Brandi Olson, CEO + Chief Learning Officer- Real Work Done

Brandi Olson is a best-selling author, organizational agility expert, and the founder of Real Work Done, a consultancy serving leaders through agile transformation, organizational strategy and team design, and executive coaching.

She has spent two decades consulting with organizations — from nonprofits to universities to global companies like 3M and the Mayo Clinic. An expert in organizational learning and change, she teaches leaders how to solve problems and adapt fast with high-performing teams. A sought-after speaker on agility and high-performing teams, Brandi lives in Minnesota with her two kids, four chickens, and one dog.

Show Notes

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Map how value flows through your organization so you can see where it’s being impeded
• Humans have a limited capacity for the amount of change we can manage at a given time. Be aware of the pace at which you introduce changes
• Stop saying you can’t prioritize because everything is important. That’s exactly the reason why you must prioritize.

What to listen for:

[02:19] Getting work done in reality

[04:44] Understanding how value flows

[07:04] The human capacity for change

[11:27] Designing organizations to be adaptive to change

[13:58] The secret to effective prioritization

[19:55] How context switching hurts efficiency

[23:32] Implementing shared blocks of focused work

[29:11] Visualize your flow of value

[35:44] Brandi’s self-limiting story

[38:37] Quick questions with Brandi

[41:42] Brandi’s challenge to leaders for making a more human workplace

Additional Resources

• Get your copy of Brandi’s Book Real Flow
• Check out Brandi’s Website