42. The Top 3 Skills Change Agents Need in 2026

Want to build skills like this to help your team succeed in 2026? ⁠Learn about our Capability Catalyst program⁠. Enterprise change is getting harder, not easier—and in 2026, “having the right ideas” isn’t enough to move transformation. You need personal capability that lets you see what’s really happening, design with real users, and move groups through hard conversations without turning everything into theater. Good intentions and smart frameworks may have worked in the past, but what got us here won’t get us where we need to go. In this episode, Rodney and Sam dive deep on the three most useful transformation enabling skills for the coming year, and share practical ways for how to level up your capability toolkit to thrive in our current pace of change. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Let's talk.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Mentioned references: Sam's teaching metacognition Bloom's taxonomy "MG" - McChrystal Group situational awareness "the balcony" The Mom Test The Future of HR Matt Basford "business model fit chart" "Henry Ford quote" Liberating Structures 00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s good right now? 04:09 The Pattern 05:49 Skill 1: Metacognitive awareness 10:16 Reframing your interactions and experiences 15:57 Building your metacognition skills 21:05 Skill 2: User-Centered Design and Feedback 28:45 User feedback is not a one time activity 34:34 Skill 3: Expert facilitation 39:39 Real skilled facilitation is mostly invisible 43:03 Lots of work happens outside the room 50:08 Leveling up as a facilitator 52:30 Wrap up: Leave the show a review and share with a friend Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.