What does a people-first culture actually feel like, especially inside a transformation that’s as complex as a company itself?

Heidi Rothbard, VP of People and Culture at Blue Skies, shares how intentionally designed systems keep teams connected and supported as they grow. Her approach treats structure not as bureaucracy but as the backbone of belonging - showing that growth and connection can coexist.

She brings that to life through small, lasting practices: walking new hires through the org chart with personal stories, keeping a “blue book” that makes names and connections memorable, and creating a safe-space role that gives people a place to turn without judgment. These aren’t HR programs; they’re the mechanics that make a people-first culture work in practice.

Heidi also shares the long game of recruiting - keeping doors open for great people even when timing doesn’t align, building trusted relationships that endure between projects, and recognizing when a standout contractor becomes part of the family.

As the firm’s first non-billable hire, Heidi helped Blue Skies grow beyond one region while preserving what mattered most: authenticity, creativity, and a deep bias for relationships over lone heroics.

If you’re leading a transformation or building a large program that depends on people staying connected through change, this episode offers a clear playbook: story-driven onboarding, relationship-first recruiting, and structures that make care sustainable.

🎧 Listen now to hear how small structural choices make culture something people can actually feel.

📄 Bonus: Read Heidi’s article “What Makes a Good Management Consultant” : http://bit.ly/4nw8lt9

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.

“Change works best when no one notices, which makes proving its value harder than it should be.”

When change management works, it often disappears. No chaos, no disruption, no delays. And ironically, no recognition. That invisibility makes it one of the hardest investments to measure.

In this episode, Pete Hadley, a seasoned change management expert grounded in learning and adoption, shares how he has led business adoption for enterprise programs including S/4HANA deployments and large-scale initiatives in healthcare, energy, and life sciences. He explores how to measure ROI when success looks like smooth adoption, and how to make that value visible to leadership.

Pete reflects on the overlooked signals of transformation, how early alignment sets the tone, how adoption shows up in subtle ways day to day, and why the real story often emerges months after go-live. His perspective moves beyond dashboards to the lived experience of teams adjusting, adopting, and ultimately thriving.

Listen in to rethink how you measure the ROI of change management and how to make that value clear to leaders.

Bonus: Read Pete’s article “Determining the ROI of Change Management”: https://blueskiesconsulting.com/determining-the-roi-of-change-management/

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.

“Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you’re broken.”

In this episode, Vanessa Schafer, Managing Director at Blue Skies Consulting, joins Frontline Insights to explore the real reasons teams hit friction — and how recognizing patterns in behavior can help you lead with more clarity and connection.

With deep experience leading complex transformation programs, Vanessa shares how team dynamics often falter not because of poor tools or planning, but because people interpret each other through completely different lenses.

You’ll hear five personality types that often surface under pressure — from the Power Player to the Grumbler — and how understanding these roles can shift how you communicate, collaborate, and get momentum back.

Vanessa also reflects on her own tendencies, how she’s built a steady leadership presence over time, and which personality type still tests her patience.

🎧 Listen now to reframe how you show up in team settings — and move forward when things feel stuck.

📄 Bonus: Read Vanessa’s article “5 Personality Types & How to Manage Them on Your Team": https://blueskiesconsulting.com/5-personality-types-how-to-manage-them-on-your-team/

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.

“We try to put the world into neat little boxes. But the real problems live between them.”

In this episode, Ben Aim, Managing Director at Blue Skies Consulting, revisits the concept he introduced years ago: gray areas — the murky spaces between teams, systems, and scopes that stall transformation efforts and often go unclaimed.

What began as a bold idea — creating a new role called the Process Integration Lead — has evolved through lived experience. Ben has led large-scale transformations across systems, data, and delivery. In this episode, he shares how his thinking has sharpened over time, why the role still matters, and what he’s learned from being the first person to actually step into it.

From rushed custom builds to assumption traps and missed handoffs, this conversation explores how transformation really breaks down — and how you can lead differently by noticing what others overlook.

🎧 Listen now to reframe how you see ownership, ambiguity, and the value of bridging the in-between.

📄 Bonus: Read Ben’s original article "Shining Light on the Gray Areas with Process Integration": https://blueskiesconsulting.com/shining-light-on-the-gray-areas-with-process-integration/

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.

“Silence doesn’t solve tension — it just delays the fallout.”

John Prichard, Director at Blue Skies Consulting, has led more than his share of high-stakes projects. And if there’s one pattern he’s seen repeatedly, it’s this: misalignment doesn’t always show up as open conflict. Sometimes it hides behind silence—unspoken concerns, unclear ownership, or teams too worn out to speak up.

In this episode, John joins Frontline Insights to share how he navigates those moments. Drawing from his experience leading complex systems implementations, he walks through the practices that help surface the real issue before it becomes a blocker — asking the right questions, engaging quieter voices, and staying grounded when emotions run high.

This isn't about confrontation. It's about alignment — and why effective leaders often sound less like deciders and more like listeners.

🎧 Listen now for a grounded, real-world conversation about misalignment, momentum, and how to lead through friction—not around it.

📝 Bonus: Read John’s original article on conflict mediation, "How to Use Non-Confrontational Mediation for Disagreements on Projects": https://blueskiesconsulting.com/how-to-use-non-confrontational-mediation-for-disagreements-on-projects/

A production of Blue Skies Consulting

Executive Producer: Justin Nolte
Hosted by Kenis Folk
Content and Episode Planning by Giraud Jackson
Audio Engineering and Editing by Brandon Friedel

Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blueskiesconsulting

Remember, behind every transformation, there’s a story worth telling.