What happens when leaders discover that most barriers to transformation come from within their own systems rather than the people inside them? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, Natalie sits down with transformation strategist Marcia Daszko, whose work with CEOs, boards, and executive teams has shaped transformations across industries from Fortune 50 corporations to school districts and private companies on the brink of collapse. Marcia shares why meaningful transformation always begins with personal change, why leaders must embrace curiosity and courage, and why systems, not individuals, determine performance. She explains how clarity of aim creates alignment and why most companies sabotage themselves by clinging to old management habits. Together, Natalie and Marcia explore the stamina required to lead through uncertainty, the impact of fear on productivity, and the risks of layering new technologies like AI on top of broken processes
Takeaways:
- Curiosity is the entry point to transformation. Leaders must develop a habit of questioning their assumptions, challenging long-held beliefs, and examining the practices they’ve accepted as normal.
- Courage determines whether learning turns into action. The leaders who succeed push through discomfort, confront outdated systems, and take ownership of the conditions they’ve created, even when it means letting go of familiar habits.
- Systems drive results, not individual effort. When performance stalls, most leaders look to accountability or evaluation tactics. Marcia urges the opposite: redesign the system.
- Fear quietly erodes productivity and profits. Naming and removing those fears builds trust, unlocks creativity, and helps people contribute without self-protection getting in the way.
- Flow is the north star of transformation. When barriers, waste, complexity, and unnecessary practices are removed, work, communication, and innovation move more naturally. Transformation becomes less about force and more about enabling conditions.
- AI is not a shortcut; it’s an amplifier. Leaders who apply AI to broken systems risk multiplying waste.
Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciadaszko/
- Email: md@mdaszko.com
- Phone Number: 408-398-7220
- Website: https://mdaszko.com
- Pivot, Disrupt, and Transform Book: https://a.co/d/gjnqCwF
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change
- iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501
- Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797
This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.
Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com
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