EPISODE SUMMARY

Most heroes will tell you they are not heroes. Philip Molebash spent years interviewing people who were quietly changing the world, and nearly every one of them resisted being called one. In this episode, Philip joins Michael D. Levitt to unpack his book, Heroes of Change: Stories of Transformation, Belonging, and Becoming, and the model behind it. The conversation moves from Fred Rogers to a Dallas school bus driver to a national teacher movement, and it lands on a hard truth for leaders: the organizations that thrive are the ones that make everyone feel like a hero.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Philip Molebash, Ph.D., has been a professor at Loyola Marymount University for about 20 years, following faculty roles at San Diego State University and the University of Utah. His career has centered on inquiry learning, which led him to study how people change and what stops them. That work brought him to the Heroic Change Model: Awakening, Calling, Leaping, Emerging, and Becoming.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Why real change starts only after we become dissatisfied with what we currently believe.
How to tell the difference between your calling and your purpose, and why confusing them leaves successful people feeling empty.
What radical collaboration looks like when competitors have every reason not to share.
Why leadership that works comes from the bottom of the organization, not the top.
How small micro-connections rebuild trust at work and in your neighborhood.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Philip explains how Fred Rogers saved public television funding by reciting a children's song to a Senate committee, and why Rogers was already 42 and seasoned by life when that moment came.

Father Greg Boyle built the world's largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program on one principle, radical kinship. Philip describes how Boyle sees goodness in people society has written off.

Michael shares how he took over a multi-site healthcare organization with 86 percent annual turnover and cut it to 6 percent in one year. He gave no raises, bought no new furniture, and changed no benefits. He listened, made it safe to speak, and broke down silos.

Philip tells the story of Talia Milgram-Elcott and 100Kin10, a movement to prepare 100,000 STEM teachers in 10 years. Organizations that normally fought for funding sat at the same table because they shared a story. The effort produced more than 108,000 teachers.

Curtis Jenkins has held jobs from school bus driver to school security officer, and he has been the same person in every one. Philip uses Curtis to show that a calling is the center, and purpose is the moon orbiting it, changing shape over time.

The two discuss what Robert Putnam called Bowling Alone: the loss of pickup games, bowling leagues, and neighbors who held your house keys. Philip argues technology can be turned around to rebuild those connections.

Philip closes with the reminder that his father, a high school custodian, knew everyone's name. If he was five minutes late, the building stayed locked. That is what heroic leadership looks like.

KEY TAKEAWAY FOR LEADERS

Your people will not change until they are dissatisfied with the story they currently believe. Give them a better, shared story, then build a community where every member can see their own role in it.

CONNECT WITH PHILIP MOLEBASH

Personal website: https://molebash.com
Book website: https://heroic-change.org
Heroes of Change is available at major online retailers.

SCHEDULE YOUR LEADERSHIP DIAGNOSTIC

Culture problems rarely fix themselves, and turnover is usually a symptom of something leaders have not yet named. If you want to find out what is really driving performance, retention, and engagement inside your company, schedule your leadership diagnostic today at https://www.breakfastleadership.com/leadershipos

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