Control vs. Influence in Change Leadership: Summer Miller
“YOU CAN'T CONTROL CHANGE. YOU CAN ONLY INFLUENCE HOW PEOPLE MOVE THROUGH IT.”
Episode Description
In this episode of Leadership Matters, Summer Miller, an educator and advisor focused on people-centered change, joins host Kaylee Thomsen to explore what it really means to lead people through change well. Summer shares a hard-earned lesson about the difference between control and influence, why emotional connection is the piece most leaders overlook, and how asking better questions helped her understand what change truly represents to the people living through it. She also reflects on parenting through the same lens, the value of co-creating solutions instead of handing them down, and why vulnerability builds the trust real growth requires. If you believe change leadership starts with understanding people, this one is for you.
Chapters
- 00:00 Intro: Meet Summer Miller
- 00:29 How She Got Into People-Centered Change
- 02:20 A Restructuring That Sparked Her Passion
- 04:45 What Would Have Made That Transition Easier
- 07:04 Moving Into Broader Change Management Work
- 09:30 The Three Connections People Need to Grow
- 11:55 Why Emotional Connection Gets Overlooked
- 14:20 The Hourly Time Reporting Change That Taught Her a Hard Lesson
- 19:05 Co-Creating Solutions Instead of Handing Them Down
- 21:29 The Books and Education That Shaped Her Approach
- 23:50 Bringing These Principles Into Parenting
- 26:12 Finding Opportunity After a Role She Didn't Get
- 28:37 Becoming an Educator at Heart
- 31:02 Why Shifting From Expert to Guide Is So Hard
- 33:23 Helping Others Embrace the Behavior Shift
- 35:47 What Her Teams Have Taught Her About Being Human
More In The Series
See all on Youtube
