Ep. 405: “Get Aligned on Purpose” – Change Management and the Three Pillars of Workplace Strategy with David George of CRUX Workplace
Release Date: 06/09/2026
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Kaveh Rostampor is CEO & Co-founder of Planhat where his passionate about building a customer platform where commercial teams work better. Mike Petrusky asks Kaveh why he believes that leading people in our age of rapid change and workplace innovation requires embracing AI and automation to eliminate repetitive work and make them more effective. He frames the future as an “automated enterprise,” where technology brings together scattered commercial data and workflows so teams can focus on higher-value decisions and customer relationships. Rather than viewing new tools as a threat,...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Natalie Johnson is Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Vidl Work where she is leading business development, strategy, innovation, and thought leadership while also working directly with clients through keynote speaking, consulting, training, facilitation, and coaching services. Mike Petrusky asks Natalie about her new book, co-authored with Rebecca Johnson, called “Leading the Culture Journey: Elevating Everyday Actions to Create Extraordinary Workplaces”, in which she shares a practical roadmap for understanding and improving workplace culture. They explore how culture is shaped...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Drew DePriest, MCR.w is Director of Workplace Services at Salesforce and part of the IFMA Global Board of Directors where he is passionate about operating at the intersection of facilities management, corporate real estate, enterprise IT/OT, and building automation. Mike Petrusky asks Drew to share and update on his career journey, and they discuss the future of facility management and corporate real estate. They explore how AI is rapidly changing the field by helping workplace teams analyze work-order data, find patterns, and turn scattered information into more useful operational context....
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Shelley Boland is Global Head Real Estate and Corporate Services at Standard Chartered where she is passionate about shaping enterprise strategy and corporate operations across international markets while transforming how global workforces connect by balancing commercial efficiency, future-of-work innovation, leveraging supply chain and strong risk discipline. Mike Petrusky asks Shelley why she believes that workplace and facility management leaders can create value when they treat their function as a strategic platform for talent, brand, culture, transformation, and growth, not simply as a...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Rob Clark is a Senior Director at Cushman & Wakefield where he is designing client strategies at the intersection of experiences and real estate, while also sharing his story as an accomplished motivational speaker and author of "Everyday Resilience for Everyday Heroes" and The Resilient Worker blog. Mike Petrusky asks Rob why he believes that assuming good intentions and maintaining positivity are essential strategies for workplace and facility management professionals who often face adversity and competing interests. They explore the power of human connection, collaboration, and...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Jenna Mikus, PhD is CEO of Eudae Group, LLC where she is a strategic advisor specializing in balancing architectural science with wellbeing science to promote flourishing health and wellbeing by design in the context of environments. Mike Petrusky asks Jenna why she believes embracing unconventional and multidisciplinary approaches to design leads to more creativity and innovation in the workplace. They explore the concept of eudaimonia and why the power of human flourishing should be a central goal in workplace strategy and design. Jenna says that facility management professionals can play an...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Michael Geary, CAE is President & CEO of IFMA where he is passionate about serving the 25,000+ members of the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals. Mike Petrusky asks Michael about his time so far leading IFMA’s global community which spans every continent, offering facility managers broad opportunities for professional networking, collaboration, and exposure to different cultural perspectives. They share excitement and anticipation for IFMA’s World Workplace 2026 which promises to deliver great content,...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts where he is an author who was dubbed the “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times and he helps tech-forward leaders stop overpaying for AI while boosting adoption and decreasing resistance. Mike Petrusky asks Dr. Gleb about his brand-new book, "The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results", in which he explores how AI will fundamentally transform the workplace, applying his findings to facility managers and workplace strategists. He believes that FM leaders will need to...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Katy Redmond, MCR is Senior Managing Director, Integrated Portfolio Services (IPS) Lead, Americas East at JLL where she is passionate about corporate real estate, innovation and leadership while also serving as a Global Board Member at CoreNet. Mike Petrusky welcomes Katy back to the show to hear her latest insights and perspectives on FM, CRE and expectations for upcoming industry events like the CoreNet Global Summit and IFMA’s World Workplace. Katy says that speed and efficiency are now critical demands in the real estate industry, with clients seeking faster execution, streamlined...
info_outlineWorkplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Anthony Lucca is a young professional based in New York City with a passion for workplace operations, facility management, project management, and enhancing the employee Experience. Mike Petrusky asks Anthony about his aspiring career journey in the world of the workplace and they explore why building and fostering genuine relationships and professional networks is essential in facility management. Anthony says that his professional growth often involves learning from the experiences of others and that is why he is constantly seeking mentorship and has plans to get involved in communities such...
info_outlineDavid George is CEO & Founder at CRUX Workplace where he builds on his decades of experience in workplace design, facilities management, real estate management and strategy to help clients co-create high performing, flexible workplace designs that enable people to do their best work. Mike Petrusky asks David why he believes that workplace strategists must be involved from the outset to understand business processes and create effective briefs for architects and designers, while innovation is centered on enabling people to perform their best and feel joy and connection at work. Engaging employees early in the design process leads to higher acceptance and ownership of the change, and David says successful change management relies on three pillars: employee engagement, clear communication, and sponsorship from leaders within the core business. He suggests creating a steering committee including CRE, IT, HR, and FM to drive workplace projects and says organizations must move beyond traditional office designs conceived decades ago and embrace new ways of work aligned with how people work today. Tune in to hear Mike and David share practical advice and the inspiration you will need to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization!
Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgeorge1/
Learn more about CRUX Workplace: https://www.crux-workplace.com/
Join the Workplace Evolutionaries community: https://we.ifma.org/
Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J
Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/
Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/