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Welcome to Changemaker stories from LOCAL - an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.
This week, we sat down with Lauren D. Williams, a culture and change leader at SiriusXM. With a career spanning roles in media, strategy, and marketing, Lauren has consistently embraced learning from those around her. Our conversation explored the vital role of culture, the power of adaptability, and the rewards of stepping outside your comfort zone. Here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Lauren:
My background is actually in media planning and strategy. I think I was tapped for my current role because I’m someone who embraces change.
I believe in the power of combining both data and intuition when making decisions. Data provides valuable insights and helps inform the choices we make, but the human element—the intuition and understanding we gain from conversations and experiences—brings the full picture to life. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about how we interpret and apply them with empathy and creativity.
As I take on a change, I try to think about how it would make me feel if I was on the receiving end. My title is just a title – at the end of the day, I’m a person. So when I approach change, I really think about the people first.
I ask for advice from people all around the organization, because they're the ones who are going to be impacted by change the most. Your best resources are right outside your door or sitting right next to you. It's important to talk, be kind, ask questions, and take them along the journey.
I think changing mindsets is the biggest barrier that you can overcome in driving change. People don't like change. Change is hard. No one wants to do it. It's okay to be scared of change, but a lot of times, growth happens just outside of your comfort zone.
I was introduced to a model that has three layers. The middle layer is your comfort zone. Then there's another circular layer outside the comfort zone called the stretch zone. And then outside of that layer is the danger zone. Most of us want to be in our comfort zone, but the most growth and the most potential happens in the stretch zone. You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Fear is just an acronym for “false evidence appearing real.” Everything you want to accomplish is just on the other side of fear.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. If you’re able to change the culture, I believe that’s what can really change the trajectory of a business.
It’s important to give other people grace. If it's hard for them to embrace change, maybe they're just on a different timeline than you. We all experience change in different ways because of our backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives. But we're all on this journey together.
I always hire people who are smarter than me. I think it's important to bring in experts in their craft and let them flourish. I look for someone who's a go-getter, who's not afraid of the word no, and who will continue to iterate and optimize even if we’re struggling. Nothing is a failure—you just learn from it.
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