Why do 70% of transformations fail—even for well-intentioned leaders?

I sit down with Thomas Saller to explore what derails change initiatives. Thomas is partner at 5L Partners, serves senior leaders across Europe, and author of Work It Like a German. He doesn't coach clichés—he coaches complexity.

Three critical blind spots:

The neuroscience behind resistance – People aren't afraid of change; they're afraid of loss. We unpack the SCARF model and how brains default to threat detection 80% of the time—your team's "resistance" is neuroscience.
The transition timing gap – You finished the change 18 months ago; your team started yesterday. As Thomas says: "Of course the change is done for you. You had 3 years to work on it. Other people just heard of it last week."
The leadership-management imbalance – Why initiatives fail when they're over-led (vision without execution) or undermanaged (process without purpose).

This connects to our 5R Edge™: REACH (navigating transformation), REGULATION (managing emotions), RESULTS (balancing vision with execution).

Take our FREE 5R Edge™ Diagnostic: https://tinyurl.com/5R-Podcast

Key timestamps:
[00:06:45] P&G and Gillette M&A
[00:11:12] Why executives finish before teams begin
[00:34:49] Neuroscience of competing commitments
[00:41:06] Balancing leadership and management

ABOUT YOUR HOST & GUEST

Janyne Peek Emsick, Ph.D. is an executive coach and creator of our 5R Edge™ framework. NeuroLeadership Institute certified.

Thomas Saller is executive coach, partner at 5L Partners, author of Work It Like a German.

Connect with Thomas:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-saller-82a5b479/
Book: https://a.co/d/b3jTpUp

Connect with Janyne:
Website: www.YourExecutiveCoach.com
LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/JPE-LinkedIn
Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/YAE-LinkedIn-Newsletter
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/JPE-Facebook
YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/YAE-Youtube
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/YAE-Spotify
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/YAE-Apple-Podcast

Together, we've got this!

Janyne

YourExecutiveCoach.com

Your Authentic Executive Podcast

Authentic Leadership | Profound Stories | Proven Lessons

Hosted by Janyne Peek Emsick, Ph.D.

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Thank you so much to Kimberly Cappellano for taking time to deliver such valuable insight to fellow executives!

Follow her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-cappellano/

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