What if the most effective strategy for leading change isn't fear-based urgency, but love? In this episode, Kevin sits down with Mohammad Anwar to explore a rethinking of how leaders can approach change by centering people, building trust, and creating psychological safety. Together, Kevin and Mohammad discuss why traditional change management approaches fail, how fear activates resistance, and why prioritizing emotional intelligence and human connection leads to sustainable transformation. They dive into six behavioral principles that underpin "love as a change strategy," including embracing discomfort, practicing empathetic curiosity, and wielding influence effectively. Mohammad also challenges conventional models like Maslow's hierarchy, advocating instead for love and belonging as the true foundation of human needs.

Listen For

00:00 Why change requires leadership
00:35 Podcast welcome and purpose
01:39 Introducing Mohammad Anwar
03:35 The big idea Love as a Change Strategy
04:59 Defining love in a business context
07:38 The problem with fear based change
08:30 How love became the strategy
09:38 Personal crisis and leadership turning point
12:35 Football story and love as performance fuel
15:19 Why Maslow's hierarchy misses the mark
17:22 The six principles of leading change
22:55 Why empathetic curiosity matters
26:41 The hardest principle embrace discomfort
29:48 Choose your hard
32:34 Where to learn more and get the book
33:27 Final reflection now what

Mohammad's Story: Mohammad Anwar is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Love as a Business Strategy: Resilience, Belonging & Success and his latest book, Love as a Change Strategy. He is the President and CEO of Softway and Culture+. A proud American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow (Class 59), Mohammad's story is as bold as his ideas. At just 20 years old, while still pursuing his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics at the University of Houston, Mohammad launched Softway with his family. What began in 2003 as a small web development company for local merchants has since grown into a global, people-first consulting firm specializing in digital transformation, culture, communication, and AI integration—without sacrificing humanity.

https://www.softway.com/

https://www.culture-plus.com/

https://www.loveasastrategy.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manwarsoftway/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsoftway/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/culture_plus/

https://loveasachangestrategy.com/

This Episode is brought to you by...

Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.

Book Recommendations

Love as a Change Strategy: Innovation, Growth, and Transformation by Mohammad F. Anwar, Frank E. Danna, Jeffrey F. Ma, Christopher J. Pitre
Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. (The Stoic Virtues Series) by Ryan Holiday
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao

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