Why Change Management Fails Without Proper Leadership (and How to Get It Right in 2025)

Posted on 10th January 2023 at 11:42

Change Management: How to Lead People Through Change Effectively

Managing change — or change management — is something that affects us all at some point. Yet many businesses focus on the ‘change’ itself and not enough on how to manage the people side of change.

Why Change Feels Difficult

It’s worth noting that change doesn’t come naturally to most people. We’re creatures of habit. We like predictability. We like to come home and know where things are — is the peanut butter still in the same cupboard? Are my slippers by the back door? (This probably says more about my life than yours!)

If every time we came home things were moved around, we’d likely find it stressful. And at work, it’s no different. Habits, routines and beliefs built up over many years are hard to shift. That’s why change takes time — and needs careful management.

How Can You Prepare People for Change?

The most effective way is to start by creating a sense of dissatisfaction with the current situation. In other words, what’s making people unhappy right now?

This sometimes takes careful thought to surface. A useful example might be a person’s working hours being so long that they no longer get to see their children before bedtime, or constantly replying to emails in the evening.

The more personal and relevant the issue is to someone’s life, the stronger their desire to change will be.

Paint a Picture of What Good Looks Like

Once you know what people are dissatisfied with, the next step is to paint a compelling picture of what ‘good’ could look like.

Some call this ‘utopia’, but it really means showing people a better, achievable alternative. It should directly connect to the issue you’ve identified.

So, if someone misses putting their children to bed because of work, their ‘utopia’ might be being home in time to read them a story and enjoy an uninterrupted evening with family.

Change Requires Both Pressure and Pull

Once you’ve created dissatisfaction, you’ve built pressure for people to move away from their current situation.

Pair this with a strong, attractive vision of a better future — a ‘pull factor’ — and you’ve now created the conditions for meaningful change.

Don’t Overlook the Personal Costs

It’s essential to consider the cost of change. Not just financially to the business, but personally to the people involved: their time, effort, emotional energy and routine disruption.

Being aware of this helps you better support them through the process.

The Critical Missing Piece: Clear Next Steps

You might think this is enough to drive change. But in my experience, it isn’t. The next essential step is to map out clear, realistic next steps.

People need to see how they’ll get from where they are to where they want to be. Only then can change truly begin.

Keep the Conversation Going!

Change won’t happen overnight. People need regular, consistent communication and reassurance along the way.

This doesn’t mean endless formal meetings. It can — and should — be part of everyday conversations between managers and their teams. The key is that it happens often enough to reinforce new habits, until the new way of working feels natural.