system where the power center, the doesn't see the need for it because the system is already optimized for them? How do you create movement when those at the center of gravity don't feel the weight?

[A]

Hmm. Yeah. I mean, my honest answer is you don't.

[B]

Which is shortest episode of the series?

[A]

Don't do it. No, I, I have a better. I have a better answer, but I want to be realistic because this is a conversation we've had a lot internally at the ready too, a lot of times, especially in very large organizations that are publicly traded. The executive level, the top of the house, you know, maybe levels one through three, like the os, is optimized for them and they want it to stay that way and they don't have any impetus to change and so they're not going to. And that's just true. And it's worth being realistic about it when it's true. And you know, we've, like, real talk, we've had projects at the ready where we were working a few levels down and having really great impact and very, very happy senior clients who were trying to work us up into executive levels and we kind of flew too close to the sun and then ultimately got kicked because at that level they're kind of like, oh, this is like very threatening. I don't like what these people are saying. This feels like it is asking something of me that I am not interested in giving. And no, thank you. I think it's not our job to convince those people that that's not true for them, because it is. And there might be places where accepting the reality of that, accepting that for an executive who has an optimized system and a business that's growing and happy shareholders, there is no burning platform. And you're not going to convince them that there is. It is okay to sometimes call it.

[B]

Yeah, totally agree with you. I happen to know this situation that this question is referring to and it's a combination of what you just said, but also, interestingly, a geographic kind of center of power where this person, this listener is in a non US entity of sub entity of this larger Organization, all leadership is in the US and there's strain, as you can imagine, time zone wise and workflow ways. And so it is a combination of that and also geographical. And in the conversation that I had with her, I think it sounded a lot like what you just said. My one slightly like if I try to take like a more positive take on it is that I'm. I would be thinking about what are the things that we could potentially do that don't really make the center of gravity's life any worse, but it would represent a big improvement for you, like shooting. I agree. Like, you're not going to convince the center of gravity to make their lives more inconvenient to make your life a little bit better. Unless you have some like particularly good leaders that are very empathetic. Like, sure, I guess sniff around that tree a little bit if you want. But I'm skeptical. But if you can propose something like, hey, this affects you 0% and it makes my life 25% better, there's the potential for something to, to maybe happen.

[A]

I totally agree. That was going to be my second less, you know, ambivalent or apathetic point. I think people underestimate how much is actually within their locus of control. I think there's just a ton of surface area that most centers of gravity don't give a shit about. They're not paying attention. They don't care how things get done, they don't care how you're organized, they don't care how you meet, they don't care who you hire. They don't care about anything except whether you're hitting your numbers, probably. And I think that we often underestimate what we can do that would be exciting and enlivening within our locus of control. And then once we've identified that, and honestly, this is work that like I have to do with clients also is like, you know, I don't get to just like run roughshod around a place and do whatever I think is smart. Like it's not my company. Once a domain is clarified within which you can do some good work, try to like enjoy it. Like, try to be in the saddle on whatever it is you have to do. Like, a lot of less experienced consultants that I've worked with, you know, will be in strategy work and they'll be like, what? Well, if we don't get into like this part of the cross functional execution is not gonna. And I'm like, I hear you. But like, this is where we are. This could have big impact rather than only focusing on where we can't be or where we've not been invited. Let's, like, be in the practice of doing this really well and also enjoying our craft. Like, it's. Oh, it's really easy to just be like, I wish that I was working on X. And it's like, it's all just fucking work. Try to enjoy practicing the craft that you are invited to practice and really flexing the mastery that you have. I think that's an underrated skill for a lot of us because we're all ambitious and optimizers and we're like, let's just talk about the things we're not allowed to do.

[B]

Yeah. What I love about this answer, I have nothing else valuable to contribute other than just this observation, which is you perfectly. We had maybe the most pessimistic answer that you could have. Like, yeah, nothing matters. You can't do anything to. I feel like I'm ready to run through a wall. I'm jazzed up. Let's go. Let's perfect our craft. Hell, yeah.

[A]

Hell, yeah. Love it. It's confusing and it's true.

[B]

All right. Love it. That's it for this mini. If you've got a question of your own, hit us up at podcast at the ready.

[A]

We will see you back here next week for a full episode of At Work with the Ready. Thank you so much for listening.