{"id":31300,"date":"2025-12-10T01:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/?p=31300"},"modified":"2025-10-23T13:11:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:11:56","slug":"urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","title":{"rendered":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By George Hall<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"learn-content-medium-rectangle-guild-insert-pages-2\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"learn-3918097995\"><div class=\"learn-adlabel\"><a href=\"\/advertise--exhibit\/\">Advertise Here<\/a><\/div><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu\/masters-learning-design-technology\/lp\/dyna\/?utm_campaign=msldt-leadgen&#038;utm_source=learningguild&#038;utm_medium=display&#038;utm_content=&#038;leadsource=Display%20Ad%20-%20The%20Learning%20Guild\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" aria-label=\"Earn your MS in Learning Design and Technology\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/LDT_Learning_Guild_300x250-px.png\" alt=\"Earn your MS in Learning Design and Technology\"  width=\"300\" height=\"250\"  style=\" max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cComplacency is like the water a fish swims in\u2014it\u2019s everywhere, but we don\u2019t see it.\u201d \u2014 John Kotter<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/leading-change-navigating-the-crossroads-of-leadership-change-management\">Change management is having its moment again<\/a>\u2014but perhaps for the wrong reasons. In an era now defined by generative AI, hybrid work, and relentless transformation, learning and development (L&amp;D) teams are being asked not only to help others adapt, but to reinvent themselves at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more than 25 years, I\u2019ve conducted in-depth interviews with leading thinkers on leadership and organizational change\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/competitive-strategy-and-transformational-change\">Harvard Professor John Kotter<\/a> among them. Over time, I\u2019ve distilled the essence of their ideas into insights for learning professionals who are increasingly being called to serve as catalysts for enterprise change. Across all these conversations, one message is consistent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this, the first of a two-part series based on an interview with Kotter, I draw two enduring lessons that stand out for L&amp;D leaders seeking to lead meaningful change in their companies: confront complacency and ignite urgency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-confront-complacency-recognize-the-invisible-enemy\">1. Confront complacency: Recognize the invisible enemy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kotter once said that complacency is &#8220;like a fish not seeing the water it swims in.&#8221; In 2025, that metaphor feels painfully accurate for L&amp;D. Many organizations appear in motion\u2014launching learning campaigns, publishing micro-courses, tracking dashboards\u2014but few are moving forward. Kotter called this &#8216;false urgency&#8217;: frantic activity driven by anxiety, not insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In learning organizations, false urgency often looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/the-future-of-workplace-learning-adaptive-strategies-for-navigating-change\">Chasing course completions instead of capability growth<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mistaking content production for culture change<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confusing &#8216;being busy&#8217; with &#8216;being useful&#8217;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The deeper danger is that busyness masks complacency. As Kotter observed, &#8220;It\u2019s almost impossible to find a person who sees themselves as complacent.&#8221; The same applies to departments. An L&amp;D function can look productive\u2014publishing hundreds of modules\u2014while avoiding the tougher work of confronting outdated strategies, systems, or habits that no longer serve the organization\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do\">What to do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/opportunities-for-reflection-improve-elearning-experiences\">Build reflective mechanisms into your practice<\/a>. Instead of measuring learning activity, focus on how quickly people perform better\u2014Kotter\u2019s go-to benchmark for true learning. Use after-action reviews, performance analytics, or learner narratives to see whether knowledge is actually turning into change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-l-amp-d-insight\">L&amp;D insight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Build a culture that values reflection as an antidote to Kotter\u2019s &#8216;false urgency.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-ignite-urgency-keep-the-spark-alive\">2. Ignite urgency: Keep the spark alive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kotter argued that &#8220;a true sense of urgency is rare, much rarer than most people think.&#8221; It\u2019s a focused energy built on opportunity, not fear. For <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/use-change-management-strategies-to-connect-culture-learning\">L&amp;D leaders, urgency is the spark<\/a> that transforms learning from an HR service into a strategic driver of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But maintaining that spark requires deliberate attention. In my interview, Kotter linked the problem to how people learn and evolve over time. \u201cWe level off in our forties,\u201d he said, \u201cand when that happens, we don\u2019t see what\u2019s newly important.\u201d His point wasn\u2019t about age\u2014it was about habit. As careers advance, learning often narrows. We become experts in what worked yesterday, not explorers of what might work tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is especially true for senior managers who still equate training with compliance rather than curiosity. They see learning as something employees have to do, not something leaders get to do. The result is an undercurrent of complacency at the very level where urgency should live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>L&amp;D professionals must therefore ignite urgency through connection, not crisis\u2014by linking learning to real performance, customer impact, and organizational purpose. Kotter pointed to leaders like Andy Grove at Intel and Jack Welch at GE, who often created short-term tension (&#8220;If there isn\u2019t a crisis, make one&#8221;) but then redirected it toward opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do-0\">What to do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Frame learning as an enterprise-level advantage, not a departmental expense. Launch visible engaging &#8216;learning experiments&#8217; tied to strategic outcomes. Communicate wins quickly and vividly\u2014Kotter emphasized short, emotionally charged videos that show success stories rather than explain them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-l-amp-d-insight-0\">L&amp;D insight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Urgency is emotional before it is operational. Make people feel the need to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-applying-kotter-s-ideas-in-practice-the-amtrak-experience\">Applying Kotter\u2019s ideas in practice: The Amtrak experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Years ago, while serving as part of a national Six Sigma initiative at Amtrak, I had the opportunity to put Kotter\u2019s principles into action. I was dedicated to developing a 35-member cross-functional team led by a Six Sigma Black Belt. We used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kotterinc.com\/bookshelf\/our-iceberg-is-melting-2\/\">Our Iceberg Is Melting<\/a> as the foundation for our change management training, translating its fable-based lessons into real-world practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop was so engaging that the team adopted a stuffed penguin\u2014just like the one in Kotter\u2019s story\u2014as its mascot. It appeared in team photos, newsletters, and project milestones for years after the seminar, becoming a playful yet powerful reminder of shared purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over a five-year period, I built a series of developmental challenges for the team that grew to include not only change management, but also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/how-to-develop-a-collaborative-learning-culture\">communication, persuasion, and collaborative problem-solving<\/a>. The penguin became a symbol of progress, showing that transformation wasn\u2019t abstract\u2014it was lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That experience confirmed what Kotter had long asserted: Lasting transformation depends not on process or technology, but on the human stories we use to make meaning of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Part 2, we\u2019ll turn to the tougher side of Kotter\u2019s message\u2014how to disarm resistance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/publications\/why-your-change-management-strategy-needs-a-behavioral-health-checkup\">sustain &#8216;urgent patience,&#8217;<\/a> and help teams move from false urgency to real momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-references\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kotter, J. P. (2008). A Sense of Urgency. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kotter, J. P. (2014). Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kotter, J. P., &amp; Rathgeber, H. (2006). Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions. New York, NY: St. Martin\u2019s Press.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weick, K. E. (1984). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0003-066X.39.1.40\">Small wins: Redefining the scale of social problems<\/a>. American Psychologist, 39(1), 40\u201349. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image credit: undefined undefined<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"content-type":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[190,159,194],"event_category":[],"event-name":[],"primary-topic":[216],"type_key":[],"ppma_author":[1859],"class_list":["post-31300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-elearning-design","tag-instructional-design","tag-learning-research-science","primary-topic-learning-research-science"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change - Learning Guild<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Learning Guild\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelearningguild\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"813\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"George Hall\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Carlson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Carlson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c4e0926c711a077dc557420ddd7120a\"},\"headline\":\"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\"},\"wordCount\":1007,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Elearning Design\",\"Instructional Design\",\"Learning Research &amp; Science\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\",\"name\":\"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change - Learning Guild\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg\",\"width\":813,\"height\":427,\"caption\":\"A line of cartoon penguins play on an iceberg, each busy with something else; the background is ice and water in shades of blue\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Learning Guild\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Learning Guild\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/header-logo-tm.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/header-logo-tm.svg\",\"width\":145,\"height\":56,\"caption\":\"The Learning Guild\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelearningguild\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/learningguild\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/102144\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXKcVSJuehcu2w3MMFiSQOQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c4e0926c711a077dc557420ddd7120a\",\"name\":\"Michael Carlson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/1930f9cf77df0592ddd49c8cb7d4b6b3\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27e1703d14c373a72524029a5f77a8737e305c0144bd77adabde335708efd8ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27e1703d14c373a72524029a5f77a8737e305c0144bd77adabde335708efd8ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Carlson\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/author\/michaelcycloneinteractive-com\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change - Learning Guild","description":"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change","og_description":"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","og_site_name":"Learning Guild","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelearningguild\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":813,"height":427,"url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"George Hall","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Carlson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1"},"author":{"name":"Michael Carlson","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c4e0926c711a077dc557420ddd7120a"},"headline":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change","datePublished":"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1"},"wordCount":1007,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg","keywords":["Elearning Design","Instructional Design","Learning Research &amp; Science"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1","name":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change - Learning Guild","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-10T06:01:00+00:00","description":"Technology doesn\u2019t drive transformation\u2014people do. It\u2019s fueled by their urgency to move, their readiness to challenge what\u2019s outdated, and their courage to create what\u2019s next.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_1105_resize.jpg","width":813,"height":427,"caption":"A line of cartoon penguins play on an iceberg, each busy with something else; the background is ice and water in shades of blue"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/urgent-patience-breaking-complacency-sparking-change-part-1#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Urgent Patience: Breaking Complacency, Sparking Change"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/","name":"The Learning Guild","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#organization","name":"The Learning Guild","url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/header-logo-tm.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/header-logo-tm.svg","width":145,"height":56,"caption":"The Learning Guild"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelearningguild\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/learningguild\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/102144\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXKcVSJuehcu2w3MMFiSQOQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c4e0926c711a077dc557420ddd7120a","name":"Michael Carlson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/1930f9cf77df0592ddd49c8cb7d4b6b3","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27e1703d14c373a72524029a5f77a8737e305c0144bd77adabde335708efd8ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27e1703d14c373a72524029a5f77a8737e305c0144bd77adabde335708efd8ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael Carlson"},"url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/author\/michaelcycloneinteractive-com"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1859,"user_id":37398,"is_guest":0,"slug":"george-hall","display_name":"George Hall","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_George_300_L25.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hall_George_300_L25.jpg"},"author_category":"1","exclude_author":"","first_name":"George","last_name":"Hall","job_title":"Learning Engineer","organization":"Estee Lauder","user_url":"","description":"George Hall has over 20 years of distinguished experience in management and executive roles, with a diverse background that includes positions at Estee Lauder, SAP, University of Pennsylvania, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and AMTRAK. He holds multiple advanced degrees (MA, MBA, MS, MSW) and is certified as a Certified Learning Strategist (CLS), Certified Management Consultant (CMC), with additional certifications in Leadership Development and Project Management.\r\n\r\nGeorge has served as a Board Member for the American Cancer Society, reflecting his commitment to community service. His expertise in integrating learning with technology has earned him recognition as 'Outstanding' by the Brandon Hall Group. As an author of two books published in 2023, his thought leadership has been featured in several respected publications."}],"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"event_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_category?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"event-name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event-name?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"primary-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary-topic?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"type_key","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_key?post=31300"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=31300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}