Episode 39: A Conversation With Kristin Russell, CEO & Board Member, CBTS

What separates successful transformations from expensive failures? In this episode of The Failure Gap, Julie Williamson sits down with Kristen Russell, CEO of CBTS, to explore what it really takes to move organizations from agreement to alignment. Drawing on leadership experiences spanning Sun Microsystems, Oracle, the State of Colorado, Deloitte, and CBTS, Kristen shares practical lessons on leading change, building trust, communicating through uncertainty, and creating alignment across complex organizations. Key topics include: ✔ Why strategy is intellectual but transformation is emotional ✔ The communication mistakes leaders make during change ✔ How to build trust through clarity and transparency ✔ Why focusing on advocates creates momentum ✔ The importance of leadership team alignment before strategy execution ✔ Lessons learned from large-scale technology and organizational transformations ✔ How leaders can avoid the gap between agreeing on a vision and actually delivering results If you're leading growth, transformation, AI adoption, digital modernization, or organizational change, this conversation offers actionable insights to help your team move forward together. #thefailuregap #leadershipdevelopment #organizationalchange #changemanagement #transformation