Change Isn’t Free—So What’s the Cost? Paulo Pisano

Most leaders avoid talking about sacrifice in change. Paulo Pisano says that’s a mistake. As CHRO at Booking.com, he’s led transformation in some of the world’s most complex organizations — and he argues that honest leadership means naming losses and trade-offs instead of painting everything as a win.

In this episode of Change Signal, I talk with Paulo Pisano about modern change mastery — why simplicity beats complexity, how to confront hidden sacrifices, and what it takes to build “protagonist” mindsets that keep people engaged.

In this grounded, practical conversation about leadership and transformation, you’ll discover:
Why complexity often hides your real priorities
How naming sacrifices reduces victim mindsets
What it takes to shift people from knower to learner
The dangers of saying “yes” to everything
How to move from silos to one-team collaboration

🎯 KEY TOPICS:
00:00 Introduction
04:12 Is complexity masking your real priorities?
09:25 The discipline of saying “no”
14:03 Why leaders must name sacrifices and trade-offs
19:45 Shifting from victim to protagonist mindsets
25:18 From knower to learner: building curiosity into change
30:42 Breaking silos and creating one-team collaboration
35:10 Paulo’s advice for leaders navigating big transformations

💡 ABOUT PAULO:
Paulo Pisano is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Booking.com. He has spent his career leading transformation in large, global organizations where change is never simple. Paulo brings a grounded, pragmatic perspective on how to simplify without dumbing down, acknowledge sacrifice, and build cultures of resilience and ownership.

👉 RESOURCES:
Connect with Paulo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ppisano
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