Navigating change with empathy: A conversation with Nimesh Mehta

This week on Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Nimesh Mehta, Chief Information and Strategy Officer at National Life Group. Nimesh has led teams at companies like Civitas Capital and Lincoln Financial and shares how embracing discomfort has served him in his career. He and Tammy discuss courageous leadership, the etymology of the word passion and how to include people in large-scale transformations.

Highlights from the episode include:

• You have to land with people, not on them. Nimesh describes his approach to change management as one of empathy and meeting people where they are. One of his biggest failures early in his career was implementing change before people were ready.
• Learning without behavior change falls short. As Tammy and Nimesh discuss leadership, he emphasizes applying lessons and turning them into performance. Learning is not enough if you’re not applying it to the next thing you do.
• Passion means suffering. As they discuss embracing discomfort, Nimesh tells Tammy that the word "passion" originates from the Latin word "passio," meaning "suffering." They explore how innovation requires sacrifice and giving something up to get it right.

Check out the full episode to learn more about the “rhythm” of transparency and human decision making in an AI world.

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Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.‍

This podcast is presented by Catalyst. The opinions and views expressed are those of the host and participants and do not necessarily reflect National Life Group's views on the topics discussed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security in any state where such offer or solicitation would be illegal. Any unauthorized use is prohibited. National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier, VT and its affiliates. This podcast was recorded on 2/21/2025. TC7784363(0325)3