Episode Summary Every rollout gets sold as a transformation. Torrence Smith makes the case that the word itself is part of the problem. In this episode, host Justin Lake sits down with Torrence, an operating executive and enterprise operational excellence consultant, to talk about what it really takes to make change land on the frontline. Torrence argues that for the people in the field, most of the daily work stays the same after a new system goes in, often around eighty percent of it. Frame the change as a transformation and you hand workers a black cloud of the unknown, which is where fear and resistance grow. Frame it as a tweak, show them exactly what changes and what does not, and the anxiety drops. From there the conversation moves through what makes that possible: involving the frontline while the plan is still being written, having the low stakes conversations before the formal meeting, changing only the four or five levers that matter, and remembering that the people across the table are usually carrying more worry than they let on. He closes with the most analog advice the show has heard in a while. Buy a notebook.   Key Topics Why poor adoption costs credibility before it costs money Organizational memory, and why the last failed rollout follows the next one Nemawashi, the meeting before the meeting Surfacing resistance early, while it is still cheap to fix Why the cost of a mistake is lowest at the very start The hybrid kit philosophy: change the levers that matter, leave the rest alone Reframing a transformation as a tweak The anxiety people carry that never shows up in a status meeting Compliance versus commitment, alignment versus consensus Letting the field test workflows before go live   Episode Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:58 Welcome and guest introduction 01:35 The operational consequences of poor technology adoption 03:22 What lost credibility actually costs an organization 05:34 Overcoming the baggage from past implementations 07:47 Organizational memory and why the last rollout follows you 11:04 Nemawashi, the meeting before the meeting 14:32 Making people part of both the problem and the solution 17:03 Why the cost of a mistake is lowest at the start 21:01 The map is not the territory 27:04 How scale compounds the variables 29:51 The hybrid kit philosophy: change the levers that matter 31:41 We will give you a different spreadsheet 36:27 Digital tweak versus digital transformation 38:50 The anxiety people carry that you never see 48:28 Letting the field test workflows before go live 55:53 Compliance or commitment, alignment or consensus 57:34 One last piece of advice: keep a notebook   About Torrence Smith Torrence Smith is an operating executive and enterprise operational excellence consultant who helps organizations improve supply chain performance, ERP implementations, and operational excellence. He works at the intersection of technology, business transformation, and the people responsible for making change successful on the frontlines. His approach is people centered and built over a long career leading operational programs, with a focus on involving the field early and keeping change small enough for people to carry.   Resources Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast Skyllful: https://skyllful.com

Episode Summary Senior IT change and adoption consultant Janie McNeil joins host Justin Lake to talk about why new technology so often goes unused, and what it actually takes to change that. She makes the case that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem: when workers aren't brought in early, tools that cost millions sit idle and the damage trickles downstream for months. Janie digs into using data to prove adoption is working, why frontline teams learn by doing and watching rather than reading dense documentation, and why change management and learning teams get the best results when they're pulled in from the start instead of the eleventh hour. She closes on AI, arguing that the way to get people to embrace it is to show them their worth, not warn them about restructuring, and she shares a simple task list anyone can use to see where AI helps and where a human is still the answer. It's a practical, empathetic look at keeping people at the center of technological change.   Key Topics The operational cost of poor technology adoption Downstream effects of adoption failure Bringing change management in early Measuring adoption with data The product manager's role in system success How frontline workers actually learn Change management and L&D working together Building trust to get involved sooner Supporting AI adoption without fear   Episode Chapters 00:00  Introduction to the episode and guest 00:30  Janie McNeil's background and expertise 01:02  The operational impact of failed technology adoption 01:35  The importance of early stakeholder engagement 02:00  The cost of unused tools and systems 02:47  Downstream effects of poor adoption 03:25  The prolonged impact of adoption issues 04:25  Measuring adoption through metrics and data 05:24  The role of product managers in system success 06:21  Aligning success metrics with organizational goals 07:17  The importance of user behavior and process adherence 08:00  Challenges faced by product managers 09:07  Diverse user groups and their needs 10:01  Including change management early in projects 11:12  The late involvement of change management teams 12:24  The undervaluation of change management 13:32  The power of data literacy in adoption 14:54  Using data storytelling to demonstrate value 16:04  Microsoft's investments in adoption tools 18:06  The ongoing challenge of software adoption 19:50  Supporting frontline workers through community and education 22:21  Effective learning methods for frontline teams 24:36  The strategic role of L&D and change management 26:43  Defining responsibilities of change management vs. L&D 28:45  Streamlining project delivery with integrated teams 30:56  The risks of delaying documentation and training 32:40  Building relationships and trust in change initiatives 36:50  Managing overwhelm and delegation in change projects 39:03  Supporting AI adoption and addressing fears 44:52  The importance of human value in technological change 47:02  Embracing AI as a tool for growth and development 48:38  Closing remarks and key takeaways   About Janie McNeil Janie McNeil is a senior IT change and adoption consultant who helps organizations turn new technology into lasting behavior change, working at the intersection of people and the tools meant to support them. She grew up in one of the world's largest manufacturing communities, and that experience shapes how she thinks about supporting frontline and deskless workers through change. Her work spans organizational change management, learning and development, product adoption, and using data to show that adoption is actually taking hold.   Resources Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast Connect with Janie McNeil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janie-rosales-mcneil Microsoft adoption resources: https://adoption.microsoft.com Prosci change management resources: https://www.prosci.com

Episode Summary Carly Greenwald has spent more than 20 years in IT leadership and change management, leading global transformation work that connects new technology with the people who actually use it. In this episode she and host Justin Lake dig into why frontline adoption succeeds or fails, and they keep landing on one word: confidence. The conversation moves from the frontline worker handed a change they never asked for, to the customer across the counter, to the project team that has lived inside the implementation for months. Carly argues for honesty over polish. Do not sugarcoat the change, do not oversell benefits that are not there, and do not save feedback for a big reveal that rarely goes as planned. Her sharpest point reframes who needs confidence: it is not only the frontline. Project teams often delay user feedback because they are not yet confident in what they are building, and bringing users in early, in small increments, raises everyone's confidence at once. Key Topics The underrepresented frontline voice Unwinding old habits, not just teaching the new way Honesty over sugarcoating the change How frontline confidence transfers to customers The project team's own confidence Early, incremental feedback instead of the big reveal Being realistic about what change asks of people Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Change Management in Technology01:12 Consequences of Poor Technology Adoption04:28 Engaging Frontline Workers in Change07:34 Overcoming Resistance to Change10:09 The Impact of Change on Customer Experience11:38 The Role of Change Managers14:22 Building Trust and Relationships17:20 The Isolation of Frontline Workers20:14 The Importance of Confidence in Frontline Teams23:05 The Ripple Effect of Technology Changes26:06 Connecting Confidence and Customer Trust37:51 Understanding Change from the Frontline Perspective44:01 Building Confidence in Change Management51:43 The Importance of User Feedback in Implementations01:01:19 Realistic Expectations for Digital Transformation About Carly Greenwald Carly Greenwald is an IT change management and user engagement leader with more than 20 years of experience in IT leadership and change management. She specializes in global transformation initiatives that bridge technology and people, helping organizations move past implementation into genuine adoption with a practical, people-centered approach. Resources Carly Greenwald on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-greenwald-7b74b813/ Skyllful: https://skyllful.com Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast

Episode Summary Business changes fast and people change slow. That gap, Steve Reiner argues, is where most change efforts quietly fail, and closing it is one of the few real competitive advantages a company has left. In this episode, host Justin Lake sits down with Steve, VP of Sales at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and author of Leaders Created and Business Changes Fast, People Change Slow, to unpack why adoption stalls on the frontline and what leaders can actually do about it. Steve walks through his Change Stamina Framework, a four-step approach that puts the work back on leaders rather than the frontline. Leaders learn the change first, well before launch. They bring in managers, then frontline champions, staying in the room the entire time. They host the training themselves instead of kicking off a meeting and slipping out the back. And they reinforce the change for far longer than anyone expects, because sustainment, not go-live, is where adoption is won or lost. Along the way, Steve explains why the small daily changes sting frontline teams more than the big platform launches, why people resist change for reasons rooted in how our brains conserve energy, and why nine and a half times out of ten people do not need pressure, they need more time and attention. He also ties it all back to the P&L: if a change is worth making, it is worth supporting all the way through, because every day a team spends stuck in the change curve is a day the business pays for it. Key Topics Shrinking the gap between business speed and people speed The Change Stamina Framework Leaders as participants, not just deciders Why people resist change Sustainment is longer than you think Connecting change to the P&L Episode Chapters 00:00  Introduction to leadership and change management 02:56  Connecting change to performance and profit 06:01  The role of leaders in change execution 09:14  The Change Stamina Framework 11:59  Building confidence in leaders 14:58  The importance of field engagement 18:11  Understanding resistance to change 21:00  The leader's responsibility in change 23:53  The impact of communication on change 27:02  The need for continuous engagement 30:01  Conclusion and call to action 32:04  Challenging routines and embracing change 34:44  Understanding the adoption curve 36:00  The importance of time and attention in leadership 39:46  Winning the game of chicken with resistors 43:45  The long road of change sustainment 49:12  Change as a continuous process 57:08  Engaging with leadership and resources   About Steve Reiner Steve Reiner is VP of Sales at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, with more than two decades of experience rising from consultant to senior leadership across multiple markets. He focuses on building leaders who build engaged, high-performing frontline teams. Steve is the author of two books, Leaders Created and, most recently, Business Changes Fast, People Change Slow, which lays out his Change Stamina Framework for leading change faster than the competition. Resources Steve's website: Leaders Created "Business Changes Fast, People Change Slow" by Steve Reiner, available on Amazon "Leaders Created" by Steve Reiner, available on Amazon Steve Reiner on LinkedIn Skyllful

Episode Summary Good customer service begins with the frontline worker, not at headquarters. In this episode, Dan Cefaratti, North American Dynamics Lead at Velrada, joins host Justin Lake to explain why that person is the organization's service ambassador, why technology adoption in the field is still treated as an afterthought even though it often decides whether a large investment succeeds, and why ride-alongs and on-site time have quietly faded since the pandemic at exactly the moment adoption matters most. It is a practical, honest conversation for anyone rolling out technology to the people who keep operations running.   Key Topics • Frontline workers are your service ambassadors • Why technology adoption gets treated as an afterthought • What ride-alongs reveal that a conference room never will • Unwinding old muscle memory, the real work of change • Why adoption stalls when everyone owns it and no one does • The post-COVID decline of field visits • What Microsoft Dynamics brings to field service   Episode Chapters 00:00 Meet Dan Cefaratti 01:25 The ripple effect of poor frontline adoption 04:09 How many customers actually resource adoption 05:37 What good looks like: analysis, design, and ride-alongs 07:09 Ride-along stories from the field 14:24 Giving people time to absorb change 17:17 Where change management breaks down 19:09 Who owns end user adoption 22:28 Unwinding muscle memory 24:52 The post-COVID decline of field visits 31:23 What to look for in a field service partner 33:05 What people miss about Microsoft Dynamics 36:49 Adoption is a frontline problem in every industry 38:47 Where to find Dan   About Dan Cefaratti Dan Cefaratti is the North American Dynamics Lead at Velrada, where he designs and delivers Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions that help organizations streamline operations and empower their teams. With deep expertise in enterprise technology architecture, Dan brings a practitioner's perspective on how thoughtful technology design can transform the way frontline and field-based workforces operate. His work spans field service and beyond, including custom mobile and PowerApps solutions for industries from healthcare to not-for-profit.   Resources Connect with Dan Cefaratti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-cefaratti-b11776/ Velrada: https://www.velrada.com Skyllful: https://www.skyllful.com/

Episode Summary What happens when you deploy new technology that works great for your leadership team but actively makes life harder for the people using it every day? According to David Bishop, the answer is attrition, and it costs more than most service leaders realize. In this episode, Justin Lake sits down with David Bishop, Managing Partner at Twin Bishop Strategies, LLC., to talk about the real cost of poor frontline technology adoption in the HVAC service industry. David brings more than 45 years of industry experience, including time as a general management executive at an OEM where he built high-performance service teams before co-founding Twin Bishop Strategies with his twin brother. The conversation covers what attrition actually costs in dollars, why technicians will voluntarily take a pay cut to escape job stress, and the specific practices David uses to close the gap between a technology deployment that looks good on a dashboard and one that actually serves the people doing the work. Key Topics The true cost of losing a technician, well beyond the recruiting fee Why technicians will take a pay cut just to escape the stress The “field council” model: letting technicians shape the tech before go-live Why people learn new tools the way they pitch a tent, not by reading the manual The confidence gap new technology creates, and when to measure it What a struggling technician does to customer trust on the job site Governance: the missing piece for trusting AI tools in the field Why a sound problem statement has to come before any solution Episode Chapters 00:00  Introduction to Twin Bishop Strategies 02:11  Consequences of Poor Technology Adoption 04:57  Understanding Attrition in the HVAC Industry 10:02  A Day in the Life of a Technician 12:51  Overcoming Resistance to Technology 16:03  Building Confidence in Technicians 20:49  Measuring Confidence and Competence 23:31  The Impact of Technician Satisfaction on Customers 24:06  Empowering Technicians for Success 27:45  Scaling Employee Engagement and Feedback 30:23  Innovative Approaches to Employee Satisfaction 33:30  Bridging Learning Gaps in Service Industries 36:48  Navigating AI and Technology in the Field 39:37  The Future of Work: People, Process, and Technology 42:11  Understanding and Solving Real Problems About David Bishop David Bishop is Managing Partner at Twin Bishop Strategies, LLC., a consulting firm he co-founded with his twin brother after both retired from executive roles in the HVAC and building automation industry. David spent more than 45 years in the field, including time as a general management executive at an OEM where he focused on building high-performance service teams, improving customer satisfaction, and driving operational results. Twin Bishop Strategies takes a problem-first approach: they go in to find the pain point, and if there isn’t one, they move on. The company name comes from the chess piece (strategic, decisive, and careful about the moves it makes) and from the brothers’ shared surname. Resources Twin Bishop Strategies: https://twinbishopstrategies.com Connect with David Bishop on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bishop-12136913/ Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast

Episode summary Host Justin Lake sits down with Leza Isadora, Organizational Change Manager at Puget Sound Energy, who brings more than a decade of experience guiding digital transformations across healthcare, entertainment, government, nonprofit, and energy. Leza makes the case that frontline rollouts rarely fail because of the technology. They fail because leaders move fast on change and rarely stop to see it through the workforce's eyes. Justin and Leza dig into the operational consequences of broken trust, the metrics that translate "warm fuzzy people issues" into the language leadership actually responds to, and the practical mechanics of building support that lasts past go-live. Along the way, Leza shares a true story about a help desk turnover spiral, why 30-60-90 day follow-up plans matter, how to reach frontline workers who never read email, and why a willingness to pause an initiative is often the most strategic move a change leader can make. Key topics covered The operational fallout when frontline workers lose trust in a rollout: workarounds, call-outs, turnover, and erosion of legacy knowledge Connecting change strategy to the metrics leadership cares about, like trouble-ticket volume, time-to-resolution, and turnover rates Building a super user network that draws on early adopters across departments, not just the technically adept Recognizing change champions in ways that stick (callouts, gift cards, and the underrated currency of extra time off) Why personalization at scale starts with surveying past initiatives and reading the data already sitting in HR and engagement dashboards Replacing the project mindset with a sustained model: 30-60-90 day follow-up, hyper-care handoff, and ongoing support Closing the communication gap with field workers who do not read email, do not attend town halls, and do not pick up the phone Why "people don't resist change, they resist being changed" reframes how leaders ask for buy-in Two pieces of advice for change leaders running large-scale technology deployments: always have the conversation, and never be afraid to take a pause About Leza Leza Isadora is an Organizational Change Manager at Puget Sound Energy. She has spent more than ten years supporting digital transformations across healthcare, entertainment, government, nonprofit, and energy sectors, with a current focus on frontline workers navigating wave after wave of new technology. Her background in strategic communications and branding shapes a change approach grounded in trust, transparent dialogue, and respect for the field employees who actually carry the work. Resources & Links Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast Ginger Luttrell's Super User Revolution: https://sapinsight.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/super-user-revolution-pre-sale Connect with Leza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lezaisadora/

Summary When a rollout lands badly on the frontline, the cost isn't just lost productivity. It's the people who quietly start looking elsewhere. And it's rarely the people you'd guess. In this episode, Justin talks with Kapil Dua, Associate Director of Change Management and Issues Management at a Fortune 100 company, who has spent over a decade leading large-scale SaaS implementations, including current rollouts impacting more than 20,000 stakeholders. Kapil makes the case that the real downside of a poor change isn't the immediate friction, it's the slow erosion of trust that follows: your strongest performers have options, and when they decide a workplace has a "taxed relationship" with change, they leave. From there, the conversation moves into what actually works at scale. Kapil walks through why he chases down cynics instead of avoiding them, why most change communications fail at the language layer (not the strategy layer), and why the best implementations he's been part of were the ones nobody talked about afterward. He also shares the "two wolves" story, his "right things, for the right reasons, in the right ways" rule, and a memorable line about why ignoring how something feels for the user is like designing toilet paper out of sandpaper, it gets the job done, but it hurts. If you're rolling out anything that touches the frontline this year, this one is worth your time. Key Topics Why the biggest cost of a failed rollout is the best people you didn't realize you were losing The case for being honest when a change will mean more work, not less How to convert cynics into your strongest change champions The "two wolves" story, and why change always feeds the dark wolf first Communication design: writing every message to be misread, not just understood Working through layers of stakeholders when one-on-one isn't possible at 20,000 people Why a great change isn't celebrated, it's seamless The 10:1 ratio: it takes ten good experiences to erase one bad one "How will it feel?" as the question most rollouts skip Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Change Management and Adoption 01:56 The Consequences of Poor Adoption 04:33 Measuring the Impact of Employee Satisfaction 07:32 Generational Perspectives on Work and Change 10:09 Balancing Macro and Microeconomic Perspectives 12:13 The Pressure of Public Companies 15:50 The Importance of Employee Experience 18:19 Aligning Associate Experience with Profitability 20:46 The Emotional Impact of Change 24:44 Filling the Gaps in Communication 25:32 Engaging Skeptics in Change Initiatives 29:40 The Reality of Change and Data Collection 31:32 The Importance of Honesty in Change Management 38:07 Navigating Change at Scale 46:58 Building a Change Network 57:50 The Human Element in Change Implementation Guest Bio Kapil Dua is Associate Director, Change Management and Issues Management at a Fortune 100 company, where he leads enterprise transformation focused on process alignment, operational excellence, and user adoption. With over a decade of experience driving large-scale SaaS implementations, including rollouts impacting more than 20,000 stakeholders, he brings a practical, people-first, data-driven perspective on leading change across complex organizations. Resources Frontline Innovators Podcast Kapil Dua on LinkedIn Skyllful - Frontline Enablement Platform

Summary When frontline technology misses the mark, workers don't fail. They adapt. But those workarounds come at a cost. In this episode, Justin talks with Maria Feay, a healthcare operations executive with over 30 years of experience spanning operations, quality, data analytics, and customer experience. Maria unpacks the real operational fallout of poor technology adoption: the widening gap between strategy and execution, the dangers of "everyone owns it, so no one owns it," and what it actually takes to move from compliance to true accountability. They also dig into the often-overlooked power of quality roles inside operations, why workforce enablement looks fundamentally different from traditional training, and how tools like speech analytics and AI are helping organizations surface risk before it becomes a crisis. If your org keeps running the same project plan and getting the same results, this one is for you. Key Topics Why poor frontline tech adoption creates an invisible rift between strategy and execution How to measure the real cost of an adoption gap and why metrics are the key to making the business case The role of accountability and "trust but verify" in driving meaningful change Where quality functions belong inside an organization (and why it matters) Workforce enablement vs. traditional training: a fundamental shift in perspective Leveraging AI and speech analytics to get ahead of customer risk How transparency in change management changes outcomes Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Frontline Innovators and Guest Background 02:37 Operational Consequences of Poor Frontline Technology Adoption 05:29 Measuring the Impact of Technology Gaps 08:03 Quality Roles in Operations 10:21 The Importance of Quality in Healthcare 12:00 Investment Justification for Quality Roles 14:19 Healthcare Metrics and Customer Experience 16:18 Complexities of Healthcare Customer Experience 18:46 The Role of Empathy in Healthcare 22:04 Technology's Impact on Patient Interaction 28:09 Balancing Technology and Human Interaction 31:03 The Ease of DIY in Healthcare 32:19 Training vs. Enablement: A Shift in Perspective 35:18 Workforce Enablement: Beyond Traditional Training 39:08 The Knowledge Base Dilemma 43:52 Dynamic Enablement: Personalizing Learning 47:27 The Role of Accountability in Training 51:20 Transparency in Change Management 57:34 Final Thoughts on Frontline Adoption Resources Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast Maria Feay on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mariafeay Skyllful: https://skyllful.com

Summary In this episode, Keri Corbin shares her extensive experience in enterprise transformation, focusing on frontline technology adoption, making a compelling business case for improvements, and sustaining change. She discusses real-world stories, the importance of planning, confidence, and continuous improvement in operational success.   Key Topics Impact of poor frontline technology adoption on customer experience and revenue Making measurable business cases for technology investments The importance of planning, testing, and readiness in deployment The role of confidence and muscle memory in change managementStrategies for continuous improvement and agile transformation   Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Frontline Innovators Podcast01:32 Impact of Poor Frontline Technology Adoption03:47 Making the Business Case for Technology08:21 Keri Corbin's Background and Experience14:26 Understanding Readiness for Technology Rollouts19:21 Identifying Potential Blind Spots in Processes25:22 The Importance of Planning in Projects30:45 Navigating Project Timelines and Delays34:29 Navigating Difficult Conversations in Implementation36:22 Empathy for Frontline Teams During Change38:11 Understanding the Ripple Effects of Change41:53 The Continuous Journey of Business Transformation45:32 The Challenge of Readiness in Fast-Paced Environments52:15 The Importance of Confidence in Adoption01:00:18 Humanizing Digital Transformation Experiences01:02:27 Building Comprehensive Solutions for Clients   Resources Decision Point Technologies - https://decisionpointtech.com Supply Chain Management Best Practices (Book) - https://www.amazon.com/supply-chain-management-best-practices Keri Corbin LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keri-corbin/ Skyllful - https://www.skyllful.com/