You can win the room and still lose the institution. That's Ken Trzaskas line, a
By Aligningexpectations · October 9, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
You can win the room and still lose the institution.
That's Ken Trzaskas line, and it comes from the presidents chair, not a consultants notebook. We've written about Inherited Resistance™: the workforce remembering every change that was done to them. This week Ken goes one level up. The leadership team is inherited too. Some cabinet members got through the last three initiatives by keeping their heads down. Some were promoted for exactly what the new direction is trying to stop. Some have already told their people quot;this too shall pass.quot; The president signals one thing. The cabinet, often without meaning to, signals another. And the workforce reads the cabinet. Ken is careful not to make the inherited team the villain. They learned what the institution taught them. If it was taught, the institution owns the lesson. So do its leaders. His answer to quot;navigable or never-ending battle?quot; will make anyone who has tried to fix this over lunch uncomfortable. Personal loyalty doesnt travel. A record does. If youve led a team you inherited, Ken wants to know how you knew when it finally became yours.
https://lnkd.in/d2xdMahy
#ChangeLeadership #NotWithoutThePeople #HigherEdLeadership