Lisa Lahey

Dr. Lisa Laskow Lahey is a developmental psychologist, educator, and executive coach recognized for her research on adult development and leadership. Lahey is the founder of Minds at Work, a coaching and consulting firm serving businesses and institutions globally, and serves on the faculty of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She led the research team that developed a developmental diagnostic tool used internationally to assess adult meaning systems.

Lahey and collaborator Robert Kegan identified the concept of immunity to change, a dynamic that can hinder personal and organizational transformation. Their book, "Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization," explores how individual beliefs and collective mindsets within organizations create resistance to change. "How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work" and "Immunity to Change" have been translated into multiple languages. Their collaboration, "An Everyone Culture," was recognized as Best Management and Workplace Culture Book by 800-CEO-READ. "Immunity to Change" and "An Everyone Culture" are included on the Harvard Business Press Ideas with Impact List.

An authority in adult development, leadership development, and executive coaching, Lahey works with leaders and teams in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She leads and teaches the Personal Mastery program in Harvard's Education Leadership, Organizations and Entrepreneurship program, which focuses on advancing equity, access, agency, and excellence in education. Lahey previously served as associate director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a national initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to build leadership capacity in public school districts. She also teaches in executive development programs at Harvard University and Notre Dame and presents her work internationally.

Lahey has received awards for her research, developmental diagnostics, and writing on adult development, including Boston University's Gislason Prize for contributions to organizational leadership and the Vision of Excellence Award from the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Alongside Kegan, she received the Gislason Award for contributions to organizational leadership, joining recipients such as Warren Bennis, Peter Senge, and Edgar Schein. Lahey has participated in the World Economic Forum's Davos Conference and her work has appeared in The Atlantic, MSNBC News, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times Sunday Business Section, Oprah Magazine, and Fast Company. Her work in adult education, women's development, diversity and inclusion, and care for the aged is recognized in the healthcare, nonprofit, and education sectors.