Episode 1: Activation Phase

How Change Succeeds and Starts Right

Activation creates the spark. With agency, energy flows into action. Join Dr. Hari Narayanan and Mohsin Memon to unpack the first phase of transformation.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Guest

Dr. Hari Narayanan (CEO, PSDC)

Host

Mohsin Memon (Creator of the AFERR Model)

In the Activation phase, awareness sparks movement. Successful transformations happen when people clearly see change coming and possess the agency to act on it. In this conversation, Dr. Hari Narayanan and Mohsin Memon explore how capable teams gain momentum and how emotion fuels attention. They discuss why reconnecting people to purpose serves as the foundation of every successful transformation.

Activation: The Engine of Momentum

Most initiatives start with a plan, but we believe in starting with the person. True activation connects the head and the heart, ensuring the team is fully ready to move. We explore the critical elements that turn passive awareness into active engagement.

Emotion Powers Strategy: We achieve more when we engage the will alongside the skill. Activation aligns the emotional engine to power intellectual work and drive the strategy forward.
Agency Generates Energy: When people sense change and feel empowered, energy flows into productive action. Activation builds this momentum by restoring ownership to the individual.
Safety Enables Accountability: Leaders succeed by fostering safety first. Real activation creates an environment where curiosity thrives and drives sustainable results.

When you get this right, the rest of the transformation feels like evolution. We move from a state of hesitation to a state of readiness and ensure the team has the emotional capacity to succeed. This foundational alignment empowers every individual to contribute their best work from the very start.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DIALOGUE

In this inaugural episode, Dr. Hari Narayanan and Mohsin Memon tackle the disconnect between sensing the need for change and actually taking action. They explore why traditional motivation often fails and how true activation requires reawakening human agency through emotional connection. Discover why "energy leaks" occur in teams and how psychological safety bridges the gap between intent and impact in a rapidly changing world.

Timestamp	Speaker	Highlight (Verbatim)
00:00	Dr. Hari	"Something that would happen over a year, today happens over a week. And that's the speed of change that we are experiencing."
01:29	Mohsin	"And when we don't have emotions in the work that we do, we end up realizing there is a lack of purpose that we are missing."
01:46	Dr. Hari	"I am a strong proponent of having a sense of purpose and redirecting or aligning the staff to the end purpose of the organization."
03:07	Mohsin	"Psychological safety creates more agency, more control. When we feel we are in control, we take action."
03:37	Mohsin	"When people have agency, we see magic. Transformation takes place. It becomes autonomous."