January CLT Monthly Meeting Summary - “2025 Innovation Headwinds and Tailwinds”
We opened with lessons learned for driving innovation from Catalyst Constellations. We then heard key themes and lessons for successful change drivers from Aidan McCullen. Finally, we closed with a member exchange on the headwinds and tailwinds they are facing this year. We recorded the opening segment of this meeting; you can see the video here.
Lessons from Cat Con and the CLT
Aidan’s Advice for Innovators:
Watch that Burnout: Catalyst Role & Recognition Catalysts are like matches that get consumed in creating change, often receiving little credit despite driving transformation. The "Little Red Hen" analogy illustrates how catalysts do foundational work but may not get recognition.
Making vs. Taking Credit: Dealing with Organization Dynamics Arthur C. Clarke's quote shows how new ideas progress: from "can't be done" to "not worth it" to "I knew it was great all along." This highlights the frustration Catalysts face when others later claim credit for their work.
A Sisyphean Task: Resilience and Self-Care The Sisyphean myth illustrates the importance of Catalysts maintaining health, relationships, and family connections while doing challenging work. Empathy is highlighted as a crucial skill learned from extensive experience.
Change Management Challenges A 2024 PwC report cites 50% of people feel overwhelmed by simultaneous changes, with 60% believing the pace is increasing. Innovation is becoming less prioritized in Europe, with sustainability taking precedence.
Sources and Links Referenced by Aidan:
Steve Kerr
Rewards
https://thethursdaythought.substack.com/p/misdiagnosis-in-organisational-change
Sell With Style:
Member Discussion Highlights
Measuring the True Impact of Catalyst Work. One attendee pointed out the challenge of quantifying Catalyst work when traditional metrics (like sales numbers) don't capture the full impact of relationship building and organizational change.
Change Management is Key to Digital Transformation. Another member highlights challenges in cultural integration during digital transformation, particularly managing the "trough of disillusionment" and maintaining focus amid distractions, from political cycles to climate disasters to technology change.
Nose in and Hands Out? A Leadership Evolution. One member shared challenge of overseeing broad operational responsibilities alongside innovation, including the challenge of developing other leaders to maintain the same sense of urgency as well as her desire to avoid becoming indispensable to the organization.
Addressing the Human Side of Technology Adoption. Purchasing new technology is easier than ensuring adoption. The increasing challenge of maintaining focus in a distracting environment is highlighted.
External vs Internal Change Agents The discussion concluded with the importance of building internal capabilities for sustainable change, and not just relying on external consultants.
