Industry Reviews
"The Heart of Transformation does beautifully what so many books on change management and leadership fail to do: bring the human element to front and center. Change is not an abstract process that occurs in systems; it is an intensely human process that begins in the change agents themselves and comes to involve all the members of an organization personally. While we take this for granted, it takes a book like this to show us how it works in detail." * Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management; Chairman of the Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute *
"If you've ever felt alone in your enthusiasm for helping people embrace a digital world, you need to meet Michael Leckie. Drawing on a wealth of experience as a transformation leader, his passion for change leaps off the page and his advice is as encouraging as it is practical." * Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife *
"Through a myriad of stories and examples, and sharing of formal and experiential knowledge and personal reflection, Michael Leckie vividly captures the formidable yet rewarding challenge of changing ourselves in order to integrate humanity and organization to thrive. He labels it 'heart', but there is a lot of 'soul' in this book as well." * Sue Mohrman, Senior Research Scientist at the USC Marshall Center for Effective Organizations *
"In a world that is changing more rapidly and more profoundly than predicted, The Heart of Transformation provides keen insights for leaders seeking to scale to these challenges. Michael Leckie does a terrific job of translating academic theory into actionable advice, while proving it's possible to lead with your head and your heart." * Joe Whittinghill, Corporate Vice President, Talent, Learning and Insights at Microsoft *
"Change is hard, and this book is a thoughtful guide to all the amazing people who are engaged in leading it. Michael passionately shares, in a voice and vulnerability which I have come to love, a collection of heart-felt questions and insights to help you navigate your way through." * Mohammed "Khal" Khalid, Global Advisory Director at The Leading Edge Forum *
"This book reminds me how insightful Michael is as a thought leader, adviser, and change agent, both in writing and in person. Michael combines a deep understanding of the human condition, business, and technology. His focus on dealing with the personal aspects of transformation, and the six capabilities we need to succeed, makes this book much more real and usable than many dry, high-level transformation frameworks. Powerful stuff." * Dave Aron, Unthinker, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner *
"It's not easy to write a book that is both simple and profound, and that tackles organizational transformation in such a personal way, but that's the magic of what Michael Leckie has done. No matter whether you're looking to change a corporation, a start-up, or a small team, you'll find both inspiration and practical advice in this book, the most important of which is to start with your own heart." * Ron Ashkenas, Partner Emeritus, Schaffer Consulting, and co-author of the Harvard Business Review Leader's Handbook *
"Leading an organization through this digital revolution is a complex human journey. Michael Leckie distills his many years of exploration, discovery, and leadership authority into this simple map that walks you through the heart of transformation." * Mark Bowden, Co-Founder of TRUTHPLANE (R) and global authority on non-verbal communication *
"Change is about choices, hard choices. There are six that matter most, and Michael Leckie shows you how to make the call in this invaluable book. Of the six principles he lays out, 'Pathfinding before Path Following' is the one that personally provoked me, challenged me, and opened up for me a new way of thinking about change. It points to the courage and the smarts you need to navigate a new landscape. In The Heart of Transformation, Michael Leckie provides us an invaluable map." * Michael Bungay Stanier, Bestselling Author of The Coaching Habit, named the #1 Thought Leader in Coaching *
"Many times, discussions about organizational transformation focus on tools, processes, and structures, leaving out of the mix the most important element: people. In The Heart of Transformation, Michael Leckie reminds leaders that to truly transform, you must enable your people with the skills a data-driven world requires to both see and think differently" * Mike Capone, CEO at Qlik *
"Making a change in your own life is hard, and change is even harder inside organizations. Michael Leckie gives us a way to turn this massive challenge into simple and clear actions anyone can take. If you're struggling with change in your organization, then this is the book for you, and everyone you work with!" * Dorie Clark, Author of Reinventing You and executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business *
"Transformation is an internal fundamental evolution of conscious choice and when it's done right, transformation has an enduring impact. This book offers a timely and needed strategic playbook that forces us to examine behaviors and capabilities required to drive change and transformation, and how to recode our brains for change. It is replete with actionable examples and a must-read for anyone driving a change agenda." * Amber Grewal, Managing Director & Partner, Global Talent at Boston Consulting Group and former Chief Talent Officer at Intel Corporation *
"Michael Leckie is a real person with real insight, and The Heart of Transformation is a refreshing read in a morass of business transformation tomes. Michael has not been afraid to make a leap during his career, always with heart and collegiality. This book will give you usable ideas at one of the most complicated times in recent human history." * Chris Howard, VP, Distinguished Analyst & Chief of Research at Gartner *
"Michael's passion jumps off the page in this guide to operationalizing curiosity and caring. We have to challenge ourselves to not get bogged down by the 'digital' words of the day, but ask ourselves to get reacquainted with our assumptions and our heart." * Byron Johnson, Head of the Global Learning Center of Excellence, PepsiCo University *
"I met Michael Leckie when he was responsible for culture change during the Digital Transformation of GE. At the time, I was impressed by his natural humility, his 'everything is possible' mindset, and his incredible skill to connect people together. If you haven't had the chance to know Michael personally, you will through this book. It is not a book full of words. It is a book full of life. It is not about theory, but about someone who has been there: humanizing before organizing, learning by asking powerful questions, and going where the fear is. I recommend this book!" * Dr. Bruno Kahne, Vice President, Learning & Development of CMA CGM Group *
"Michael Leckie is by all definitions a true innovator: humble, curious, creative, demanding, observant, and human. His years of experience in leading change in so many different organizations like Gartner, GE, as well as others have been distilled into this incredible book of wisdom. He outlines the myths, the mindsets, the approaches, and the principles to help you lead change in your organization and make progress. When telling the stories of change, Michael is at his best and conveys very deep and powerful concepts in a very digestible and simple way. He will open your mind in so many ways: from execution to exploration, from knowledge to learning, from path following to pathfinding, from making change to creating transformation. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Thank you, Michael!" * Bob Moesta, Founder & CEO of The Re-Wired Group and Adjunct Lecturer at The Kellogg School of Northwestern University *
"Michael distills his many years of transformation work experience into this amazing, must-read book. His insight into adaptive change and the growth mindset helps us see that transformation is all about people, starting with you, the leader. Michael brings a refreshing approach, showing us that no one framework will ever be superior to an amalgam that morphs to the given contextual challenges. It's not just about delivering suggested paths toward change, but actually starting with yourself first and modeling the change through execution. The lessons are also delivered with real-world narrative that makes it fun to read and hard to put down." * Vincent Perfetti, Chief Digital Officer at Nu Skin Enterprises *
"When I first met Michael, I was deeply interested in how passionate he was about our collective abilities to help organizations to transform. We talked extensively about how learning could facilitate this as an outcome and the role of leaders in empowering this. What I love about this book is that it reminds me of those conversations as it is written in the same way. It is enjoyable and reminds you of the things that inspire you the most." * Jig Ramji, Group Head of Talent, London Stock Exchange Group *
"Michael Leckie has always had a way to take concepts that are complex and lay them out in a very clear and concise way. In my experience, curious people are unstoppable, and Michael frames curiosity at the heart of transformation. This book is packed with practical steps a leader can take to ensure transformational change can succeed. Curious about how to make organizational change real? You must read this book!" * Jason Strle, Executive Vice President & Group CIO at Wells Fargo *
"Michael's quest for knowledge and his ability make very complex concepts relatable and applicable transcend through this obvious labor of love book. As the great conversationalist that he is, reading this book felt like having a conversation with Michael: interesting, thoughtful and full of curiosity. This book teaches us great lessons about how to ask very simple questions in order to help us build open teams, tackle change, and to continuously learn." * Barry Warren, President & CEO, DHP Furniture and Executive Vice President, Dorel Home *
"Michael Leckie's core premise in The Heart of Transformation is that when people in an organization can learn to care for each other, change can happen. It's a credo that he picked up in his time at Pepperdine's MSOD program, and has been applying and refining in a broad career spanning multiple roles and organizations. But it's not a one-sided, Pollyanna view of the world. He rightly recognizes (through simple, actionable, useful, and relatable questions and stories) that as leaders and people learn to care, they must also create the purposes and management structures, systems, and processes that make caring and change sustainable...for good." * Chris Worley, Research Professor of Management at Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business and Affiliate Researcher at USC's Center for Effective Organizations *
