SightShift with Chris McAlister

New Series: 3% Shift | The AI Conversation Nobody Is Having Correctly

Everyone is talking about AI. Almost no one is talking about it correctly. In this kickoff to a new SightShift series, Chris and Mark argue that the AI conversation is stuck in two ditches, terror on one side, worship on the other, and the real story is something most leaders haven't named yet. AI isn't revealing a skills gap. It's revealing an identity gap. And for the 97% of leaders running on insecurity, that's a feedback loop most aren't ready to see. If you're a leader quietly anxious about AI and tired of the hype on both sides, this series is the version of the conversation you've been waiting for.

The Nine Stops Every Real Breakthrough Has to Hit

In the final episode of the Make Culture Your Edge series, Chris and Mark walk through the Culture Impact Script: the nine-stop framework SightShift uses to take teams through a real breakthrough.
Using Michigan basketball's national championship as the running example, Chris breaks down what it actually takes to sustain greatness, not just talk about it

Outsourcing Your Thinking Is Not a Plan | Lunch with Chris

Your AI tool outperforms 97% of people. Alice knows that — and she's running every decision through the model. Here's why that's exactly backwards, and what the 3% do instead.

Why Your Best People Are "Resisting"

In this episode of the Make Culture Your Edge series, Chris and Mark double-click on the second pillar of the SightShift culture model, Right Change, using the breaking of the Fellowship at Amon Hen as the running metaphor. The mission didn't change. The vision didn't change. But the structure that carried them up to that point had to fracture. And how each character responded to that fracture is the whole story of leading change.

Burpees Are Not a Plan | Lunch with Chris

If you're the leader who pushes harder when the team feels heavy, doubles intensity when the metrics stall, and confuses urgency for transformation — there's a drill sergeant running your insides. Here's why white-knuckling doesn't actually drive change, and what does.

Why Most "Open Dialogue" Is Actually Manipulation

Most leaders say they want open dialogue. What they actually want is conformity. Chris and Mark open the Conflict pillar of the culture model and reframe everything you've been taught about handling disagreement on a team.

Why Your Team Resists Change

Most leaders treat resistance as a threat. The healthy ones treat it as data. In this episode, Chris and Mark double-click on the Change pillar of the culture model and break down the three risk factors that quietly sabotage every change effort.

Calm Is Not a Plan | Lunch with Chris

Most leadership calm wears off the moment the hard conversation arrives. If you've been using morning rituals and mindfulness to feel steadier and nothing is actually moving — here's why, and what to do about it. Chris McAlister goes live every Wednesday at lunch. This week: Zen and the art of avoiding leadership. Meet Namaste Ned — the leader who uses breath work, meditation, and wellness language to avoid the sentence they need to say out loud. Mindfulness is a scalpel, not a butter knife. Calm is the posture. The conversation is the work.