Why Great Ideas Get Stuck - Insights From a Motivational Speaker

🎤 TEDxPerth Recap: Jason Clarke – Embracing Change

This is where it begins: someone steps onto a red circle and declares to the world, “It doesn’t have to be this way!” A TED Talk is born, full of passion, new ideas, and the belief that change is not only possible but necessary. And you, the inspired viewer, think, Yes! Finally, someone gets it. 

You return to work or home with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated evangelist:
“Rejoice, my people! There’s a better way!”
And what do you get in return?
Crickets. Blank stares. Polite head nods followed by, “Yeah… no.” 

Welcome to what Jason Clarke calls “The Wall.” A formidable, invisible barrier made of excuses dressed up as reasons. According to Clarke, these excuses are rarely the real reasons people resist change. They’re just code for something deeper.

🎭 The Excuses We Hear (And Why They’re Fake)

Jason rattles off the usual suspects:

•  “We’ve tried that before.”
•  “It’s not in the budget.”
•  “It’s too political.”
•  “It’s always been this way.”

But he’s not buying it—and neither should we. These objections sound like arguments, but they’re really just deflections.

“It’s always been like this” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t change. It means we should’ve changed a long time ago.

Each excuse, when flipped, becomes a reason to act—not to stand still.

Clarke's favorite deflection? A friend was told, “This isn’t what we pay you to do.”
He smiled and replied, “That’s okay, this one’s a freebie.”

Boom.

💡 The Real Reasons We Say “No” to Change

Peel back the excuses and you'll find the real, human reasons:

•  Fear: “This is too much, too fast.”
•  Uncertainty: “I don’t know where I fit in.”
•  Distrust: “I’ve seen fake change before—I want the real thing.”
•  Loss of Control: “No one asked for my input.”

People aren’t against change. They’re against change being done to them. What they want is agency, clarity, and a voice.

Clarke explains that when someone hears a new idea, they don’t just evaluate the idea—they react emotionally to the transition. They’re not rejecting the vision. They’re dreading the journey.

That’s the pivot point: if you help people feel seen, heard, and safe during the process, they’ll often embrace the outcome.

🧠 From Resistance to Reflection

One of Clarke’s most powerful stories involves a workshop with a group of employees who were abruptly fired. Understandably, they weren’t in the mood for “visionary future planning.” But instead of powering through, Clarke invited them to unpack their feelings.

They said they felt:

•  Angry
•  Betrayed
•  Scared
•  Stupid

He let them talk. No fixes. No false cheer. Just emotional space.

And something amazing happened. After the venting came reflection.
One by one, they began saying things like:

•  “I kind of knew this was coming.”
•  “Maybe this is a blessing.”
•  “I’ve always wanted to do something else.”

They moved—on their own—from negativity to possibility.

The takeaway? You can’t force people through the wall. But you can walk with them. You can listen. You can ask, “How do you feel?” before saying, “Here’s what we’ll do.” 

🎨 The Innovator’s Playground: The “Interesting” Space

Children, says Clarke, don’t immediately classify experiences as good or bad. When they fall, they pause. They assess.
Was it fun? Was it scary? Should I try again?

Adults rush to label.
This is good. That is bad.
Change is usually filed under bad.

But between good and bad lies the most powerful space: interesting. It’s the realm of the artist, the innovator, the question-asker. It’s where “What’s wrong?” becomes “What’s possible?”

We need to protect that space—and help others rediscover it.

🚀 A New Way to Lead Change

Instead of bulldozing through resistance, Jason Clarke invites us to get curious:

•  What are people really afraid of?
•  What emotions are driving their pushback?
•  What would real, meaningful change look like for them?

True leadership, he says, isn’t about selling a vision. It’s about sharing a process. It’s about creating the safety and space for people to move from fear to ownership.

And when they do?

That’s when change actually happens.

Want help turning resistance into readiness in your organization?
💬 Let’s talk. Or just tag someone who does this brilliantly.