Sherry Heyl - Change, Leadership, & the Future of Work

10/20/2026

I got into an argument about change management nearly 20 years ago that I apparently never got over.

The argument was pretty simple: give people the right technology and they'll figure out how to use it.

I disagreed.

At the time, I couldn't completely articulate why. After years of watching organizations go through digital transformation, restructures, strategy shifts, and now AI, I can.

Organizations aren't machines.

They're living systems made up of people.

And people remember.

They remember the last initiative that disappeared six months later. The reorganization that cost someone their job. The time they took a risk and got burned.

All of that history walks into the room with every new change.

It's why I'm fascinated by what chaos theory can teach us about leadership. In complex systems, small actions can create surprisingly large consequences, and prediction becomes less useful than recognizing patterns.

Maybe we need to spend less time trying to control change and more time understanding the conditions in which we're asking people to change.

I explored that idea here:

Years ago, I spent hours in an online forum with a group of smart, opinionated people trying to figure out what Enterprise 2.0 meant for the future of work.

10/20/2026

Over 10,000 people have registered for All Day AI Conference!!!
Are you one of them? I will be sharing practical advice on how to develop your people in a world that keeps changing.
https://www.alldayai.com/

10/19/2026

I've been thinking about the tortoise and the hare differently lately.

The hare became so confident about reaching the finish line that he stopped paying attention to the steps getting him there.

That feels surprisingly relevant to AI right now.

We're celebrating how much can be automated, how quickly work can be completed, and how much productivity can increase.

I'm more interested in something less exciting but potentially more valuable: Are we getting incrementally better?

That's how I've been approaching AI in my own work. I use it constantly, but I'm not trying to hand everything over to it. I want it to strengthen where I'm weak, challenge my thinking, and improve how I work while keeping me involved in the process.

Maybe winning the AI race isn't about getting there first.

Maybe it's about getting better with every step.

Everyone is talking about the race to AI.

10/16/2026

One of the things I loved about this conversation with Sandy Hofmann was hearing what it felt like to experience a technological transformation before anyone knew exactly where it was going.

During the early days of personal computing, Sandy started in a very traditional role and eventually found herself doing work that didn’t have an established career path.

That feels incredibly relevant right now.

We spend a lot of time worrying about which jobs AI might change or eliminate. I think we should spend more time talking about the opportunities that don’t exist yet.

Somewhere right now, someone is developing expertise for a job that doesn’t have a title yet.

Someone is solving a problem organizations didn’t have three years ago.

Someone is building a career path that other people will eventually follow.

Sandy’s story is featured in my book, *Learn to Love the Roller Coaster*, because it captures something I believe deeply about change: uncertainty doesn’t only take things away. It creates possibilities we couldn’t see before.

Some of the best career opportunities don’t exist—until change crea...

10/16/2026

I love technology, but when it comes to having to prepare to say the right things in front of a bunch of people, I go old-school index cards. And I have a few upcoming talks to prepare for.

And you know what?

I LOVE THIS!

Getting to share what I've learned, challenge how people think, spark meaningful conversations, and hopefully leave someone seeing a new possibility.

Am I overwhelmed? Absolutely!
Am I proud to have these opportunities? You bet!
Would I trade this upcoming crazy week for anything? Not a chance.

And somewhere in all these piles of index cards is a reminder of something I believe more strongly every day:
AI can help us do more. But the real magic still happens when we bring our own thinking, experiences, and humanity to the work.

Now, back to my index cards. I've got some talks to prepare for!

10/15/2026

A conversation from two years ago still bothers me.

I asked an HR leader how her organization was helping employees prepare for AI. She told me they were letting people explore.

So I asked what happened to the people who weren’t comfortable figuring it out on their own.

“That’s Darwinism. They adapt or they lose.”

I understood what she meant. But I also think that mindset misses something important.

People have been adapting for years.

They adapted to remote work, return to office, reorganizations, staffing shortages, new technologies, acquisitions, new leadership, changing expectations and economic uncertainty.

Then we hand them another major change and wonder why the enthusiasm isn’t there.

I’ve started thinking about this as change debt.

Every poorly led transition takes a little something out of an organization. Trust. Energy. Willingness to speak up. Willingness to try again.

Eventually the bill comes due.

Before deciding someone is resistant to change, I think leaders need to ask a different question:

What did the last change cost them?

Two years ago, I was interviewing HR leaders about how their organizations were preparing for what many believed would be the biggest workplace transformation in decades, the invasion of AI.

10/13/2026

One of my favorite parts of being a consultant, writer, and speaker is having the opportunity to get people thinking differently.

And October is giving me several opportunities to do just that.

I'll be speaking and facilitating conversations about some of the questions I believe business leaders need to be asking right now.

On October 16, at ElevateHer, we're exploring what happens when AI gives people time back. Do we simply expect them to produce more, or do we create opportunities for them to contribute in new ways?

On October 20, I'll be hosting my Reflection Series, where we'll explore what it really takes to move from vision to reality. Why do great strategies so often struggle when it's time to put them into action?

On October 21, I'll be speaking at Atlanta Women in AI about reinvention and how my PATH Framework can help people navigate what's next. Because the ability to adapt shouldn't be something we develop only when we're forced to change.

And on October 22, I'll be speaking at ALL Day AI at 11 AM Eastern on a topic I believe deserves far more attention: Who Is Developing Your Team?

We've spent years cutting training budgets, expecting employees to figure things out, and relying on education systems designed for a different era. Now AI is accelerating change faster than ever. Who is taking responsibility for preparing people to succeed in this new world of work?

Different audiences. Different conversations. But they all connect to something I've spent years exploring:

Change is inevitable. Our ability to navigate it is something we can develop.

I love bringing these conversations to organizations, conferences, and leadership communities because the best ideas often emerge when people challenge one another's assumptions.

If you're attending one of these events, please say hello!

And if you know someone planning a conference, leadership retreat, or business event, I'd welcome an introduction.

Here's where I'll be speaking:
https://amplifiedconcepts.com/events/

10/13/2026

One of the things I've learned from working with leaders through change is that the hardest part is rarely the strategy.

It's everything that happens when the strategy meets reality.

People have concerns. Priorities compete. Resources get stretched. And leaders are expected to keep everyone moving forward, even when they don't have all the answers themselves.

That's why I created Amplified Concepts.

I wanted to build a consulting business that helps leaders navigate those moments with clarity, practical support, and a genuine understanding of the people involved.

Whether an organization is introducing AI, growing quickly, restructuring, or simply trying to figure out what comes next, my focus is on helping leaders bring their people along while building something stronger.

I believe the organizations that thrive in the future won't be the ones that predict every change.

They'll be the ones that learn how to adapt together.

If you know a business leader navigating significant change, I'd welcome an introduction.

https://amplifiedconcepts.com/

Navigate Change. Amplify Potential. Amplified Concepts helps leadership teams navigate AI adoption, transformation, and workforce change with lasting results.

10/12/2026

I think a lot about how we're preparing for the future of work.

And I think we're making a dangerous assumption.

We think we know what that future looks like.

We're predicting which jobs will disappear, which skills will matter, and how many employees companies will need.

But we're barely getting started with AI.

In conversations with business leaders, I often hear about the promise of greater productivity and efficiency. I understand that focus. Leaders are responsible for the bottom line.

But I keep wondering what we're missing when that's all we measure.

What if the real opportunity is giving people more time to think, create, collaborate, and discover entirely new possibilities?

I've experienced this in my own work. AI hasn't necessarily reduced the hours I spend on projects. Instead, it's allowed me to produce better work and explore ideas I might not have had the capacity to pursue.

That's a different kind of return on investment.

I wrote about this in my latest article, including five ways leaders can build more adaptable organizations.

I'd love to know what you think.

Are we preparing people for the future, or giving them the ability to create it?

AI is changing what work looks like.

10/09/2026

There are moments when you look at the progress that has been made and wonder whether some of it is beginning to slip away.

Sandy Hofmann and I talked about this during our conversation, and I appreciated where she landed.

Instead of spending all of our energy focused on what feels like it is being lost, ask: Where can I make an impact?

I think that question matters far beyond the issue we were discussing.

There is so much happening right now that can leave us frustrated, worried, or wondering what comes next. We may not be able to control the larger forces around us, but we can decide where we are going to contribute.

Where can I influence something?
Where can I help?
Where can I move something forward?

That is a much more useful place to lead from.

It is also one of the ideas behind *Learn to Love the Roller Coaster*. Navigating uncertainty is not about pretending everything will work out exactly as planned. It is about learning how to keep moving with purpose when it doesn't.

Video 3 of 8 from my conversation with Sandy.

What do you do when progress feels uncertain?In this conversation...