We're wired to want things frictionless. We work to smooth out anything that feels hard, slow, or uncomfortable, and most of modern work is built to help us do exactly that. That instinct serves us well with logistics and lines, and badly with the emotional kind of friction. When we avoid hard conversations, skip the analysis around why one team's decisions keep stalling, or explore the tension we can't quite name, we lose the moments that hold the most insight and connection.
 
This session is built around a research-based framework from the new book Friction: How Tension, Emotion, and Change Reveal Better Leaders that names three types of friction leaders face: internal (what's happening inside you), interpersonal (what's happening between you and others), and systemic (what's happening because of the systems around you), along with new survey data to better understand how people think about friction at work.

Ross Blankenship, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist and executive coach. He is the founder of the leadership coaching and consulting firm Tuesday Advisors, co-author of the book “Friction: How Tension, Emotion, and Change Reveal Better Leaders,” and author of the books “Everyday Leadership: A Guide to Developing Your Mindset as a Leader” and “Assessing CEOs and Senior Leaders.” On Substack, he writes “Theory of Change,” a newsletter where he explores how people make sense of their lives through work, identity, and moments of transition. He holds a Ph.D. in consulting psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia.

Maggie Sass, Ph.D. is an organizational psychologist, executive coach, and the EVP of Content, Research, and Professional Services at TalentSmartEQ. A former Senior Faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership, she is the coauthor of Better Conversations Every Day and a contributor to the ATD Leadership Handbook. She holds a Ph.D. in consulting psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives with her family in San Diego, CA.