At BLUEPRINT 4D 2026, Chris Laping delivered one of the conference’s most relatable and thought-provoking sessions: “Unignorable: The Science of Being Taken Seriously.” Drawing from personal career setbacks, psychology research, neuroscience, and years of executive leadership experience, Laping challenged attendees to rethink why some ideas gain traction in organizations while others are ignored.

His message resonated because it addressed a frustration nearly every professional has experienced: being overlooked despite having strong ideas, valuable expertise, and a genuine desire to improve the organization.

Rather than blaming office politics or organizational dysfunction alone, Laping encouraged attendees to focus on the factors they can control — specifically, how they build trust, communicate, and show up in the workplace.

The Career Moment That Changed Everything

Laping opened with a deeply personal story from his time as CIO at Red Robin during the 2009 recession. He described discovering through a company-wide email that he had been reorganized under a consultant who would now become his boss.

The experience was humiliating and disorienting. More importantly, it forced him to confront difficult questions:

• Did leadership not recognize his potential?
• Was he harder to work with than he realized?
• Had he failed to communicate his ambitions and capabilities?

Looking back, Laping recognized that the warning signs had been present for some time. The challenge was that he had ignored them — or interpreted them as isolated incidents rather than patterns.

That realization became the foundation for the session.

Five Warning Signs Your Ideas Aren’t Landing

Laping outlined five common indicators that employees may not be viewed as influential or trusted contributors within their organizations.

These included:

• Being the last to know about important decisions
• Being excluded from meetings you should logically attend
• Watching others receive credit for ideas you previously shared
• Being overlooked for stretch assignments
• Leaving meetings where everyone agrees verbally, but no action follows

His point was clear: these situations are rarely coincidences when they happen repeatedly.

For many attendees, the examples felt painfully familiar. Laping emphasized that if several of these signs are occurring consistently, it may indicate a trust or influence gap rather than simply bad luck.

Why Most People Feel Ignored at Work

Using Gallup research, Laping highlighted how widespread this issue really is. Only one in four employees strongly agree that their opinions matter at work, and roughly half of global workers believe their boss misunderstands them.

Audience members cited several reasons ideas fail to gain traction:

• Workplace politics
• Ego and hierarchy
• Resistance to change
• Favoritism
• Lack of trust
• Biases tied to gender, race, or title
• Introversion and communication challenges

Laping acknowledged that all of these dynamics are real. However, he shifted the conversation toward what psychology calls internal locus of control — focusing energy on the things individuals can influence rather than becoming consumed by external obstacles.

That distinction became a central theme throughout the session.

Trust Matters More Than Credentials

One of the session’s most impactful ideas centered on neuroscience and trust. According to Laping, professionals often over-invest in proving competence while under-investing in building trust.

Many employees assume that certifications, advanced degrees, detailed analysis, and polished presentations are what earn influence. While those things matter, Laping argued they are not what ultimately determines whether people listen.

Instead, coworkers and leaders are constantly performing what he described as an “unconscious audit”:

• Does this person know what they’re talking about?
• Do I trust them?

The second question carries far more weight than most people realize.

This perspective reframed influence not as self-promotion or office politics, but as relationship-building and behavioral consistency.

Being Easy to Work With Is a Competitive Advantage

One of the five core behaviors from Laping’s upcoming book focused on becoming “easy to work with.” While the phrase sounds simple, he broke it down into three practical areas: energy, words, and systems.

Energy Shapes Workplace Experience

Laping emphasized that emotional presence matters. People remember how interactions feel, not just what was said.

Because emotions are contagious, professionals who consistently project frustration, negativity, or stress can unintentionally damage trust and collaboration. Conversely, positive and grounded energy can make others more receptive to ideas.

He encouraged attendees to better understand their communication tendencies using personality assessments such as 16Personalities, not to label themselves, but to identify “watch-outs” — recurring behaviors that may unintentionally alienate others.

For Laping personally, emotional reactivity became something he learned to monitor intentionally.

Clarity Beats Transparency

Another standout takeaway involved communication.

Organizations often talk about transparency as a leadership virtue, but Laping argued that most employees do not actually want transparency — they want clarity.

Transparency floods people with information. Clarity connects information to what matters specifically to them.

He challenged attendees to stop burying the key message under long explanations. Instead:

• Lead with the call to action
• State the ask upfront
• Use simple language
• Prioritize clear over clever communication

The advice was especially relevant for technology professionals who often default to excessive detail, long emails, or overly complex presentations.

Laping noted that when communication becomes easier to consume, people are more likely to trust, engage with, and act on ideas.

Reduce Friction Instead of Creating It

Laping also explored how organizational processes affect trust and collaboration. Forms, ticketing systems, governance layers, and bureaucratic hurdles can create friction that pushes people to work around teams rather than with them.

Rather than simply enforcing rigid processes, he encouraged attendees to create shortcuts, guidance, and practical support that make collaboration easier.

Even small improvements — simplifying instructions, highlighting only necessary fields, or helping users navigate cumbersome systems — can significantly improve how others experience working with a team.

His larger point was that trust is built not only through personality, but through operational behavior.

The Importance of Unlearning

The second major behavior Laping discussed was the ability to unlearn outdated assumptions.

People often repeat workplace beliefs, management philosophies, or personal narratives for years without ever questioning whether they are still valid. Some of these assumptions come from previous managers, past organizational cultures, or old experiences that no longer apply.

To combat this, Laping recommended a simple framework from psychology:

• Catch it
• Challenge it
• Change it

When recurring thoughts, assumptions, or communication habits appear, professionals should pause and evaluate whether there is actual evidence supporting them.

He also stressed that changing your mind is not a weakness. In many cases, adaptability and openness build credibility rather than diminish it.

A Leadership Session That Resonated Beyond Technology

Although the session took place at a technology conference, its lessons extended far beyond IT leadership. Laping’s message resonated because it addressed universal workplace challenges: influence, recognition, communication, trust, and professional growth.

His framework did not promise instant visibility or easy promotions. Instead, it offered something more practical — sustainable behavioral changes that improve how people experience working with you over time.

For organizations navigating modernization, digital transformation, and rapid change, those interpersonal dynamics may be just as important as technical expertise.

And for professionals frustrated that their ideas are not gaining traction, Laping’s message was both encouraging and challenging: becoming unignorable starts less with demanding attention and more with intentionally building trust.

Want more?

Interested in putting these strategies into practice? Quest is currently partnering with Chris Laping for the Becoming Unignorable cohort experience — a six-week program designed to help professionals build influence, earn trust, and create a practical playbook for getting ideas championed inside their organizations. Learn more at Become Unignorable with Chris Laping.