Insights
People, pressure, AI and change, written from practice
161 articles by Allan Owens, published on Medium, including in his publication Human Factors and Change. All free to read here in full, with no paywall.
Start here
Featured articles
Performance
Manage your intensity and energy, not your time
Forget time management. Is managing your energy your true source of power?
Read the article → CoachingHow being a mirror transforms coaching
Gentle curiosity and presence help clients find their own potential.
Read the article → AIUnleashing AI in your change communications
Using AI well, and with care, in your change communications.
Read the article → ChangeChange jujutsu: rolling with resistance
Don’t clash with resistance, redirect it. Lessons from the mat.
Read the article → ChangeA human-centric change model
A behaviour-change model from clinical settings, applied to organisations.
Read the article → CoachingThe art of holding space
A safe, judgement-free space is where insight happens. Holding it takes restraint.
Read the article →
The archive
Every article
Type to filter by title.
2025
- Feb 2025The Mentors Who Transformed My Psychology Toolkit: From Socratic Questions to Brain Science and the…
- Feb 2025Navigating Challenging Client Relationships
- Feb 2025When Vulnerability Becomes A Weapon
- Feb 2025Everything Is Data: How Your Client’s Chair Choice and Childhood Narrative Reveals More Than You…
- Feb 2025Evidence-Based Practice Isn’t What You Think: The Surprising Dance Between Science and Client…
- Feb 2025The Camera Doesn’t Lie: How Recording My Sessions With Clients Exposed Everything I Got Wrong
- Feb 2025When Logic Fails: The Secret Dance That Turns Emotional Chaos Into Clarity
- Feb 2025When ‘Selfish’ Becomes Sacred: The Unspoken Ethical Duty Coaches and Psychologists Can’t Afford to…
- Feb 2025Coaching and Therapy Starts and Ends With a Bow
- Feb 2025You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup
- Feb 2025Finding Awe via Nature and Embracing Our Insignificance
- Jan 2025The Humble Mirror: Unlocking Transformation Through Reflection
- Jan 2025The Playful Path to Change: Unlocking Growth Through Laughter and Lightness
- Jan 2025The Professional Guessing Game: Embracing Uncertainty in Coaching and Psychology
- Jan 2025The Zen of Client Care: Mastering the Pre-Session Ritual
- Jan 2025The Art of Holding Space: Unlocking Healing Through Silence and Curiosity
2024
- Dec 2024Reflecting Change: How Being a Mirror Transforms Coaching and Therapy
- Dec 2024The Myth of the Perfect Coach or Therapist: Why Good Enough is More Than Enough
- Jul 2024Is Mastering Business Chaos About Focus On Process Over Outcomes?
- Jul 2024Embracing Life’s Highs and Lows: The Power of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Jul 2024Unlock Your True Potential: Manage Your Intensity AND Energy, Not Your Time
- Mar 2024Can Disappointment Fuel — Not Obstruct — Your Progress?
- Jan 2024“…and…. why haven’t they changed?”
- Jan 2024Reflections of someone who helps change individuals and organisations
2023
- Sep 2023Unleashing AI in Your Organisational Change Communications
- Aug 2023Unlock Your Potential: A Mindful Guide for the Analytical Mind
- Aug 2023My Path to Becoming a Psychologist in Australia: A Personal Journey
- Aug 2023The Future-Proof Analyst: Thriving Amid Complexity, Skepticism, and Real-World Challenges
- Apr 2023The examined life — a letter to a wonderful and worthwhile client
- Jan 2023Why I love watching the sweet and salty magic of mind-blowing teams — yet feel intermingled…
- Jan 2023Can You Spring-Clean Your Life?
- Jan 2023Embracing Antifragility to Thrive in Difficult Workplace Situations
- Jan 2023Are you missing one of the six building blocks of organisational change management?
2022
- Dec 2022Solution-focused coaching: how does this book help you with the art and science of change?
- Dec 2022Six Blind Men and four surprising lessons on playing the complex game of wide-scale organisational…
- Dec 2022The story of Jane Cambio: following an end-to-end organisational change
- Dec 2022What have I learned about people and my professional practice on the way to being a registered…
- Nov 2022“Dealing with people is like nailing jelly to a bloody wall.”
- Nov 2022My self-care journey: One year later
- Nov 2022Shivering in the cold: Further down the road
- Jun 2022I shiver in the morning cold: embracing new habits
- Jun 2022Want Career Success? Six Insightful And Revealing Tools
- Jun 2022Stupidity is…
- Jun 2022Tonight I morphed into a hesitant artist with the help of two AI tools
- May 2022“I see stupid people…everywhere. Such as when I book in the mirror.”
- May 2022Sharp and clear: Your struggle and reward of clear thinking and getting to the point
- May 2022Life experience is a wonderful muse, isn’t it?
- May 2022Powerful visualisation = performance?
- May 2022Eagles soar when they focus: now you can too
- May 2022Facing the storm: Six tactics for sitting with intense emotions during difficult workplace…
- May 2022What 2 simple models combine for razor-sharp business communications?
- May 2022Avoid the “low-EQ blues”: one subtle yet powerful habit in your change leadership arsenal
- May 2022It’s been a while…
- May 2022Co-Designing Relatedness and Rockstars In Agile Working Environments
- May 2022Tapping Into Your Neuropsychology Of Creativity: Can You Increase Your Creativity Quotient?
- May 2022Want greater psychological flexibility? A coaching psychologist may be the answer
- Apr 2022One smart and humble organisational change tool?
- Apr 2022Mass influence through behavioural nudges: a nudge in the right direction for organisational change…
- Apr 2022Save your butt with our Plain English checklist
- Apr 2022What can Freakonomics teach us about delivering better organisational change?
- Apr 20226 Vital Tools to Help You Sustain High Energy Levels Amid Project Life
- Apr 2022Control, suffering, impermanence: 3 Buddhist insights for change leaders
- Apr 20227 ways your organisational change interventions fail
- Apr 2022Embrace the suck: 4 ways you can overcome adversity
- Apr 2022Replicate your change capabilities with a powerful change practice
- Apr 2022The Empty Suit: Do They Slowly Kill Team Productivity… or Are They Misunderstood?
- Apr 2022The Gentle Art of Spinning Plates with Collaborative Tech
- Apr 2022What to do when you step in workplace CRAP
2021
- Nov 2021Are you a workaholic? Take our handy quiz, then find ways to soar instead of strain
- Nov 2021Five steps to transform high-level intent into better organisational change
- Nov 2021The Truth About Lazy Thinking, Mental Energy and Change That Works
- Nov 2021To a decent final two weeks of November 2021
- Nov 2021Change Management + AI = Can we harness AI for brainstorming? We check out Generate Ideas.AI
- Nov 2021Change Management + Data Analytics = Change Analytics.
- Nov 2021The power of listening to your gut…and saying “No”
- Nov 2021Introducing the MINIATURES model: Produce business communications with zing
- Nov 2021Quick, powerful self-care: 6 dimensions transforming your mental health from languishing to…
- Nov 2021Is Change Management a good career choice?
- Nov 2021The fourth edition of Human Factors and Change
- Nov 2021Ingenuity and inspiration: Several cool tools to super-charge your day
- Nov 2021The genius of the crazy brave: one simple model from brazen ex-fighter pilot on adaptability
- Nov 2021What is organisational change management?
- Nov 2021“It’s like a FitBit…but for your brainwaves!”
- Oct 2021Igor Arkhipov: The three pillars of Business Analysis (BA) and the lasting value of a brilliant BA
- Oct 2021Drop the mic. Check out Synthesia.io: your new AI tool for business presentations.
- Oct 2021Edition # 4: It’s on the way. I just thought I would say “hi” anyway.
- Oct 2021Smash your project’s first 90 days: Timeless principles and practical lessons for us
- Oct 2021The Three Musketeers on a Project
- Oct 2021Want clear and powerful thinking today? This is your brain on Obsidian.
- Oct 2021Systems. Your all-terrain vehicle when everyone else is on foot.
- Oct 2021Engaging minds and hearts: what role do people’s personalities and fears play in adapting your…
- Oct 2021Hey, project professional! Could you solve a pain point by developing your own application?
- Oct 2021Win hearts and minds: smart workshop tools and thinking to the rescue
- Oct 2021Better Business Communications — introducing Edition 3: Human Factors and Change
- Oct 2021Better Business Communications — introducing Edition 3: Human Factors and Change
- Oct 2021“Any chance you can sprinkle some unicorn dust on my presentation?”
- Oct 2021Flex your razor-sharp thinking: a timeless principle for ambitious professionals
- Oct 2021Capturing Elusive Attention Spans? Breakthrough Thinking at last. Discover Now!
- Oct 2021Inspirational business communications articles: Third edition of Human Factors and Change
- Oct 2021TikTok attention spans: What 3 stages help you evolve your impact and capture attention in 3…
- Sep 2021Impactful Change Communications. Systemised. Reimagined. Here’s how.
- Sep 2021Is your project destined for failure?
- Sep 2021What 10 change principles taught me about leading complex organisational change?
- Sep 2021“But I’m a project professional — I can’t produce slick videos to influence others?”
- Sep 2021Would you associate the qualities and mindset behind someone like this with a Change Manager?
- Sep 2021The second edition of Human Factors and Change
- Sep 2021Want to influence many people? Make a game of it
- Aug 2021Are You the World’s Leading Personal and Professional Development Coach… for You
- Aug 2021Human Factors and Change: Curated Articles for edition # 2
- Aug 2021Sport Psychology for Project, Change and Business Leaders Everywhere
- Aug 2021Eye of the tiger: One powerful psychological trait of top project professionals
- Aug 2021Feeling Stuck? Unlock Transformation with 5 Questions
- Aug 2021Into the Lion’s Den: Surviving Tricky Stakeholders
- Aug 2021Strategic Generosity and The Long Game: More Power to You
- Aug 2021The top 10% of project professionals embrace this: Do you?
- Aug 2021“Well, this might be fun for a little while…”
- Aug 2021Human Factors and Change: first issue
- Aug 2021What Elite Athletes and Psychologists Know That You Don’t
- Aug 2021How You Can Get The Best Of Both Worlds
- Aug 2021Tiny Changes: Powerful Sustainable Results
- Aug 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 6 of 6)
- Aug 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 5 of 6)
- Aug 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 4 of 6)
- Aug 2021Not Capturing The Magic Of Your Change? Here’s How
- Aug 2021Striving for Better Business Communications? Here’s what to do
- Jul 2021When They Tell You It’s Too Hard: Organise and Understand Complex Operations and Services With This…
- Jul 2021Your Hidden Superpower? Focus. But How Do You Achieve Focus Now?
- Jul 2021Are You Being Too Nice?
- Jul 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 1 of 6)
- Jul 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 2 of 6)
- Jul 2021Leaders Everywhere: How Can You Lead Changes In Your Team? (Article # 3 of 6)
- Jul 2021Your Hidden Change Leadership Superpower Is Bottled Concentration. Where Can You Buy This Stuff?
- Jul 2021“You want me to run a workshop in WHAT?”
- Jul 2021The power of a single phone call
- Jul 2021The Fascinating Science of Writing a Book on Change Management
- Jan 2021Nine simple yet effective tweaks to transform workshops into better change
- Jan 2021Striving for Olympian productivity? Then work on your pre-production
- Jan 2021Change Management psychology
- Jan 2021Need stakeholder share of attention span? Choose your tactics!
- Jan 2021Playing with explosives: influencing your organisation’s status quo
- Jan 2021Are you missing a vital question when speaking with stakeholders?
- Jan 2021About me
2020
- Dec 2020“That last comment hit a nerve with my stakeholder. Why?”
- Dec 2020“You want me to get on board with your change? What’s in it for me?”
- Dec 2020One thing can derail your change: Ignore this at your peril
- Dec 2020Change jujutsu: rolling with resistance
- Dec 2020Stakeholders don’t ‘get’ you? Here’s what to do
- Nov 2020Smash ambiguity and affirm your direction on projects
- Nov 2020“Go on, take the thorn out of the lion’s paw!”: Managing change fatigue and resistance
- Nov 2020Pushing through pain barriers: Can you thrive in stressful project environments?
- Nov 2020Can you “psychoanalyse” organisational change?
- Nov 2020“A counsellor and a change leader walk into a bar…”
- Nov 2020Switch off to stay strong
- Nov 2020Elicit powerful insights using techniques from psychologists
- Nov 2020Understand a person’s change journey: a human-centric change model
- Nov 2020Hey, Organisational Change professionals! Are you shouting your shine to your project team?
- Nov 2020“What does the Change Manager actually do around here?”
- Nov 2020Organisational complexity… a love/hate relationship
- Nov 2020Big 5 and Change Quotient — what do these concepts have to do with managing change?
- Nov 2020Clever skills combinations and a unique strengths palette: what ‘human factors’ do you bring to…
- Nov 2020On being taken seriously: Promoting your change expertise (and value) to project teams
Prefer a conversation to an article?
If something here resonates with what you or your organisation is facing, get in touch, or ask the AI assistant, trained on all of this writing.