Stop, Adapt, then Adopt with Leanne Courtney

Summary

How many staffing leaders are actually satisfied with their tech stack—not just tolerating it, but genuinely getting what they were promised? In this episode of Highly Adaptive, Jeff Pelliccio and Erin MacKenzie welcome Leanne Courtney of Achieve With Tech to diagnose why that demo excitement so often turns to regret within six months.

Leanne brings a refreshingly direct perspective shaped by years helping organizations untangle duplicative tools and misaligned expectations. The conversation opens with an unexpected detour through Australian wildlife facts (including why 97% of koalas have chlamydia and the tragic origin of Leanne's Segway fears), before diving into the real problem: most organizations let vendors tell their story instead of building their own first.

The trio unpacks why ROI has become a meaningless buzzword without baseline metrics, how one client discovered they had four different tools doing the same thing, and why "change management" should really be called "user enablement management." Leanne introduces her Stop, Adapt, Adopt framework—a practical methodology for breaking the cycle of tech disappointment that treats technology decisions like building Tetris blocks rather than eating an entire cake.

Whether you're drowning in analysis paralysis or wondering why your team won't use the expensive software you just implemented, this episode provides the mirror-holding questions and concrete steps to make your next technology decision stick.

Key Takeaways

• Build Your Story Before the Demo — Define your complete workflow and success metrics before letting vendors tell you what you need; organizations that wait for someone else to tell their story end up with tech that doesn't match their internal processes
• ROI Means Nothing Without Your Definition — Software companies can't tell you what success looks like for your business; establish your baseline metrics first, then partner with vendors to measure against your specific outcomes
• Stop, Adapt, Adopt Framework — Pause to analyze what problems you actually have, adapt your expectations and processes to reality, then adopt technology that fits your current state rather than an idealized future
• User Enablement Over Change Management — Don't force technology down people's throats; identify naturally curious team members as evangelists and seek to understand their daily reality before expecting adoption
• Start Small, Build Tetris Blocks — Resist the urge to solve everything at once; pick one process, one problem, one building block and stack incrementally rather than buying the whole cake
• Ask About Roadmaps Both Ways — When evaluating vendors or consultants, ask what specific outcomes they'll achieve in six months; authentic partners will also ask about yours to ensure alignment

Sponsors

Allied Insight — The Preferred Marketing Partner of Staffing and Consulting Businesses Before your next tech investment, make sure your story is clear. Allied Insight helps staffing leaders build the strategic foundation that makes technology decisions stick—because the best demo in the world can't fix misaligned expectations.

All Things Staffing — Expert Resources for the Staffing Community Your hub for frameworks that cut through the noise. All Things Staffing delivers the practical insights that help leaders stop reacting and start building technology strategies with intention.