Change is no longer periodic, but constant: new systems, re-organizations, acquisitions, pricing strategies, safety programs, technology rollouts, leadership transitions. Yet despite the best intentions, most change efforts still fail to deliver the results leaders expect.
Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management, including John Kotter’s foundational work Leading Change, offers a clear takeaway for executives:
Change fails less because of poor ideas and more because of poor execution and leadership alignment.
Change Starts with People, Not Projects
For SG members, change is a constant both in their businesses and as an industry, making this a timely, relevant focus. Many leaders treat change as a project rather than a people process. Timelines, budgets, and dashboards get built, but the human side is underestimated. Employees rarely resist change because they are stubborn; they resist because they don’t understand it, don’t trust it, or don’t see how it affects them.
Shared Urgency is Key
Another common pitfall is moving too fast without creating shared urgency. Leaders feel urgency themselves and assume the organization does too. Without a clear understanding of why the change matters now, teams default to old habits.
Similarly, alignment is often assumed because agreement existed in the executive room, but executive buy-in does not equal organizational buy-in. If frontline leaders and middle managers are not aligned, or are quietly skeptical, change efforts stall.
Finally, many initiatives fail when leaders declare victory too early. Early wins are important, but celebrating too soon invites regression and signals that the hard work is done.
Communicate a Compelling Narrative
Successful change efforts share a different pattern. Leaders anchor change to a compelling narrative, knowing people change when they feel something, not when they are shown a spreadsheet. Successful leaders:
- Build a team of respected leaders across the organization rather than relying solely on authority.
- Design visible early wins that reinforce momentum and credibility.
- Communicate continuously, knowing repetition is reinforcement.
- Embed change into systems—metrics, incentives, hiring, and leadership expectations—so it becomes the new way of operating rather than a temporary initiative.
Kotter-Based Change Checklist
Click Here for a printable PDF
- Create Urgency
Can you clearly articulate why this change matters now? Have you shared the risk of not changing in a way that resonates beyond leadership? - Build a Guiding Team
Do you have respected leaders across functions and locations actively supporting the change? Are informal influencers involved, not just those with titles? - Form a Clear Vision and Strategy
Is the future state easy to describe in plain language? Can leaders explain what will look different when this change is successful? - Communicate the Vision Relentlessly
Are leaders reinforcing the message consistently across meetings, sites, and channels? Are words and actions aligned? - Remove Barriers
What systems, processes, incentives, or behaviors are working against this change? Have middle managers been equipped to lead it, not just informed? - Generate Short-Term Wins
Have you defined early wins that are visible and meaningful? Are those wins being recognized and shared? - Sustain Momentum
Are you using early wins to tackle bigger issues, or are teams losing focus after the initial push? - Anchor the Change in Culture
Is this change reflected in metrics, performance reviews, hiring decisions, and leadership expectations? Would the organization revert if attention shifted?
Key Takeaways
For SG members, the lesson is clear: change management is not about being charismatic or perfect. It is about being deliberate. The most effective leaders do not avoid resistance; they surface it early. They do not rush alignment; they build it. And they do not assume change is complete just because it is launched.
Peer groups offer a powerful advantage here. Talking through what worked, what stalled, and where momentum was lost with other leaders, often reveals blind spots faster than any framework alone.
Change succeeds when leaders focus less on what is changing and more on how people experience the change.
