Episode 8- Daphne S. Leger- Driving Change Where It Matters. People, Culture And The Show Floor.
What is the episode about? Why is change important?
In Episode 8 of The Expo Factor, Lee Ali welcomes transformation strategist Daphne S. Leger to explore a topic that sits at the heart of every exhibition, organisation and team performance. Change.
With decades of experience leading people-first change initiatives across global companies, Daphne brings deep insight into how culture and leadership influence everything. From how your people show up on the show floor to how your business grows in a fast-moving world. With experience training over 10,000 leaders across 15 countries, Daphne brings deep expertise in the field of change – she’s not just talking theory, she’s lived it.
This episode is not about minor tweaks; it is about stepping back and asking the hard questions. Are we really using change in the right way?
Key Takeaways From The Episode
1. Real Change Starts on the Inside
“The moment you start changing is when you start asking different questions.”
Daphne reminds us that organisations often get stuck repeating the same cycles, hoping for different results. But real change requires reflection.
“Change is not a nice-to-have anymore. It’s an imperative.”
She challenges businesses to shift from reactive firefighting to strategic evolution. This begins by being honest about what is no longer working and having the courage to explore something better.
2. Trade Shows Are a Litmus Test for Organisational Culture
“Exhibitions are the place where everything that’s working – and not working – shows up.”
Daphne describes the show floor as a mirror. If your people are disengaged, uncertain or unclear, your audience will feel it. If your strategy lacks purpose, the energy in the booth will reflect that too.
“You can tell right away if a team is aligned – it’s in their body language, their voice, the way they respond.”
Trade shows make culture visible; they are not just marketing channels, they are culture in action.
3. Change Does Not Come From Activity – It Comes From Clarity
“We do not need to do more – we need to be more.”
Daphne’s message is clear – many organisations are addicted to activity. But true transformation is not about piling on new tactics; it is about getting clear on who you are, what you stand for and what really matters.
She explains:
“When people are clear, they are more confident. And when they are confident, they connect.”
4. Leaders Must Get Comfortable With the Unknown
“Change is not linear. You don’t get the full map –you get the next clue.”
This episode reframes how we think about leadership during change. Daphne explains that waiting until everything is certain leads to paralysis. Instead, leaders must create safe spaces to explore and adapt – even when things feel ambiguous.
“We need leaders who are willing to be vulnerable, who can say, ‘I don’t know yet – but I’m listening.’”
This vulnerability is not weakness; it is a bridge to trust and innovation.
5. The Future Belongs to People-Led Change
“What’s needed now is not just digital transformation – it’s human transformation.”
Daphne leaves us with a powerful reminder. True organisational change is not about tech, dashboards or slogans – it is about people. When individuals feel seen, supported and inspired, they become change agents.
“When you invite people into change, rather than impose it, they rise.”
Daphne’s Top 3 Tips For Driving Change
When asked by Lee Ali for her three top tips for creating change in personal behaviour, company culture, or audience mindset. Daphne offered a practical, people-first approach grounded in experimentation and shared ownership.
Here are her three essential steps:
1. Build a Habit of Shaking Up Routines
“Getting into that habit of we’re shaking our routines and we’re questioning them all the time… It’s very powerful and will develop your muscle.”
Daphne suggests starting small by changing how you do familiar things, like who leads a Monday meeting or how it’s run or if you even need to keep it! The key is to share responsibility rather than rely solely on top-down direction.
“This doesn’t all have to reside on the shoulders of the leader, nor should it.”
Creating space to reflect together on what worked and what didn’t builds change agility and engagement across the team.
2. Run Quick, Imperfect Experiments
“Have this culture of, you have an idea — what experiment are we going to run next week to learn more about that idea?”
Daphne urges teams to embrace small, fast tests rather than waiting for six-month pilot programmes. These micro-experiments generate learning, energy and movement, without perfectionism holding things back.
“It’s not a six-month pilot project. It’s one little thing that we can do next week… quick, inexpensive, imperfect.”
3. Create Space to Design the Future
“Have a shared vision of what we’re going towards… with the flexibility that the path is going to change five times along the way.”
Daphne explains that meaningful change requires stepping away from daily firefighting to intentionally design the future, even if it’s just for one day a year.
“If you don’t create that space, it will never happen organically… The future is coming anyway, but it won’t be the one that we designed.”
Leadership must make room for that forward-thinking work. Without it, we risk becoming victims of default outcomes rather than authors of our own direction.
Final Thought
This episode is not a checklist. It is a mindset shift. If your trade show strategy is feeling stale, or your team is not engaging as they should, the answer may not be in your plan… It may be in your culture.
As Daphne says:
“Change does not happen because we talk about it. It happens because we show up differently.”
Ways to watch
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KwWFD4valUcPQ6YRkjjlJ?si=d188c16bccbe4a82
Youtube – https://youtu.be/5MbDB0voJC0
About Daphne S. Leger
Website – http://www.atrevidea.com/
Access her latest book, How Adaptable Humans Navigate Change. https://www.thefutureproof.life/
Daphne S. Leger is a human-first strategist and global expert in transformation, organisational culture and change leadership. Over the course of her career, she has helped some of the world’s most recognised companies rethink how they lead, adapt and grow in complex environments.
Having trained over 10,000 leaders across 15 countries, Daphne brings a rare blend of practical experience and deep insight into how real change happens – not just on paper, but in everyday behaviour, mindset and culture.
Daphne works at the intersection of strategy and humanity, helping teams shift from reactive mode to conscious, creative leadership. Whether through keynote speaking, executive training or company-wide transformation, her mission is to help organisations design the future, rather than fall into it by default. Her latest book How Adaptable Humans Navigate Change is available now! Access it via this link https://www.thefutureproof.life/
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