The story every powerful leader wishes they’d read before it was too late.
A compelling, practical guide for CEOs who must deliver results fast without losing their people on the way.
Get your copy today to discover:
Why the traits that get you promoted to CEO often backfire once you're there.
What never works when a private equity firm is breathing down your neck.
How to shift from firefighting to forward momentum without losing your team.
How to have the tough conversations that create ownership and drive performance.
Who This Book Is For
This book is for any leader who:
Used to hit the numbers, inspire the team, and feel in control… but now every quarter feels like an uphill sprint, and you’re wondering when it got so hard.
Can see the raw talent on the team, but no matter how many meetings, offsites, or pep talks you run, everyone seems to be rowing in slightly different directions.
Knows you have to project confidence to your board or investors… while running the numbers in your head at 2 a.m., trying to figure out if the current plan will actually land on time.
Is worn out from putting out fires: performance issues, alignment problems, politics, “quick” decisions that create cascading chaos… and everyone escalating problems to you, expecting you to play referee instead of solving things themselves. You’re left wondering when you’ll get to do the job you’re supposed to be doing.
Has noticed the shift in culture: conversations feel guarded, feedback is filtered, people hesitate to speak up, and you can’t quite put your finger on why the room feels different.
Lies awake wondering if you have the right team for the job, and what it’s going to take to get everyone truly ready for what’s ahead.
Carries the responsibility for results with pride, but more and more, it feels like you’re the only one holding the roof up when the storm rolls in.
Knows deep down that the same old playbook won’t get you through what’s next. But you haven’t yet found a practical way to shift behavior, rebuild trust, and get everyone pulling hard in the same direction again.
If that’s you, The Change Up was written to help you lead the next phase effectively, confidently, and together.
Discover the skills that move teams forward.
Jack Shorn thought he was ready for the CEO seat.
He’d delivered results, climbed the ladder, and earned his shot at the top. But when Accelx Services is acquired by a prestigious private equity firm known for demanding results, everything changes.
Suddenly, Jack is expected to land strategic accounts in unfamiliar markets, keep demanding new customers happy, retool his workforce, and get his leadership bench to operate at a whole new level. The pressure is immediate. The expectations are unrelenting.
And it’s not going well.
He’s swirling in board pressure and team underperformance, and he can’t seem to get ahead of it. He’s working harder than ever, but falling further behind. The firehose won’t stop, and the weight of being “the guy” leaves him exhausted and unsure. He’s desperately trying to get the company back on track while holding everything together.
Sleep is shallow. The late nights are bleeding into weekends. He’s physically present at home, but his mind is always on work. Decisions feel heavier. Confidence has been replaced by doubt.
Then comes the ultimatum: 90 days to turn things around or face the consequences.
With time running out, Jack does something most leaders avoid. He asks for help.
Enter Meg Beecham, an executive coach who helps high-achievers face the problems they can’t solve alone. Through a series of tough, honest conversations, Jack begins to see what’s really holding him and his company back. What got him here won’t get him there.
The Change Up is a leadership story for high-stakes moments, when the playbook stops working, the pressure is rising, and transformation is the only way forward.
Discover the skills that move teams forward
Private equity firms bet on leaders who can accelerate value creation while building resilient teams. They need CEOs who:
Turn strategy into results with speed and confidence
Build alignment that endures through tough decisions
Create a culture that attracts, grows, and keeps top talent
Deliver sustainable growth without chaos
Stay resilient under pressure
Why Your Investors Want You to Read This
The Change Up will help you become the leader investors trust. The one who protects their stake by strengthening your team and accelerating performance.
Because the smartest investment your board can make is in the leader steering the ship.
Discover how to lead a high performing team
Hi, I’m Annissa
I’ve spent my career leading through rapid growth, rising complexity, and relentless expectations. Over more than two decades, I held executive roles across HR, IT, Finance, and Strategy, including serving as a Fortune 150 executive.
What I’ve learned is this: companies succeed or fail based on how well their leaders bring people with them. You can have the smartest strategy in the room, but if your team is confused, drained, or afraid to speak up, nothing will move.
That’s why my coaching focuses on both the business and the culture. I work with CEOs and senior leaders to grow revenue, secure new rounds of funding, unify executive teams, and achieve strategic objectives. The foundation for all of it is building trust, clarity, and shared direction, not as an afterthought, but as the driver of performance.
I founded Loglab in 2015 to bring this approach to CEOs and leaders navigating growth, change, and pressure from investors. I’m most energized when I see leaders grow into the kind of people others want to follow.
I wrote The Change Up because leadership can feel lonely and overwhelming. This story gives leaders a chance to recognize their own challenges, feel understood, and discover what becomes possible when they choose to lead differently. It shows that the biggest transformation doesn’t happen in a spreadsheet. It happens inside the leader.
My mission is to enable leaders to scale successfully while creating places where people love to work.
What other leaders are saying
“As someone actively running and building a business, I don’t have the luxury of time for dense, drawn-out business books. The Change Up was exactly what I needed — quick, easy to read, and full of valuable insights. What I appreciated most is that it doesn’t preach at you. Instead, it delivers lessons through a compelling, relatable story that’s both engaging and efficient.
Annissa Deshpande has a gift for cutting through the noise and presenting practical, actionable ideas in a way that feels natural — never forced. The narrative style made it feel more like a conversation than a lecture, and I walked away with several takeaways I could apply immediately in my day-to-day. If you’re a leader or entrepreneur short on time but big on ambition, this book is well worth the read.”
“The Change Up is a good, clear, and fast-paced book about leadership and making difficult decisions in order to achieve longer term results. A critical difference between this book and every other business book I have read is that this is a fictional narrative based on the author's experience and expertise.
The book is about a relatively new CEO who is trying to find a formula to get the best out of a talented but dysfunctional senior leadership team. This format really worked for me because I never felt like I was being "told things" like so many other leadership books. Instead, I had the opportunity to "see things" and to make my own connections between the experiences of the characters and specific issues that I navigate in my own life. I recommend this book if you are looking to get unstuck on a culture issue and are excited about taking an innovative approach to learning about leadership.”
“It can be hard to step away from the day to day activities of the business, but a bit of perspective goes a long way. This is a great read - light enough to be enjoyable, but deep enough to get you thinking about how you contribute to an organizations growth and culture. Annissa has a great way of simplifying difficult challenges, finding ways to understand the root cause of the issue and solving for long term sustainability. A great read for any business leader or those wanting to be in leadership.”
“The Change Up doesn't disappoint. The story is captivating and kept my attention from beginning to end. It accurately portrays the tumultuous world of corporate leadership along with practical insights, wisdom, and advice. Unlike many leadership books, this one is uniquely written as a novel. I got caught up in following the story of the main character, Jack. I could relate to the many (and often unforeseen) challenges that he faced. Like Jack, I learned a long the way and walked away from the book feeling informed and satisfied.”
“Most business books are “how to” manuals. This is a different book.
The Change Up gives leaders a really good lesson in three areas that impact growth and profitability - communication, accountability and making tough decisions sooner.
The issues raised in the story will be familiar to most leaders and Ms. Deshpande offers practical advice for those in both large and small organizations.
You were chosen to lead for a reason.
The Change Up will help you become the leader you set out to be, with a team that believes in the mission and a future you can be proud of.