In this episode of Entrepreneur Conundrum, Virginia sits down with Michael Lopez—best-selling author, LinkedIn Top Voice, and behavior-driven change strategist—to unpack why most transformations stall and what to do differently if you want change to actually stick. Michael shares his journey from military intelligence and Big Four consulting to building his own boutique consultancy focused on behavior-centric change. He explains why treating employees as one big group sabotages transformation, how redefining goals from nouns to verbs keeps you motivated, and why raising your hand for the hardest job no one else wants is one of the most powerful career and leadership moves you can make. You’ll hear practical insights on designing change at the individual level, using failure and “watching the tape” as a tool for growth, and shifting from control to coaching so your people own the “how.” If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to lead change—in your life or your organization—this conversation will help you rethink your approach and unlock new momentum. Listen in to learn how to make effort the reward, embrace mistakes as fuel for neuroplasticity, and build teams that don’t fear change, but grow through it.

Entrepreneur Conundrum

[email protected] (Michael Lopez, Virginia Purnell)

Redefining Goals: Behavior-Driven Change with Michael Lopez

NOV 24, 202525 MIN
Entrepreneur Conundrum

Redefining Goals: Behavior-Driven Change with Michael Lopez

NOV 24, 202525 MIN

Description

Episode: Redefining Goals: Behavior-Driven Change with Michael LopezGuest: Michael Lopez – Best-selling author, LinkedIn Top Voice, transformation consultant Listen: https://entrepreneurconundrum.com/michaeljalopezIn this episode, we cover:Michael’s journey from military intelligence and Big Four consulting to founding his own boutique consultancy Why traditional change programs fail when they treat employees as one homogeneous group The truth about change: you can only change yourself—but you can influence others through modeling How redefining goals from things you want to actions you take keeps you motivated longer Why outcomes are harder to predict—but inputs (effort, repetitions, consistency) are fully in your control How Michael uses his Top Voice Tuesday series on LinkedIn to practice this “effort-first” approach The role of time, constraints, and focus when you’re a high-touch consultant with a full client roster Why doing hard things literally reshapes your brain and reputation as a leader How to build teams that embrace mistakes as part of growth rather than something to hide “Watching the tape”: what football film review can teach leaders about revisiting failure without shame Why leaders should stop over-directing and instead create space for teams to design the howConnect with Michael LopezWebsite: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-lopez9/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeljlopez9/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/MichaelJLopez9 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelJosephLopez9Connect with VirginiaDistinct Digital Marketing: @distinctdm Instagram: @h_ginia Podcast: @entrepreneurconundrumpodcast Website: https://entrepreneurconundrum.comKey Questions (00:58) Can you share a little bit about your journey? How did you end up where you are today?(02:55) Who's your ideal client these days?(04:15) When you're talking about change, is that my change and how our company change?(05:58) How do you get in front of these people off?(10:28) What do you feel is your biggest roadblock for reaching those goals?(12:14) Earlier, you had mentioned about defining goals differently. Because then you have pursue your goals differently. So are those the same thing or are they different?(16:13) What is the best advice that you have ever received?(17:56) What's the best advice you've ever given then?(20:24) Was there anything else on the implications for change in teams and organizations that you wanted to touch on?(24:19) Is there something that we haven't talked about yet that you would like to touch on?