Thought Leader Interview
Thinkers360 thought leader interviews profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Peter F Gallagher, Global Thought Leader, Guru, Speaker, Author 12x, Change Leadership Alignment Coach, and Board Adviser at Leadership of Change.
Peter consults, speaks, and writes with the PURPOSE of improving the Leadership of Change®. He aligns and prepares leadership teams to successfully lead their organistation’s change. For the last 30 years, he has worked in over 30 countries for some of the world’s most successful organisations. He is the author of 12 change management books, including Change Management Sponsorship: Leadership of Change Volume 7.
He is featured in the annual listings of the Thinkers360 Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management 2022, Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Lean Startup 2022 and Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (December 2020) as well.
Thinkers360: Tell us a bit about your background and areas of expertise
PFG: For the last 30 years I have worked in over 30 countries, across aerospace, defence, energy, finance, manufacturing, mining and pensions. I have worked for organisations such as Bombardier Aerospace, NCR, Shell and EY. I have been both an internal and external consultant. I have been involved in manufacturing, procurement, quality, lean six sigma initiatives, operational excellence, ERP implementations, CEO special projects, major organisational change and transformations. My clients have included Aramco, BP, Boeing, Rolls Royce, General Electric and Dow, to mention but a few.
When I look back at the projects or programmes that were successful, they had strong change management and communication components. But the ones that stood out, and that were really successful, those were the ones that had; change sponsorship, change leadership alignment and a behavioural change element. Even back in my early career as an Operations Team Manager I was measured on cost, quality, schedule, and people. I usually achieved the first three, but people targets were always more challenging, and this has always fascinated and intrigued me.
I am now back in the UK, after having worked as a strategic change execution director in EY Advisory Consulting Services for five years in the Middle East. Since I have returned, I have authored 12 change management books. I’ve developed my own change management framework, concepts, models and assessments and I am now rolling out my Leadership of Change® online training, as well as developing gamification offerings so employees can acquire change leadership knowledge and skills. I focus on the leadership, sponsorship and implementation area of the change management implementation spectrum because this how you get resources, organisation agenda time and high implementation success. I am an adviser to C-Suites, I consult, write, and speak about the Leadership of Change®.
Thinkers360: What are your current responsibilities and what’s a typical day look like?
PFG: My main work responsibilities are threefold. First, my consultancy business. The Leadership of Change® is my main priority where I advise CEOs and their leadership teams on successfully implementing organisational change and transformation. Our main focus is on preparing and aligning the leadership team to lead their change, this is likely to involve team or 1:1 coaching, workshops, masterclasses, and training.
Second, I speak on the Leadership of Change® globally at conferences, government entities, corporate boards, c-suites and to change professionals. Some of these speaking events may include delivering change management masterclasses or gamification workshops to business leaders, change professionals or employees involved in organisational change.
Finally, I have authored twelve change management books. This requires me to work with the publisher in terms of promotion, but it is also a fantastic opportunity to be collaborative with the readers who want to engage and ask questions, request speaking invites, change assessments, and webinars. I also continue to write my blogs and contribute to various articles, media outlets etc.
Additionally, I am on the global board of directors (BoD) with the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP), attending monthly board meetings and actively supporting strategy execution. I also help in the setting up of chapters in different parts of the world, as well as being on panel discussions, speaking on webinars, etc.
Thinkers360: What’s the favorite part of your current role?
PFG: I love everything about my role. I have found my passion in change leadership and my work no longer feels like work. I love coaching, speaking, and writing, but after writing twelve books I am now starting to put my content and IP into online masterclasses and gamification products. The online masterclasses are a different way of learning the book content. However, the real excitement and innovative thinking is in creating the change management gamification product in an app. It means we will be able to host one-day workshops face-to-face, remotely, or having an option for hybrid delivery. I am a big supporter of moving away from static PowerPoint slides and using experiential learning. You cannot learn how your stakeholders will react to change or build your own self-awareness from PowerPoint slides. I love gamification because it is an interactive and dynamic way for employees to learn change management skills and knowledge using game characteristics.
Knowledge is information acquired through sensory input: reading, watching, and listening, but skills are the ability to apply knowledge to specific situations. Gamification provides both. The participants will be given a change case study and will work together in teams of four to assess, select and implement their chosen change tactics through three simulation change phases: Plan, Execute and Sustain. They will discuss and choose a change tactic and get instant feedback on how the 13 stakeholders react, which can be positive, neutral, or negative. The team that moves the stakeholder the furthest around the game board wins, but the most important thing is the tested learning from the case study. These change leadership skills and knowledge gained through discussions and stakeholder reactions can be confidently applied immediately back in the workplace.
Thinkers360: How do you utilize Thinkers360? PFG: I use Thinkers360 to give me an online presence to learn, share and network. Thinkers360 has many globally recognised thought leaders and influencers with expertise that often touches on my focus areas of organisational change, leadership, and business strategy. These diverse thought leaders have insights, news, emerging trends that help me learn and connect with my areas of expertise. As a result, I am better informed when engaging my clients, network, and audience. I use the platform to share my blogs, videos, speaking events and, of course, my personal profile (thank you Thinkers360). As a result, I get to network and collaborate with amazingly talented people and many of my peers who would not typically have been known or visible to me.
See Peter’s Thinkers360 Profile: Peter F Gallagher
Thinkers360: How do you like to work with brands who wish to engage you as a thought leader? PFG: I coach, speak, and write on the Leadership of Change® and this is how brands engage me. On the coaching side, it can be advising c-suite leaders or working to align and prepare them to successfully deliver their organisation’s change or transformation. This involves the Change Leadership Alignment process which starts with a change history assessment® (CHA®), 1:1 interviews, alignment of strategy priorities, and developing a high performing team, as well as developing change leadership knowledge and skills. I speak to many different types of audiences and organisations globally on how to lead successful change. My greatest passion is speaking in boardrooms to senior executives about the three main responsibilities of leadership teams to successfully implement their organisation’s change. I have just finished my twelfth book on change management but still write blogs and thought leadership on emerging trends such as the ‘Age of the Employee’ which impact organisational change implementation. With the books now finished, my focus has moved to converting them to online training courses and change management gamification products.
External Link: Thinkers360 Link
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
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Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (May 2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.