Chief Change Officer
#103 Jennifer Selby Long: Navigating Power, Politics, and Personal Change
Sat, 14 Dec 2024
Jennifer Selby Long, the executive coach for tech leaders with 30 plus years of experience, dives into the art of navigating organizational politics and leading effective change. She explores the roots of workplace power struggles, from unhealthy leadership dynamics to competing stakeholder needs, and shares how empathy can transform political challenges into progress. Jennifer breaks down common missteps in handling ineffective bosses and highlights the importance of aligning personal and organizational goals during times of transformation. Whether you’re managing a team or managing your own career pivot, her insights offer a practical roadmap for thriving in complex environments. Key Highlights of Our Interview: Aligning Change with Personal Motivations “People don’t move mountains for stock prices or cost savings. They do it when the change connects to their personal ‘why’—what matters most to them as individuals.” Recognize the Root of Politics “Politics can stem from unhealthy leadership, but more often, they arise from competing needs and varied skill levels among stakeholders. Identifying the source is key to navigating them.” Empathy as a Superpower “The path through political challenges begins with empathy. Understand the needs of those with power—even if you think they don’t deserve it—and align your strategy with their goals.” Avoid Playing Psychologist “Trying to diagnose your boss’s issues only disempowers you. Focus on what you can control instead of guessing why your boss behaves the way they do.” Assess the Real Problem “Ask yourself: Is the boss genuinely ineffective, or am I resisting the changes they’re implementing? Recognizing your own resistance can help you approach the situation constructively.” _________________________ Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Jennifer Selby Long --Chief Change Officer-- Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself. Open a World of Deep Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives, Visionary Underdogs, Transformation Gurus & Bold Hearts. 6 Million+ All-Time Downloads. Reaching 80+ Countries Daily. Global Top 3% Podcast. Top 10 US Business. Top 1 US Careers. >>>100,000+ subscribers are outgrowing. Act Today.<<< --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
What insights does Jennifer Selby Long offer on navigating change?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chan, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist community for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. In our last episode, we sat down with Jennifer Selby Long.
She spent 30 years helping tech leaders navigate the ever-changing world of technology and lead organizational transformation. In recent years, her focus has been on cybersecurity, digital transformation, and user experience. But don't tune out if these areas don't apply to you. What Jennifer shares is relevant for anyone who wants to thrive in today's fast-paced world.
Stick with me for 30 minutes and you'll find something valuable in this conversation. This episode and the last one is all about guiding yourself through personal transformation. It's about stepping into your next opportunity. Leaders can't successfully drive organization change without first mastering their own personal growth.
In the last episode, we talked about the natural process of personal change. We also touched on self doubt and self sabotage. In this episode, we'll dive deeper. We'll discuss how neuroscience can help manage self sabotage We'll explore how to make career moves that work in your favor instead of just jumping from one bad situation to another.
It's such a great question. And as you were talking about this experience of you leave, you're starting a business, you see your colleagues get promoted. They're still sitting in their six-figure incomes. Oh, believe me, that one resonates with me personally. And it's not a straight line.
When I started this business, which is actually my second business, a few years after it started, we hit the dot-com bust. And the business sank, right? And really struggled. And then again, we got hit in 2008 when the economy collapsed in the United States. And it is so easy to fall into the self-sabotage. The reason, though, is really interesting.
Thank you.
the AD, C-H-A-M-I-N-E, Shirzad Shamim. And he writes a great deal about the neuroscience of this because that self-sabotage is something that develops in very early childhood. It is almost entirely wired into our brains by the time we're five years old. Now, why is that in there? Those saboteurs, as he calls them, are neural networks that very tiny children develop to ensure their survival.
If a little tiny kid recognized that their parents were not infallible, which is actually true,
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