GA 644 | Defining Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick

Most leaders assume that the right argument, delivered clearly, will change minds. Owen Fitzpatrick has spent 30 years studying why that assumption is wrong. A psychologist who has worked inside some of the world’s most extreme propaganda environments, from North Korea to Rwanda to his own teenage years, Owen brings a framework to this conversation that reframes how belief actually changes. The implications for anyone trying to lead a continuous improvement effort are hard to ignore. In this episode you’ll learn: What the purpose of life being “defeated by greater things” reveals about continuous improvement (3:37) How a single question changed the trajectory of Owen’s life and work (5:00) Why the inner critic is the wrong label for what actually holds people back (9:18) How propaganda works in three parts and why it mirrors what happens inside our own minds (14:35) Why naive realism is the single biggest obstacle to influencing anyone (22:43) How recognizing inner propaganda as propaganda changes the way your brain processes it (28:55) Why logic comes last when beliefs actually change (33:40) How the three conditions of belief change explain why great arguments still fail (35:12) “Being right is not enough. Having the facts, having the data, having the information, table stakes, you need to have that. But it’s not enough to be persuasive.” – Owen Fitzpatrick Keep Learning If Owen’s point that buy-in requires more than logic resonates with how you lead change, the School of Leadership builds the skills that close that gap. Learn More About School of Leadership at https://www.gembaacademy.com/leadership Podcast Resources Owen on LinkedIn Owen’s Website Owen’s Newsletter Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Stay current on new courses, podcast episodes, and continuous improvement resources. Sign up for the Gemba Academy newsletter at gembaacademy.com/news What Do You Think? How do you define propaganda?