ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Guest: Kathy Starkoff, former Ohio State CIO
Your team is already stressed to the max. Now you need them to transform the business, too.
Major change – whether it’s a new system, process, or reorganization -- may promise better results, but getting there requires people to learn unfamiliar ways of working while continuing to serve customers and deliver on existing commitments. Plus their enthusiasm may be tempered by experience with previous changes that never delivered.
In this conversation, Maureen Metcalf talks with Kathleen “Kathy” Starkoff about leading large-scale change with courage, grace, and a clear focus on business value. Drawing on her executive experience across retail, banking, and higher education, Kathy explores how leaders can:
- Identify influential employees whose impact isn’t on the organization chart.
• Define clear outcomes and milestones that make progress visible.
• Surface risks and make leadership’s acceptance of those risks explicit.
• Recognize the demands change places on employees who already have work to do.
Listen for practical perspectives on the everyday leadership decisions that help people move through major change.
Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future is brought to you by the Innovative Leadership Institute and James Madison University’s School of Strategic Leadership Studies.
Other episodes you'll enjoy:
- Making a Stronger Organization through Change with Paul Gibbons
- The 5% Problem: Rampant Change (& How to Survive It) with Greg Moran
- Culture Change at 30,000 Feet: An Airport CEO’s Playbook with Joe Nardone
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.
RESOURCES:
Learn more about Kathy and her consulting firm at its website: https://orangestarconsulting.com/.
Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.
Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ.
Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.
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OUR PODCAST TEAM:
Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf
Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko
Graphics Editor: Stacia Rogan
Booking Producer: Jenna Reik
Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay.
CONNECT WITH US:
YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2
Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com
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About Our Guest:
Kathleen “Kathy” Starkoff is the founder, president, and CEO of Orange Star Consulting, a business and executive advisory firm. Her expertise spans digital transformation, enterprise risk management, cybersecurity, and mergers and acquisitions. She serves as an independent director of Gentex Corporation and on the Executive Council of Author Capital Partners. She is also president and board chair of the International Women’s Forum’s Ohio forum. Previously, Kathy served as chief information officer at The Ohio State University and held chief technology officer roles at Limited Brands and Bank One, now JPMorgan Chase. She holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Kent State University.
