Unfortunately, research shows that most change efforts fail.

While having a “sense of urgency” is widely regarded as important to a successful change effort, ironically – many efforts fail when a change is launched too soon.  It takes a wise leader to balance the tension between “urgency” and “being ready.”

Following is some guidance to help you with balancing that tension, with ideas taken from a recent Harvard Business Review article.

Many change efforts fail due to preventable patterns that drain an initiative’s energy at the point of launch. These include:

• A “Moral Authority Gap”: A lack of trusted, values-based leadership that fails to convert simple compliance into true conviction.
• Underestimating the Status Quo: Grossly miscalculating the resilience of existing routines and structural inertia.
• Perverse Incentives: Failing to align middle management’s incentives with the new priorities, leaving them tied to old habits.
• The Over-Hasty Launch: Rushing into execution without a detailed plan, often mistaking recklessness for healthy urgency.

Here are some strategies to increase your chances of success:

1. Perform the “Awful Triage”: Change capacity is a finite resource. You must be prepared to say “no” to secondary projects to ensure your mission-critical initiatives have the focus they need to succeed.
2. Conduct a “Do-Nothing” Analysis: Bring stakeholders together and ask: “What happens if we do nothing?”. Surfacing the real costs of inaction builds the urgency and alignment needed for a successful launch.
3. Build a Guiding Coalition Early: Assemble a diverse group of influential stakeholders—from senior experts to respected frontline managers—who can scale influence and help refine the roadmap.
4. Plan for Early Wins: Create concrete, visible milestones that can be achieved within the first 30 to 90 days. These “proof points” help bridge the “span of uncertainty” where employees are watching for evidence that the change actually works.

Nothing will derail your leadership momentum more than a “false start” when it comes to leading change.  It is nearly impossible to recover from it.  Use these ideas to lead your team to sustained Mission Impact.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Clark, T. R.  “How to Avoid a False Start When You Are Leading a Big Change,” Harvard Business Review online, February 10, 2026.

Resistance to change is inevitable, and not always bad.

When many leaders face backlash to change, their instinct is to push right back.  A more successful initial response will be to react with appreciation and interest: “Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings.  It is great to see that you care so much about the organization.  Help me fully understand your viewpoint.”

If you can do this sincerely, you might be surprised by the response.

Sometimes people just want to vent.  If you actually hear them then their concerns might dissipate.

Other times you may be surprised that they have a very good point and give you ideas about how to change your plans to some point.

In other situations, people may have more serious concerns that you do not agree with.  In those cases, here are a few suggestions based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review:

1. Reframe Resistance, Don’t Personalize It.  When others are upset, our brains often assume we’ve done something wrong.  However, most of the time, people’s reactions have less to do with you and more to do with their own fears.  People must often grieve what they’re losing before they can embrace what they’re gaining. Understand that the backlash you’re experiencing is a natural byproduct of processing the end of something familiar.

2. Acknowledge Discomfort Without Apologizing.  You can validate a colleague’s experience without backtracking on the decision to move the organization forward.  The key is showing empathy while making it clear the choice is final.  Try statements that show you’re listening without signaling that the course is open to reversal: “I understand that this shifts how you’ve been operating and that’s hard. I’m committed to supporting you.”

3. Redirect Conversations to Next Steps.  When discussions dwell on why the decision is wrong, gently pivot to implementation and execution.  Be clear about what’s negotiable and what’s not.  For example: “I hear your concerns, but at this point we need to focus on next steps. What support do you need from me?”  By directing people’s desire for contribution to areas where they can meaningfully move things forward, you may turn resistance into productive effort.

4. Amplify Your Early Adopters.  There are likely people who agree with you or are already seeing progress, but they may be less vocal than the opposition.  Give them a platform to share their support and what is working.  In team meetings, ask them to share their experience, positioning it as information-sharing that helps everyone succeed.

Leading change is one of the most important responsibilities we take on as leaders.  Navigating backlash is a predictable—and often necessary—rite of passage that separates good managers from leaders who drive meaningful change.  You can do this!

Will the annual audit ever be critical of you for not trying to seize that new opportunity that you decided was too risky?  No.

Audits are critical of acts of “commission” vs “omission.”  You don’t want the financial report to show a big expense on a project that did not work out.  But the audit will never fault you for missing that investment in a new idea.

Just ask Kodak.  Remember them?  They once had 90% share of the film market in the US.  When the idea of digital photography came along, they said “pass.”  They only realized many years too late that this new technology – which they invented – was the future.

Sometimes we become so successful that the idea of taking a risk and failing is unthinkable.  And yet, that risk could lead to even more success.

How do we overcome our fear of failure?  Here are some ideas from an article in Harvard Business Review.

1. Redefine Failure. Fear of failure often stems from a fear of looking foolish or not meeting expectations. Instead of viewing failure as a sign of personal inadequacy, reframe it as a learning opportunity. Successful professionals are not those who avoid mistakes, but those who learn from them and move forward. Entrepreneurs like to say: “Fail fast and fail forward.”
2. Acknowledge the Fear. Rather than pretending the fear isn’t there, take a moment to acknowledge it. Giving your fear a voice can lessen its power over you. Respond to the fear by saying: “This is a calculated risk that I am willing to take. The potential upside is worth this risk.”  Keep a picture of success at the forefront of your mind.
3. Test Your Assumptions. Our fears are often based on worst-case scenarios that are unlikely to happen. Test your fear by asking yourself, “What is the worst that can happen if I fail?” Often, the answer is not as dire as we imagine. In the professional world, setbacks can lead to new opportunities, new skills, and even new professional relationships.
4. Get Comfortable with Discomfort. Feeling fearful is a normal part of stepping outside of your comfort zone. If you don’t feel a little apprehension, it might be a sign that you aren’t challenging yourself enough to grow and achieve your most important goals.

You will absolutely fail sometimes.  Fine.  Own it.  Learn.  And be proud you were willing to take a risk on something you believed in.  The alternative is that you would never know if you could have been successful.  Use these four steps so you can start to see fear not as an obstacle, but as a guide that helps you move forward and achieve your full potential.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Peppercorn, S.  “How to Overcome Your Fear of Failure,” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2022, pp. 135-139.

Way to go!  You are leading a change!

You are following all of the proper steps.  You have created a Sense of Urgency and you have a Guiding Coalition leading with you.

However, unbeknownst to you – there are forces of mediocrity trying to undermine your effort. There are people who would rather tolerate the problem you are trying to fix, than put in the energy to address it.

Is this happening to you?  Check out this Top Ten List of signs that your change project may be in trouble:

1.  A task force is being assigned to the problem.

2.  You’re being thanked for your time and effort.

3.  People doubt whether the organization (really) has a problem.

4.  You’re asked to respond to the grave concerns of unnamed critics.

5.  The specter of “legal issues” is being invoked.

6.  Your colleagues point out all the other problems that need to be solved.

7.  You keep hearing about a future state where the conditions for change will be much, much better.

8.  The timeline for action is growing short.

9.  Your colleagues think they can wait you out.

10.  You keep hearing, “we’ve already tried that.”

If you see some of these signs, then your change effort is in trouble!  Call your Guiding Coalition together and re-double your efforts of expressing the urgency for this change.  This is the stage of your process where fatigue is your biggest challenge.  Your persistence and continual communication of the problem, solution, and vision for the future is the antidote.

You and your Guiding Coalition need to mobilize!

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Frei, F. X. and Morriss, A.  “10 Signs Your Company Is Resistant to Change,” Harvard Business Review online, September 26, 2023.

Change management guru, Dr. John Kotter, says that 70% of change efforts fail.  Sometimes I wonder if the actual numbers are even higher.

There are many changes you might like to lead – a change in culture, staff structure, new products and services, maybe a new financial model.  But inertia and resistance can foil the best of efforts.

Here are six ideas based on a recent Harvard Business Review article to give you insights to make your change effort more successful:

1.  Own the Change.  Look in the mirror and imagine how much of your effort it is going to take to make the change successful.  Then multiply that by ten.  If you are not willing to put in that much effort, then don’t even start.

2.  Develop a Culture of Trust.  If you do not have this, then you will probably not be very successful.  You may need to delay your change effort until you and your leadership team have developed trust throughout the organization.  Check out this blog on the book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team for ideas.

3.  Broadly Involve Stakeholders to Create Vision.  Don’t try to “sell” what is “your” vision.  Involved others and co-create a future that includes and inspires people throughout your enterprise.  If you truly listen to people, then it will further enhance trust.

4.  Balance Execution and Innovation.  If you are trying something new then you will inevitably try things that do not work.  Be open to “pivoting” and iterating on your plans for the future.

5.  Be Aware of the Emotional Challenges of New Technology.  No matter what it is, new technology is scary for many people.  They will need time to adjust and it can be emotionally draining.  Factor this into your expectations.

6.  Create a Shared Sense of Ownership.  If you begin with shared vision, then this is a lot easier.  Always refer to the change as “our effort” and the “future we are building.”  Don’t take credit, but make sure that YOU own setbacks.  Its part of being a leader.

We can point to many organizations across the globe who no longer exist because they were unable to successfully change directions when the environment called for it.  Don’t back away from the challenge, but do keep these ideas in mind as you move forward.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: White, A. et al “6 Key Levers of a Successful Organizational Transformation,” Harvard Business Review online, May 10, 2023.

Leading change can include adjusting the organization’s direction due to changes in the environment, looming problems ahead, new great opportunities, and more.

Regardless of the purpose for the effort, Leading Change expert John Kotter says that 75% of change efforts fail.  Why?

Much has been written about this over the years.  Kotter, for example, has his eight-step process for leading a change which I have used and taught to executives for years.

However, my experience has been that the first three steps are the most important and that they are really not “steps” – they occur more as a “swirl” as the steps interact with one another.  For example:

• Having a Sense of Urgency is the first step and it starts with the initiator of the change. Someone has to have an insight about a problem or opportunity that others are missing.  Once they have this insight, they share it with colleagues.
• Building a Guiding Coalition is the next step. This is where you gather people together who are well positioned in the organization to promote the change to others.
• Creating a Vision and Strategy to implement the change is next. In this step you create a positive vision for the organization’s future – once the change is implemented.  Then you create a strategy to accomplish it.

This is all well and good, but consider some of these nuances and interactions:

• Leaders who take on a change need to start with a gut check. Look yourself in the mirror before you start and image how much effort this is going to take.  Then multiply it by ten.  If you are not willing to put in this effort, do not even start.  Many change efforts fail simply due to fatigue.
• Make sure your Guiding Coalition also has a Sense of Urgency. “Sure, Rob, that sounds like a good idea” is NOT a Sense of Urgency!  Your inner team has to realize the importance of the change and embrace it as a top priority.
• Finally, the leader and the Guiding Coalition also need to embrace and focus on a positive vision for the future. Too often all we hear from leaders during a change effort is doom and gloom – “we will go bankrupt,” “our stock price will plummet,” “layoffs will ensue.”  These may be important statements to get people’s attention at the beginning, but you then need to focus on how wonderful the future will be once you work through the challenge.

There is no magic process for leading a successful change – which is why it is so hard.  But if you focus on this Triad – Sense of Urgency, Guiding Coalition, and Vision & Strategy – your odds for success will increase significantly.

And you have just told your team that your boss has asked you to lead some big changes!

Their reaction:

“Yeah – that’s what the last person said.”

“Blah, blah, blah.”

“Ha!  Good luck!”

“Same old, same old, same old story.”

Wow – tough crowd.

Unfortunately, this is reaction in a lot of organizations where people suffer from Change Fatigue.  What to do?

1 – First, apologize.  Identify two or three of the least cynical people on your team and ask to meet.  Tell them you understand that others have come before you and tried to bring change – and failed.  Tell them that you know people feel burned about past change efforts and you apologize for it.  Own this on behalf of the organization.

2 – Next – explain the urgency of the change.  Use data if possible.  Demonstrate the problems that will occur – for everyone – if the change effort is not successful.

3 – Ask for advice.  Don’t pretend you are some kind of magician who can easily lead this change.  You need their ideas and support.

4 – Expand your small group.  Ask for suggestions of a few other people who these two or three think would be open to getting on board.  Bring them in and repeat Steps 1 – 3.  Expand the group further as necessary.  John Kotter calls this Creating a Guiding Coalition in his book, Leading Change.

5 – Bring the whole team together.  Repeat Steps 1 – 3.  Ask your Guiding Coalition to reach out to people and encourage them to get on board.  Set up brainstorming teams to generate ideas to impact the change.  Get into action.

6 – Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  Keep everyone updated.  Acknowledge setbacks and mistakes – especially if they are yours.  Remind everyone of the importance of the change and get back to work.

Leading Change is one of the most important and difficult challenges for leaders.  This is made even more difficult when an organization has a track record of failed change efforts.  Apologize and build a team that shares an urgency for the change.  In this way you can be a changemaker who makes a Mission Impact.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Carucci, R.  “Leading Change in a Company That’s Historically Bad At It,” Harvard Business Review online, August 6, 2019.

How can organizations prepare themselves to be ready to make sudden changes necessitated by outside factors?  That is the topic of a recent article in Harvard Business Review by consultants from Bain & Company.  In the article they discuss nine traits and abilities organizations need to develop to be good at change:

1.  Purpose.  Creates a sense of belonging that guides decisions and inspires action.

2.  Direction.  Translates purpose into a plan; where you are going and how to get there.

3.  Connection.  Creates networks of influencers and fans.

4.  Capacity.  Allows the organization to absorb more change.

5.  Choreography.  Ability to change priorities and sequencing of action.

6.  Scaling.  Capacity to amplify impact.

7.  Development.  Creates learning and more capability to change.

8.  Action.  A bias for action and a can-do mindset.

9.  Flexibility.  Allows you to stay out in front of change.

Unfortunately, they don’t explain much about which abilities are most important.  (Perhaps you have to hire Bain as a consultant to find out.)  But, I would put my money on Purpose and Flexibility.

If you and those you work with have a clear, deep commitment to Purpose as your priority, then – combined with Flexibility – I think it would allow you to “pivot” more quickly to whatever means would best meet your purpose.

The past is littered with organizations that could not change – Kodak, Circuit City, many more – pick your favorite example.  The capacity and openness to change has perhaps never been more important.  How can you better develop these skills and abilities for your organization?

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Michels, D. & Murphy, K., “How Good is Your Company at Change,” Harvard Business Review, July – August 2021.

If you have a sense of urgency about a change you think that your organization needs to make, you really need to survey the landscape of the leadership of the organization.  How receptive might the leadership structure be that needs to support the change?  Do you have enough of the right people supporting your idea that you can convince the leadership?  Kotter calls this having the right Guiding Coalition.

Sometimes you need more than Urgency, Vision, and Guiding Coalition.  Often, the Timing is just not right.  And if that is the case then you are sometimes better off to “lay in wait” with your Urgency and Vision ready to act at the right moment.

And when that moment arises, Act!  Don’t throw away your shot – as Alexander Hamilton character says in the Broadway hit.  If you don’t act when the time is right – you may lose your chance.

The Leading Change questions you should ask yourself are:

Do I have a Sense of Urgency?

Do I have a Vision for the future?

Do I have a robust Guiding Coalition which shares the Urgency and Vision?

Do I think the Timing is right?

The COVID-19 crisis and recent tragic murders of Black Americans have created a very tumultuous set of circumstances in our country.  Many people are rethinking their personal, organizational, and our country’s priorities.

The right Timing for the change you care about and have been pondering for years could be NOW.  These dual tragedies could also provide an opening opportunity for people to listen to you, when before they may not have done so.

Think about it.

What change do you want to lead?

Don’t throw away your shot.

You know this and you have probably been working triple-overtime adjusting to all of changes.

Suggestion:  Call a brief time-out soon to take a good hard look at your new environment.  Ask yourself and your team these questions with both the short-term and long-term in mind:

What is going on with your Customers?  How have their needs and wants changed?  It would be smart to ask them in focus groups or interviews.  What changes might they want and need in the products and services you offer?  Perhaps show them some new product ideas (minimal viable products) to gauge their interest.

How are your Collaborators doing?  Are your suppliers going to continue to be available moving forward?  If not, you may need to find new sources or take on a new set of activities.  If an organization that offered an important complementary product/service is going out of business, then maybe you need to develop that capacity.

Are your Competitors thriving or even still surviving?  Sadly, many organizations – for-profit and nonprofit – have gone out of business and others will.  We are still experiencing the initial shock waves of these changes.  If you are one of the fortunate ones to survive, then their customers may need you.

What past Assumptions do you need to reevaluate?  It would be smart to have your team articulate all of the assumptions that your strategy has been based on in recent years and then reassess all of them.

As a result of this new Environmental Assessment you will probably get clearer on some of your short and long term Challenges.  And, perhaps more importantly, you may identify new Opportunities for products, services, and customers that you had not seen before.

Keep an eye on the changes you identify and start taking some dedicated time at regular meetings with the team to review all of this again.  Thriving in this environment will require a clear understanding of the changes and the ability to pivot quickly.