Lisa, Ed.D., is Axialent’s advisor in personal and organizational transformation. Together with long-time collaborator Robert Kegan, Ph.D., she is credited with a breakthrough discovery of a hidden dynamic, the “immunity to change,” which impedes transformation. For more than 20 years, Lisa and Robert have studied why people struggle to make the changes that would significantly improve their lives and repeatedly fail at it: from losing 10 pounds to becoming better leaders, through eating healthier food or quitting a bad habit. By means of a step-by-step, deep soul-searching methodology, Lisa and Robert guide people to close the gap between their good intentions and their behaviors.
Executives, senior teams and individuals are now using this work in business, governmental and educational organizations in the United States, Europe and Asia. It has also recently expanded its reach through the Immunity to Change MOOC, Harvard Graduate School of Education’s first MOOC to be taken by any individual through the EdX online platform. Lisa and Robert recently received the Gislason Award for exceptional contributions to organizational leadership, joining past recipients Warren Bennis, Peter Senge and Edgar Schein. In 2013, they received the Vision of Excellence Award from Harvard’s Institute of Coaching.
Lisa is also co-director of Minds at Work, a consulting firm serving businesses and institutions around the world, and on the faculty at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She is also regularly asked to present her work throughout the world, most recently in Australia, China, Kazakhstan and New Zealand. Her seminal books, “How The Way We Talk Can Change The Way We Work” (2001) and “Immunity to Change” (2009) have been published in many languages. Lisa has been on the faculty of the World Economic Forum’s Davos Conference and had her work featured in the Harvard Business Review; The New York Times Sunday business section; O, The Oprah Magazine and Fast Company.
For the past several years, Lisa has served as a trusted advisor and executive coach to leaders in the private and public sectors worldwide. A passionate pianist and hiker, Lisa lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and two sons.
