In this episode of Apogy’s Change Leader Insights podcast, host Jessica Crow speaks with Richard Pharro, founder and CEO of APMG International, about how he started his career as a civil engineer and served on the board of the Association of Project Management before starting APMG International, how he’s used transparent communication to lead through change and Richard’s passion for professional certifications and development.

Richard is the founder and CEO of APMG, one of the few privately owned international accreditation and certification bodies.  Started in 1993, APMG has expanded its portfolio to nearly 100 schemes across the management spectrum on behalf of many National and International organizations and has representation in 14 countries.

During the conversation, Jessica asked Richard to share advice for change or project professionals who aren’t new to the field but want to develop in their profession. Richard explains that, ultimately, it’s all about the people. Says Richard, “Someone [once] said, ‘You manage the process but lead people.’ If you can’t take the people with you, whether it’s a change program or a project, it’s not going to happen.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Hearing how Richard and APMG International navigated the changes that resulted from the pandemic

☑️ Strategies for motivating people when they’re experiencing disruptions and fear, including sharing the pain and providing transparent communication throughout the process

☑️ The value of continuous learning and accredited training services in understanding and developing new skills

If you want to learn more about being a vulnerable and transparent leader at the C-Suite level (or any high-level leadership role) and the power of training and professional development, be sure to tune in and hear what Richard has to say!

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Dr. Jen Frahm, the co-founder of The Agile Change Leadership Institute, speaker, and three-time author, about her career journey and passion for change, the value (and importance) of change leadership, and how to lean into courage to move beyond feeling stuck.

Jen has over 30 years of experience in change management and builds change capability in organizations through The Agile Change Leadership Institute. She is a global expert on organizational change, communication, and transformation, a tamer of ambiguity, a speaker of truths, and a solver of problems. She’s the author of Change. Leader: The changes you need to make first (2021) and Conversations of Change: A guide to workplace change (2017), and co-author of The Agile Change Playbook (2020).

During the conversation, Jessica and Jen discussed the critical significance of change leadership in leading successful change. Change managers alone can’t implement and sustain effective change, and Jen emphasized the role leaders play and the changes they need to make to become fit to lead change. Says Jen, “You can have the best change manager in the world. You can have the best change plan, and communications [can be] absolutely brilliant. And [the change] will only succeed or fail based on the quality and caliber of the leader who is in front of you.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Understanding change leadership and the pivotal role it plays in leading successful change

☑️ How courage (to try new things and be uncomfortable) and self-compassion can propel leaders forward

☑️ Ways to feed your curiosity as a change leader to grow your knowledge and abilities

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Mark Green, CEO and Founder of Change Rebellion, about his career path, having fun at work (and why we should), and the role of perspective in life and change.

Mark, who has over 22 years of experience, launched Change Rebellion last year, where honesty meets empathy and Change Management returns to its practical roots to support workplace transformations. Through his work at Change Rebellion, Mark is on a mission to challenge the complexity of consulting and change management and prioritizes well-being and empathy to sell human-centric change.

During the conversation, Jessica and Mark discussed strategies for individuals within organizations leading or supporting change to bring more fun (and themselves!) into their work. Encourages Mark, “If you're in a change management role, [and] you don’t think you’d be listened to, you don’t think it’s going well, or you’ve got some frustrations, just try incrementally bringing a little bit of you into the workplace, whatever that looks like.”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ How to help organizations and teams navigate a change while making it fun
☑️ Strategies for engaging with and getting to know people on a deeper level to help drive change
☑️ Ways individuals within organizations leading change can bring more fun, creativity, and a willingness to try new things into their work

If you’ve ever wondered how you might be able to lead change and have fun while doing it, be sure to tune in and hear what Mark has to say!

If you’ve ever wondered how you might be able to lead change and have fun while doing it, be sure to tune in and hear what Mark has to say!