There’s only one constant in the workplace, and that constant is change. While change has always been a part of work and life, technology, hybrid work, restructures, and various other factors have forced organizations to adapt faster than ever before. So it’s no surprise that change leadership has quickly become a top priority for companies in 2024. 

Unexpected events, like the pandemic, have played a role in workplace changes over the last few years, but they certainly can’t hold all the blame. Rapidly evolving business environments, regulatory changes, and digitalization have all contributed to the quintupling of enterprise changes since 2016. 

While change is normal, it can also be disruptive. And in an environment of constant change, it’s no longer enough to simply manage it. Taking a forward-thinking approach to change—and having the leaders to effectively lead it—can minimize business interruption so you can empower your workforce and make the most of the transformation.

Keep reading as we dive into the benefits of change leadership and how you can better equip leaders with the skills they need to lead change.

What is change leadership? 

Change leadership is the process of strategically steering your organization through large changes—whether it’s changes in management, company vision, or any other type of major transformation. 

Rather than viewing change as a one-off, change leadership assumes an organization is always changing and equips leaders and their teams with the skills and mindsets they need to adapt to change.

Many change models have been built throughout the years to support change leadership. Some notable frameworks include:

• McKinsey’s 7-S model: One of the earliest change leadership models, it highlights seven key factors that organizations should use to evaluate how they implement change: strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, skills, and shared values. 

• Kotter's 8-step model: This model breaks the process of successfully leading change down into 8 steps: 1) Create a sense of urgency, 2) Build a guiding coalition, 3) Form strategic vision, 4) Enlist a volunteer army, 5) Enable action by removing barriers to change, 6) Generate short-term wins, 7) Sustain acceleration, and 8) Institute change.

• ADKAR model: This model helps reduce individual resistance to change within the team through five steps: Awareness of the need for change, Desire to participate in the change, Knowledge of how to change, Ability to implement desired skills, and Reinforcement to sustain the change.

• Leadership development for leading change: While technical strategies and change frameworks are crucial, true success lies in addressing the human side of change. Leaders must develop new skills to acknowledge emotions, ensure psychological safety, proactively address resistance, and foster understanding and buy-in through empathetic communication. 

“You've ​got ​a ​change ​management ​plan, ​and ​you ​have ​a ​communication ​strategy, ​and ​you ​have ​a ​rollout ​timeline, ​and ​you've ​got ​milestones ​you're ​going ​to ​hit, ​and ​that's ​all ​important. ​Don't ​get ​me ​wrong. ​That's ​important, ​and ​it ​should ​live ​and ​be ​thriving. ​But ​equally ​important ​is ​the ​human ​side ​of ​this.”  - Catherine Brown, Founder, Taybridge Leadership

Change leadership vs. change management 

While change leadership and change management overlap, they aren’t the same and shouldn’t be used interchangeably. 

‍Change leadership refers to having the skills and strategy within an organization to improve agility and willingness to adapt. It allows a company to become more innovative and successfully withstand change. 

On the other hand, change management refers more to the process of how an organization reacts to and manages changes.

Think about it this way: change leadership is a more proactive approach to transformation while change management is much more reactive. 

What is a change leader?

A change leader is someone who initiates or guides change. They not only possess the necessary skills and influence but they also have the mindset needed to drive organizational transformation.

Simply having the ability to manage or implement the processes for change doesn’t necessarily make someone a change leader. Rather, it’s someone who embraces that change and can effectively communicate the vision and associated objectives. 

A change leader is an advocate for transformation and can provide support to others as they navigate changes within the organization. Employees who hold the role of change leader often have a specific set of leadership skills that allows them to lead change effectively, which we’ll explore in more detail later on.

Why is change leadership important for an organization?

Having a strong leadership team can be immensely valuable when your business is operating as usual. But what if your business were to go through a merger and acquisition, a mass layoff, or even accelerated growth? 

Whether an initiative is perceived as positive or negative, change can still be challenging for employees to navigate. This is where having change leadership skills within your organization can be critical. 

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Increases resilience to change

In recent years, many workplaces have experienced more periods of change than periods of normal operations. With most organizations scrambling to manage these changes, it’s understandable that the willingness of employees to support enterprise changes has nearly been cut in half. 

It falls on leaders to effectively guide employees to keep morale high and maintain productivity, which is easier said than done when organizations feel like they’re barely keeping up with  changes.

Instead of viewing change as something that needs to be dealt with, a change leadership approach treats it as an opportunity. It puts processes and strategies in place so that change feels less volatile and stressful for your organization. 

2. Boosts innovation

Organizational transformation doesn’t have to be reactive, which is why change leadership is valuable even if you aren’t going through a period of change. 

In fact, effective change leaders know that change is not only inevitable but a part of building a more successful business. 

When leaders embrace change, it trickles down into the organizational culture. It creates an environment where new ideas and risks are welcomed by employees at all levels. Over time this opens the door to new opportunities and creates a competitive advantage for your organization. 

3. Elevates employee engagement and sentiment

Change leadership is built on a foundation of communication and transparency. The goal is to ensure employees have enough information to understand the rationale behind changes and their impact on the organization. 

When large decisions and changes aren’t shrouded in mystery, it increases trust in your organization. Even in times of stability, trust can foster a better sense of belonging and satisfaction among employees, which can go a long way in maintaining engagement and performance when change does come along.

4. Improves business performance

When it comes to business, change is a good thing. You might be evolving proactively or adapting as a result of external factors, but when your organization makes changes, it’s because it’s been determined that it’s better for your bottom line.

However, a McKinsey study found that even with successful change management implementation, companies only reaped 67% of the maximum financial benefits they could have achieved. 

Effective change leadership helps you embrace change when necessary, enable your team, and take steps to ensure that you’re making the most of your change efforts. 

How to lead change initiatives 

With a myriad of change leadership models to choose from, it’s clear that there’s no one hard and fast solution to leading change initiatives. While the structured models (some of which we highlighted above) are a great place to start, there are a few universal strategies that hold true—regardless of how you approach organizational change.

1. Identify a common goal: Leading change successfully requires having a clear objective that everyone can align with. The outcome should be clear. Otherwise, it can be difficult to get employees to commit to change.

2. Have a strategy: A clear and transparent plan helps everyone understand their role in the change process and the milestones that will help you reach the outcomes you set out to achieve.

3. Engage and encourage your team: For change to be successful and make an impact, you need buy-in from everyone in the organization. Change leaders should get employees involved and excited about the shared vision.

4. Make it sustainable: The goal of change leadership is to create lasting transformations that deliver long-term results. Change initiatives shouldn’t just consider the immediate impact but how your organization will support the change in the long run.

5. Lead with empathy: Empathetic leaders who prioritize the human experience during change initiatives foster trust, understanding, and adaptability within their organizations, ultimately increasing retention, engagement, and the likelihood of successful transformation.

5 skills needed for leading through change

In today’s competitive work landscape, change leadership is a critical piece of the business puzzle. Yet, only 15% of employees feel confident in their leaders' ability to navigate change.

But change leadership isn’t a skill in and of itself. Rather, it's a collection of skills that empower leaders to influence change and thrive in times of transformation. 

Here are some skills that can help your leaders lead change with confidence.

1. Empathy

Humans are almost hardwired to resist change. And because employees are passionate about their careers and rely on their jobs to pay their rent, changes in the workplace can be particularly scary.

Successful change leaders can navigate transformation with sensitivity, ensure psychological safety, and understand the impact it has on individual employees. Leaders who are empathetic are also much more likely to earn the trust of their team members. Trust makes it easier for leaders to advocate for change. Trusted leaders are also more likely to receive honest feedback on change initiatives so that they can better support their teams through the transition.

2. Listening

The ability to listen to and action feedback sets those who lead change apart from those who simply manage change. But leading change goes beyond just hearing what your team has to say. Effective change leaders include employee voices in the decision-making process—which can improve change success by as much as 15%.

Change expert Catherine Brown says it best:

“We want to look right. We want to be in control. But actually letting go of that as a leader can be the most valuable thing you do in that moment. So simply asking the question, “what are you seeing and hearing and experiencing about this change?” And then kind of seeing if you've got it right, because sometimes we hear the words, but we interpret them incorrectly.” -Catherine Brown, Founder, Taybridge Leadership

When leaders listen, they can also communicate feedback to relevant stakeholders and help remove barriers so their team can embrace changes with confidence.

3. Communication

Effective communication is a key skill for any leader. But it’s even more critical when leading teams through change. 

When going through massive transformations, employees want to understand the why behind the decisions. They want to know what their role is and how it will impact them. And if they don’t understand the reasoning behind the change, they’re not going to support it.

Being able to clearly communicate the change strategy and the expected outcomes is essential for influencing employees and key stakeholders. And with only 36% of employees reporting high trust in their organizations, strong communication can go a long way.

4. Confidence

Change isn’t easy. And getting an entire organization on board with that change is even more challenging.

Change leaders are the ones responsible for championing the change and the vision. So they need to be able to confidently communicate the strategy and the value behind it. 

They also need to be confident in their own ability to influence change. If they don’t truly believe that their change efforts will make an impact, why should the rest of the team?

5. Collaboration

Successful change leaders recognize that transformation is a team effort. Even the best leaders can’t drive change on their own, which means they need the skills to collaborate with other leaders and peers within the organization.

However, collaboration skills in change leaders go beyond their own ability to work well with others. Change leaders should be able to identify other champions within the organization and encourage a culture of teamwork and inclusion. Collaboration in times of transformation boosts employee connectivity and streamlines change efforts.

How to develop change leadership skills

While change leadership is a very specific skill set, how you go about developing these skills in your leaders is similar to how you’d implement any other type of career development opportunity.

Some strategies for building change leadership skills can include:

• Training and learning opportunities: Whether it’s helping employees become familiar with common change leadership models or developing effective communication skills, training and development curriculums can go a long way in filling change leadership gaps in your organization. Of course, these programs can’t—and shouldn’t—exist in a silo. They work best when paired with experiential opportunities and the right support networks. 

• Leading Change Mentorship: Mentoring for change leadership pairs existing and future leaders to promote knowledge sharing and prepare your leaders with critical skills to lead change, build engagement, and drive performance.

• Networking opportunities: Many of the skills needed in change leadership are soft skills that are best developed through experience. By building up employee networks, you can provide leaders with access to more resources and help them sharpen vital change leadership skills such as communication and collaboration.

How to nurture new change leaders 

Leading change doesn’t end with your current leaders.

By definition, change leadership is a long-term commitment to fostering a culture of transformation and growth within your organization. This means you need a long-term solution for creating a steady pipeline of future change leaders. 

Change leadership should be a part of any leadership development strategy. 10KC leverages the power of mentorship and your internal networks to nurture leaders who can lead change successfully. 

10KC can help you foster belonging and employee engagement while creating a culture of change by:

• Creating change leadership development programs tailored to your organizational needs.
• Building employee networks that drive collaboration and innovation.
• Cultivating safe spaces for leaders to learn and tackle business challenges.
• Tracking skills development and feedback so you can watch your leaders transform—and measure the results—in real time.

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Change Leadership FAQ

What is change leadership? 

Change leadership involves proactively guiding your organization through major transitions. It's about empowering your people to thrive during shifts in management, revised company strategies, or other substantial changes. Change leadership focuses on fostering a culture that embraces evolution to achieve high performance throughout the process.

What is a change leader? 

A change leader is someone who inspires and empowers their workforce to navigate transitions successfully. They cultivate resilience, adaptability, and a shared commitment to the organization's vision. While change management provides the structured plan, change leadership focuses on fostering a mindset that embraces change and drives success.