What Most Leaders Get Wrong About Transformation | Dr. Ekanjali Dhillon
Download MP3What does leadership actually look like when the stakes are real and failure isn’t an option?
In this episode of the Badass Leaders Podcast, physician and digital transformation leader Dr. Ekanjali Dhillon pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to deliver large-scale change inside complex healthcare systems. Drawing on her experience helping lead one of the UK’s largest electronic health record (EHR) deployments, she shares the hard-earned lessons most transformation playbooks miss.
This conversation goes beyond theory into the messy reality of modern leadership: competing priorities, fragile alignment, resistance from intelligent stakeholders, and the emotional load of making high-consequence decisions under pressure.
You’ll hear why big transformations rarely fail for the reasons leaders think, how to build trust when you don’t have formal authority, and what separates leaders who look good on paper from those who actually deliver results at scale.
Learn More About Ekanjali Dhillon:
Mentioned in this Episode:
- HCA Healthcare UK: https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust: https://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/
- NH: https://www.nhs.uk/
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare (“To thine own self be true”): https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/to-thine-own-self-be-true/
About The AGN Group:
At The AGN Group, we believe every individual, team, and company can unlock their inner badass, one brave step at a time. www.TheAGNGroup.com.
Produced by: The AGN Group
Host: Angela Gill Nelms
Producer: Katie Hart
Tagline: Be Brave. Be Badass.
Websites: www.theagngroup.com and www.AngelaGillNelms.com
Social Media Channels:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badassleaderspodcast/
Twitter: https://x.com/BALeadersPod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@baleaderspod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/badass-leaders-podcast2
Want to be a Podcast Guest?
If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email brave@angelagillnelms.com.
The discussion also tackles questions…
- What actually breaks first in large-scale transformations?
- How do you lead when failure isn’t an option?
- How can you influence teams when you don’t have positional authority?
- Why do leaders confuse buy-in with true alignment?
- How do you handle resistance during major organizational change?
- What leadership skills matter most in high-pressure environments?
- How do you build trust with highly intelligent, skeptical stakeholders?
- When is tension in a transformation healthy vs. dangerous?
- How can emerging leaders step up without waiting for permission?
- What do the best leaders do differently when stakes are high?
Themes:
- Leading transformation at scale
- Digital health and EHR implementation reality
- Leading without positional power
- Communication as the failure point in change programs
- Building trust in complex organizations
- Stakeholder alignment vs. surface-level buy-in
- Operating under sustained pressure
- Translating between technical, clinical, and operational worlds
- Continuous learning as a leadership discipline
- Turning resistance into forward momentum
Creators and Guests
Host
Angela Gill Nelms
Angela Gill Nelms is a founder, board leader, podcaster, and award-winning entrepreneur with a career spanning SaaS, medical devices, biotech, and clinical research. She builds high-impact teams and organizations rooted in culture, resilience, and strategic execution—helping innovators move ideas from lab to market and leaders grow with intention. She hosts three podcasts that reflect her mission to elevate leadership and accelerate biomedical innovation: Badass Leaders Podcast, Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow, and Recovery Advocate Network: Coffee & Conversation. Across each show, Angela creates space for honest conversations that drive impact, reduce stigma, and shape the future of leadership and health. A Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Alumni honoree and INC 500 award recipient, Angela serves on multiple boards across innovation and mental health ecosystems. Outside of work, she’s beekeeping, blacksmithing, turning wood, or training—6× IRONMAN and lifelong advocate for humans being human.
Producer
Katie Hart
Katie Hart is the Senior Client Relations Manager and Executive Podcast Producer at The AGN Group, where she leads podcast production, brand strategy, and client experience from concept to launch. Equal parts creative and operational powerhouse, she guides clients through branding, recording, and distribution while ensuring every detail runs seamlessly. Known as a customer experience magician, Katie is passionate about making every client and guest feel seen, supported, and celebrated—delivering a five-star experience that amplifies bold stories and builds meaningful impact.
