Chain of Learning: Leadership Strategies for Continuous Improvement and Transformational Change

You're being told to use AI. But which tool you actually need to do your best work?
Leaders and change practitioners everywhere feel the same pressures right now — more meetings, more information, more mandates to adopt AI — with less time to think and less clarity about where to start. And most of the advice begins in the wrong place: with the tool.

In this episode of Chain of Learning, I talk with Barry O'Reilly, bestselling author of Unlearn and Lean Enterprise, and author of the new book Artificial Organizations, about why the real opportunity with AI isn't automation. It's better judgment.

Barry shares examples from his work with Fortune 500 executives who are successfully pairing human instinct with machine insight — not by adopting every new tool, but by understanding how they work, where judgment matters most, and what needs to be unlearned along the way. 
It's about letting go of the belief that your expertise is your competitive advantage, and starting to see AI not as a replacement, but as a thinking partner that can sharpen your clarity, your presence, and your preparation.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why starting with the tool is the wrong place to start — and what to do instead
How to identify your natural traits and highest-leverage tasks as the foundation for working with AI
The unlearning required to shift from relying on instinct alone to combining human judgment with machine insight
How successful leaders are using AI to pressure-test ideas and show up more prepared and present
Why the skills that make you more effective with AI are the same skills that make you more influential with people
Where does judgment matter most in your role right now — and what might you need to unlearn to create space for a better way of working?
ABOUT MY GUEST: Barry O'Reilly is the bestselling author of Unlearn and co-author of Lean Enterprise. He hosts the Unlearn Podcast and is co-founder of Nobody Studios, an AI-driven venture studio. His newest book, Artificial Organizations, is a practical guide for leaders ready to combine human and machine intelligence to make better decisions faster.

Barry O’Reilly is also giving away a copy of Artificial Organizations to THREE lucky winners!
Artificial Organizations explores how leaders can combine human judgment with AI to make better decisions in an increasingly complex world. Instead of focusing on AI tools, the book shows how organizations must redesign how leaders think, work, and make decisions so technology enhances clarity rather than amplifies confusion. It presents a practical leadership system for using AI as a thinking partner to improve judgment, reduce decision overload, and lead more effectively.
Register now to enter the giveaway!

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/69 
Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
Connect with Barry O’Reilly: linkedin.com/in/barryoreilly 
Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson
Check out Barry O’Reilly’s book, Artificial Organizations: artificialorganizations.com 
Subscribe to my newsletter: kbjanderson.com/newsletter 
Learn more about my coaching, trusted advisor partnerships, and leadership learning experiences: [email protected] 

RELATED LINKS:
Unlearn Podcast | Intentional Leadership with Katie Anderson
Episode 59 | Get Better at Getting Better: Leveraging AI to Elevate Human Learning with Nathen Harvey
TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
02:28 Where to start on adopting AI
05:04 Importance of understanding natural traits and strengths before looking into AI tools
07:12 Defining the problem first before looking for the tool to close the gap
08:17 Why some may see AI as a deflection tool
09:02 How to use AI for synthesizing data rather than rudimentary tasks
12:28 Why judgment is the leadership advantage and leveraging AI to make better judgment
12:38 Using decision velocity to improve decision making
13:35 Decision advantage in synthesizing data to make a decision
14:35 The difference between AI and human strengths in decision making
16:26 Unlearning how you work to make progress
19:32 Why human thinking plus machine equals a better outcome
20:28 Examples of how to use AI to be the best business and thinking partner
24:46 Importance of asking the right questions when brainstorming with AI
26:06 The limitations of AI and knowing how to use it to your advantage
30:18 How technology can help us be make a bigger impact
33:12 The loss of psychological safety when implementing AI and unlearning this fear
35:35 Better results when teams collaborate with AI vs. doing it independently
36:06 Shifting from control based learning mindset to influence based learning mindset for continuous improvement
37:54 Implementing AI to be the most effective in your organization
40:34 How to start building an AI stack knowing your natural traits, one or two tasks, and then experimenting with an AI tool
42:54 The skills that make us more effective with machines to increase influence
43:16 Questions for reflection on how to implement AI in your organization

Enter to win a copy of Barry's book here: https://kbjanderson.com/giveaways/book-giveaway-artificial-organizations

Registration is now OPEN for the November 2026 cohort of my Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/

What changes when leaders stop learning alone—and start learning together?

Leadership development often focuses on individual insight: reading, listening, reflecting. But some of the most meaningful shifts in leadership don’t happen that way.

They happen when leadership teams go see, ask questions, and reflect together.

That shared experience becomes a catalyst—aligning leaders around a new way of seeing their organization, supporting one another in practicing new behaviors, and driving lasting transformation.

In this episode of Chain of Learning, you’ll learn why immersive experiences can transform how leadership teams align, learn, and develop—and why learning in context often leads to change that lasts.

Drawing on examples from my Japan Leadership Experience, we look at what happens when leadership teams step away from the day-to-day pressures of their roles and create space to learn and reflect in new ways.

Shared experiences give leadership teams something powerful: a common reference point for how they want to lead and improve—accelerating organizational transformation.

In this episode, we explore how to:
Shift from learning as an individual activity to learning as a leadership team practice
Create alignment by seeing and reflecting on the same things
Move from “What did I learn?” to “What are we seeing differently?”
Turn shared insights into new leadership behaviors back at work
Understand why immersion and context matter when developing people-centered leadership

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/67 
Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson
Download my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst 
Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip

RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 25 | Getting Results Through the Power of Serious Leadership with Kecia Kelly and Amy Chaumeton
Episode 20 | How to Coach Executives and Influence Change with Brad Toussaint
Episode 48 | Make Leadership Meaningful: From Tools to Purposeful Impact with Josef Procházka
Episode 67 | Why Lifelong Learning Is the Foundation of Influence (and Can Limit Your Impact)
Episode 4 | Leading for Impact: The Power of Being Over Doing
Episode 17 | Leading Change from the Middle with Pennie Saum

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
1:30 The gap between inspiration and the system you return to
2:46  Three conditions that most leadership development is missing.
4:13 The fundamental difference when others are learning beside you vs. learning alone
4:47 How Jim, Healthcare COO,  accelerated transformation by inviting his team on the Japan Leadership Experience
6:49 Transformations that past Japan Leadership Experience have experienced in accelerated learning and sustaining excellence in their organization
10:34 Unlocking shoshin - the beginner’s mind - through immersive experiences
12:04 The benefits of observing Japan employees and companies in person
14:22 The depth of connection that forms when you learn together
16:43 Why shared learning is important for leaders to make changes that sticks
18:55 The cultural impact of the Japan Leadership Experience
21:31 The deepest leadership changes that come from shared learning and shared leadership

Registration is now OPEN for the November 2026 cohort of my Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/

What if your approach to learning is actually limiting your influence as a change leader?
Many of us pride ourselves on being lifelong learners. We read, earn certifications, study new tools, and go deep into our methodology. That depth is a strength. But as your responsibility grows—from running projects to shaping transformation—what’s required of you changes.
At some point, going deeper into your method or functional expertise is no longer enough. Your role shifts from applying tools to enabling leaders to see the whole system, define the real problem before choosing an approach.
In this episode of Chain of Learning, I help you learn how to move from learning as accumulation to learning as adaptable influence.
As your scope expands, you’re no longer just responsible for executing well. You’re responsible for how others think, decide, and take ownership. That requires more than expertise. It requires the ability to step back, question the form, and respond to what the situation truly calls for.
We often define learning as going deeper into an area of expertise, but what can be missing is a shift toward adaptability and broader perspective.
A learning and growth mindset is the foundation for enabling a learning organization—yet if you get attached to one form or method, it can constrain your influence.
In this episode, you’ll explore how to:
Describe the impact you create tools or jargon
Move from Shuhari—rigidly following a method to adapting based on context
Practice beginner’s mind—Shoshin, even when you’re the expert
Identify when you’ve fallen into the Doer Trap—and choose to develop others instead
Notice when you’re following the form in situations that call for flexibility
If you want to build a learning organization, your own learning approach must evolve first. It’s not just what you know, but how you show up.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/67 
Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson
Download my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst 
Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip

RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 65 | From Learning to Impact: Turn Insight into Leadership Action
Episode 9 | The 8 Essential Skills to Become a Transformational Change Katalyst™
Episode 15 | 5 Steps to Revitalize Lifelong Learning
Episode 27 | 3 Practices to Become a Skillful Facilitator
Episode 42 | Do the Right Thing: Japanese Management Masterclass Part 1 with Tim Wolput
Episode 52 | What You Love About Lean and Operational Excellence — And Your #1 Frustration: How to Get Executive Buy-in

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
00:40 The Katalyst model revision and why lifelong learning was removed as a standalone competency
03:24 Why learning isn't what distinguishes your influence. It's what makes influence possible
05:07 What it means to be a lifelong learning enthusiast
06:52 Three questions every change leader should be able to answer without jargon
09:22 What 75 leaders revealed in a survey and the lesson underneath it
10:31 The concept of Shu Ha Ri that shapes how you develop and learn:
11:13 [SHU] following the form
11:25 [HA] where you begin to adapt
11:35 [RI] Transcending the form entirely
12:20 Five Toyota Kata Coaching questions developed by Mike Roth that requires learning and unlearning to develop, grow, and improve
15:05 The concept of Shoshin and clearing what's in the way
16:04 Katie's personal confession about her own telling habit and what modeling the way actually looks like in practice
17:35 The "doer trap" and why getting leadership buy-in starts with us
20:39 What lifelong learning really means and why it’s a being practice
21:01 Three practices to try this week to create more impact

Enter to win a copy of Barry's book here: https://kbjanderson.com/giveaways/book-giveaway-artificial-organizations

What does it really take to lead transformation as responsibility grows?

At some point, leadership stops being about doing the improvement work or having the right answers. For operational leaders and change practitioners alike, the work moves to holding the system—people, priorities, and consequences—and helping others learn how to do the same.
In this episode of Chain of Learning, I’m joined by Carlos Scholz, CEO of Catalysis, to explore the critical shift leaders must make to enable systemic, lasting organizational change.
Carlos shares his journey from technically trained engineer in manufacturing, to transformational change leader in healthcare leading a team of continuous improvement practitioners, to operations leader, and now CEO. Across these roles, he’s learned that transformation doesn’t fail because leaders don’t care or aren’t trying, but because we often rush to outcomes and skip the systems-level and behavioral maturity required to sustain them.
This conversation highlights a critical truth: leadership is practice. It’s not a role or a title, it’s how you intentionally show up and get better, day after day.
Together, we explore what really changes as leadership responsibility and organizational complexity increase, how leaders have to change their own behavior, and how influence shifts when the work is no longer about doing improvement, but about developing leaders who can own the system.
In this episode, we explore:
Why leadership becomes less about expertise and more about intentional practice as scope and responsibility expand
What changes when you move from leading through influence to owning the system through positional authority and the consequences that come with it
How identity and perceived value shape resistance to change, including your own
Why skipping organizational and behavioral maturity undermines reliability, even with strong intentions
How repositioning improvement teams from doers to coaches helps leaders change their behavior and allows transformation to scale
If you’re navigating your own growth as a change leader—or supporting leaders in truly owning their system—this conversation offers language and perspective to help you lead with greater impact.
ABOUT MY GUEST:

Carlos Scholz is the CEO of Catalysis, a mission-driven organization advancing people-centered, value-based healthcare. A former manufacturing engineer and healthcare operations and change leader at Kaiser Permanente and NYC Health + Hospitals, he brings deep experience driving system-wide Lean and continuous improvement transformation and developing leaders at scale. Carlos was named a Shingo Rising Star and serves on the Shingo Institute Board.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/66 
Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
Connect with Carlos Scholz: linkedin.com/in/carlosscholz 
Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson
Download my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst 
Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip

RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 9 | Move from Technical Expert to Influential Leader
Episode 16 | Leverage Analytical Systems Thinking and Psychological Safety to Drive Organizational Improvement [with Mark Graban]

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
03:02 Leadership shifts Carlos made stepping into senior executive responsibility
06:19 The start of Carlos’ journey and how it evolved
relationships as it does on technical expertise
12:19 Learning that sustainable change depends as much on influence and being vulnerable and sharing openly
17:42 Multiple approaches in creating conditions for leaders to feel safe enough to be vulnerable
18:44 Importance of organizational assessment to identify behavioral gaps
24:05 Understanding that sustainable change requires aligning the entire system, not just improving isolated parts
26:32 When leaders are not on board with change efforts
28:48 Importance of both the technical and social side of being a change leader
31:30 The process of building a system of coaching
36:23 Transitioning from leading through influence to stepping into direct operational leadership
43:28 How skills developed as an influence leader strengthened operational leadership
45:57 A surprising lesson from stepping into an operational leadership role
50:16 How Carlos is leading transformation as a CEO of Catalysis
55:08 Steps to make real transformation happen
1:00:13 Reminders for leading transformational change
1:01:43 Questions for reflection to strengthen the system around you

Enter to win a copy of Barry's book here: https://kbjanderson.com/giveaways/book-giveaway-artificial-organizations

What if the reason your learning feels productive—but your impact feels stuck—has nothing to do with effort?

Many change leaders and improvement practitioners are excellent learners. You’re likely a Learning Enthusiast—like me. You read the books, attend the workshops, listen to podcasts, and gather ideas with genuine enthusiasm.

And yet, despite all that effort, learning doesn’t always turn into impact. In fact, it can sometimes lead to overwhelm or paralysis—more ideas, more options, and less clarity about what to actually do.

I’ve lived this pattern myself, and I see it again and again in my work with leaders around the world. When learning becomes something we collect rather than something we practice—and bring to fruition through our habits—it stalls our impact.

The challenge isn’t gaining more knowledge.
It’s learning how to turn insight into behavior—and connect behavior to results.

In this episode, I explore a critical shift: moving from the Chain of Learning® to a Chain of Impact.

Instead of treating continuous learning as something to acquire, I invite you to see learning as something to harvest—by making the value chain of impact explicit: turning insight into specific behaviors, practicing them deliberately through doing and reflection, and connecting that practice to the impact it creates for people and results.

If you care deeply about learning, growth, and people—and want to build the capability to translate learning into action and impact—this episode will help you do exactly that.

YOU’LL LEARN
How to recognize when learning feels productive but isn’t changing how you actually show up as a leader
How to make the connection between learning, behavior, and impact visible—and actionable
Why behaviors—not intentions, traits, or inspiration—are the real bridge between learning and results
How treating leadership actions as experiments helps you learn by doing and reflection, not just aiming for a target
Why harvesting learning means finishing what’s ready—not endlessly adding more ideas or initiatives

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/65 
Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
Download my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst 
Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
00:59 Why doing more is not mean progress
02:13 The invisible trap of when we are focused on learning vs. putting it into practice
02:27 Harvest - what it means and why it’s a fitting word for 2026
05:04 The difference between learning and behavior in creating impact
05:25 How to apply Intention = Heart + Direction® to close the execution gap
07:40 Four key practices to take action on learning to impact your work and life 
07:48 [ONE] Make the learning itself concrete and specific
09:00 [TWO] Focus on specific observable behaviors, not traits that we want to develop
10:48 [THREE] Identify the gap you want to close and identify what you expect to happen and the impact when you put the learning into practice
11:42 [FOUR] Reflect and adjust for accelerated improvement
12:49 Where intention stems from and why intention plus direction is important to see results
13:54 How leaders turn into impact through the Immersive Japan Leadership Experience
14:52 Three open ended questions for leaders to reflect on to create a clear action plan
17:07 Josef’s experience in shifting from being seen as an expert to a trusted partner
18:06 Questions to ask to help break the telling habit
21:12 How the meaning of “harvest” is focused on collaboration and creating the space for others to grow
22:40 Reflection questions to reflect on to make an impact through your behavior
P.S. This episode happens to be released on my birthday 🎉 If Chain of Learning has made a difference for you, a quick rating and review would mean a lot—and helps others discover the show.
Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or rating and comments on an episode on Spotify or YouTube.

Enter to win a copy of Barry's book here: https://kbjanderson.com/giveaways/book-giveaway-artificial-organizations