Summary:

Early in her career, Melissa was steering a major system implementation when the unthinkable happened: the go-live slipped and then slipped again. In this episode, we unpack how things went sideways, the vendor dynamics that masked risk, and the leadership moves that turned a multi-department fire drill into a stronger, smarter program.

Melissa Turley is a globally experienced HR executive and operations leader with 10+ years in senior roles across healthcare, education, construction & engineering, and maritime oil & gas. She specializes in large-scale implementations, cross-cultural team building, and business process development.

Chapters:

00:00 – The ‘go-live’ that didn’t: setting the scene

00:03 – Early signals: smooth meetings, hidden risks

00:09 – Slipped once, slipped twice: how dates quietly erode

00:15 – Standing up change agents inside each function

00:21 – Communication that actually changes behavior

00:27 – Delegation and leadership altitude: getting out of the weeds

00:33 – Go-live approach 2.0: phased, controlled, and transparent

00:36 – Lessons learned and the new operating rhythm

Host Dr. Jim: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Guest Melissa Turley: linkedin.com/in/melissa-turley-mhrm-mba-iapmc-shrm-scp-phr-b275403a

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka