Change Management Archives

Leadership in Action: The Message Landed, Just Not the Way You Intended.

The Message Landed, Just Not the Way You Intended. The previous newsletter focused on MESSAGE — the fourth Power Move, and the one that most leaders underestimate. The insight I keep coming back to: Communicating change is not the same as announcing it. Announcing delivers information. Communicating creates understanding. And understanding is what determines […]

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Change Management, Communication, Leadership, Stakeholders

Leadership in Action: Communicating Change

Blog, Leadership In Action Series

The Message That Moves People: How to Communicate Change So It Lands There’s a moment most leaders recognize. You’ve done the hard work. You understand the forces shaping your situation. You know who’s with you and who isn’t. You’ve mapped a direction and are ready to start moving forward. And then you have to

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Change Management, Communication, Leadership, Stakeholders

Leadership In Action: Is Your Team Still Running on January’s Map?

Blog, Change Management, Tools

Three months ago, it was the start of a new year. Your team returned from the holiday break, refreshed and ready to commit to a set of priorities for 2026. You had clarity, you had intent, and, perhaps, even genuine momentum. January, like it often does, felt like a fresh start. And now it’s April

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Change Management, Leadership, Sustaining Change

A businessman in a dark suit struggles forward along a rural road during a powerful windstorm, gripping a bright red umbrella that is pushed backward by strong gusts. Fallen leaves swirl through the air beneath a dark, stormy sky as he leans into the wind, bracing himself and pushing ahead despite the resistance.

Are You Being Persistent — or Simply Stubborn?

Change Management, Leadership, Newsletter

Dear Change Leader, “We just need to give it more time,” David told me. He was six months into a major restructuring at his regional healthcare network — new reporting lines, redesigned workflows, a leadership team that had been reshuffled twice. On paper, the plan was solid. But the signals were troubling: key staff were

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Drivers of Sustained Change, Leaders, Leadership, levers for change, Organizational Growth, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Transition

Leadership In Action: Stakeholders in Change

Blog, Change Management, Leadership, Tools

Preparing for Change: Knowing Who’s With You and Who’s Not When you’re leading change, it’s natural to focus on the work itself—the strategy, the plan, the timeline. But there’s another layer that often determines whether change succeeds or stalls: the people. Every change effort has stakeholders—people who will be affected, people who hold influence,

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Change, Change Management, influencing others, Leaders, Leadership, Stakeholders, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change

Is Your Success Setting You Up for Decline?

Newsletter

Peak performance can be a warning sign. Here’s how to read it before the slide begins. Dear Change Leader, Let me ask you a question that might be uncomfortable: Is your current success setting you up for future decline? Sit with that for a moment. It sounds counterintuitive. Things are working. People are delivering. The

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Drivers of Sustained Change, Leaders, Leadership, levers for change, Organizational Growth, Pathfinder, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Transition

Disruption Is Your Teacher: Developing Leaders in Today’s Environment

Newsletter

Dear Change Leader, “I need to protect my team from all this chaos,” Priya told me during a recent coaching session. As CEO of a growing company, she’d been absorbing every shock from the organization’s turbulent environment — shielding her directors and managers from the worst of the uncertainty. She meant well. But when I

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Adaptive Leadership, Capable People, Change, Change Management, Communication, Drivers of Sustained Change, Effective Teams, Focus, Growth, Inclusion, influencing others, Leaders, Leadership, levers for change, Organizational Growth, strategic thinking

Leadership In Action: Context of Change Maps

Blog, Change Management, Leadership, Team Development, Tools

One Map, Many Eyes: Learning To See What Surrounds You When the environment around you keeps shifting, it’s tempting to stay heads-down and react to whatever comes next. But that approach has a cost. You end up making decisions based on partial information and assumptions you haven’t examined. Your team may be operating from

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Change, Change Management, Facilitation, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Trends, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Teams

Measure Twice, Change Once

Newsletter

Setting Your Change Initiative Up for Success Dear Change Leader, “We don’t have time to plan—we need to act now!” If you’ve felt this pressure, you’re in good company. The urgency to launch, to show progress, to respond to mounting demands—it’s real. Unfortunately, it’s often exactly what derails change before it has a chance

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Change, Change Management, Communication, Drivers of Sustained Change, Focus, Growth, Leaders, Leadership

“Looking Both Ways: The Janus principle for leaders navigating year-end transitions”

Newsletter

Dear Change Leader, Janus, the Roman god of doorways and transitions, possessed something most gods lacked: two faces, looking in opposite directions. One gazed backward, at the path traveled. The other looked forward, toward the road ahead. The Romans weren’t being whimsical. They understood something essential about transitions: you can’t move forward well without

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Communication, Drivers of Sustained Change, Effective Teams, Engagement Paradox, Focus, Habits, holiday, influencing others, Leadership, levers for change, Pathfinder, Plans, Psychological Safety, strategic thinking, Sustaining Change, Teams, Transition

Building Team Alignment for the New Year

Blog, Change Management, News, Team Development, Tools

Most teams start January with renewed energy and all the best intentions to make positive changes for the year ahead. By February, the momentum inevitably stalls. By March, people have reverted to their usual ways of working. Successful teams invest time upfront to align on what work matters most for them to achieve their shared

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Change, Change Management, Effective Teams, Growth, Leaders, Leadership, Organizational Growth, Plans, Sustaining Change, Teams

Why Your Team Watches Your Calm, Not Your Answers

Newsletter

Leading with presence when you don’t have all the solutions Dear Change Leader, “I need to have the answer before I can talk to my team,” Jennifer said during a recent call. As a senior leader, she’d been dealing with shifting customer demands and three rounds of budget revisions in the past six

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Adaptive Leadership, Change, Change Management, Communication, Engagement Paradox, influencing others, Leadership, levers for change, Psychological Safety, Sustaining Change, Teams