How To Leverage Friction For Safer Roads And A Fulfilling Life

Ryland Potter is the U.S. Director at WDM, a company specializing in pavement condition measurement and friction management. Her work helps transportation agencies use friction data and leading indicators to make proactive decisions about their road networks — part of a broader effort to bring asset management thinking to road safety. In this conversation, she traces her own path through management consulting, a community grocery store that almost was, and finally to the work that fits. Along the way: why curiosity is the option-preserving skill she leans on most, what burnout taught her about updating her thinking, and how she approaches change management as a daily practice rather than a formal plan. Key Takeaways Reactive systems wait for failure. Proactive systems track the leading indicators that predict failure before it happens — and the same logic applies to roads, careers, and leadership. Friction changes in time and in space. The places that demand the most from you are the places that wear down fastest. Knowing where your demand is highest is the first step to managing it. There is no inherent value in data. The value is in implementing decisions from it. Most agencies do not lack data — they lack the work of turning data into useful information. Burnout is often the signal that the best available option has stopped being good enough. The discomfort is the data. Holding your plan loosely is not the same as having no plan. A tight plan held loosely is what allows you to navigate the conditions life actually presents you. Curiosity is a leadership skill. Approaching conversations without all the answers opens up possibilities that confirmation-driven thinking forecloses. We are not who we think we are. We are not the vision of who we want to be. We are eventually what our habits create — which is why systems matter more than goals. Change management is rarely a formal plan. It is the daily practice of choosing whether to move with what is in front of you or reject it. Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — Why pavement friction matters to everyone, not just engineers 03:00 — The shift from reactive to proactive road safety 07:00 — 40,000 fatal crashes a year and what data-driven decisions could change 13:00 — One word to describe yourself: thoughtful, curious, options 17:00 — Returning to Richmond after management consulting burnout 19:00 — What management consulting taught Ryland about updating her priors 26:00 — The community grocery store that almost was 30:00 — Change management as a daily practice, not a formal plan 32:00 — Advice for listeners considering a change 35:00 — The mic flip: what would you go down the rabbit hole on? 36:00 — Vision, curiosity, and the power of habits 39:00 — Coach in Your Corner About the Guest Ryland Potter is the U.S. Director at WDM, a UK-headquartered company with 80 years of experience in pavement condition measurement and the original developers of SCRIM continuous pavement friction technology. After a decade in management consulting and a stint with the State of Virginia, she now works with departments of transportation and private industry to bring proactive friction management into modern asset management practice. She is based in Richmond, Virginia. Connect with Ryland on LinkedIn. WDM | Global Leader of Intelligent Road Management Services Ryland Potter | LinkedIn About the Host Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide. Sign-up for the Win By Design Newsletter Here