Stop Managing Change and Start Leading Change

The speed of change in business seems to be accelerating.  From outside influences like AI implementation, new technologies, macroeconomic impacts, government and regulatory changes, and new competition. To internal changes like C-Suite transitions, organizational realignments, mergers, expansions, mass retirements, mass hiring, and reductions in force.

Effectively managing these changes has companies turning to structured management models and programs to drive the change process.

But, despite decades of use, these traditional change management programs continue to underperform. Studies consistently show that structured approaches—like ADKAR or Kotter’s 8-step model—struggle to deliver lasting transformation. And we think the issue isn’t the framework; it’s the leadership gap.

A 2021 report by Boston Consulting Group found that fewer than 30% of transformation efforts achieved their goals, with most failures attributed to weak leadership engagement and a lack of sustained cultural alignment.¹ Similarly, a 2024 study by Wharton Executive Education revealed that 60% of newly promoted managers receive no formal training, contributing directly to failed change initiatives due to poor communication, misaligned vision, and ineffective team support.²

To successfully implement the desired change, it means it’s time to focus on your leaders.

Traditional change programs often rely on top-down planning, scripted communications, and rigid timelines. And leaders are often asked to follow the program and manage deadlines.

But successful change is inherently emotional, adaptive, and behavioral. And these are qualities that frameworks alone cannot manage. What’s missing is the human factor: leaders who know how to navigate uncertainty, build trust, and influence behavior over time.

Leadership training focused on leading change, and not just managing it, equips individuals with the real skills needed to drive transformation at the individual level.  Change management departments can provide overarching communications, but it is the leader who is critical in relating the change to each individual and how it impacts them.  This includes developing cultural awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to co-create strategic priorities with stakeholders.

Shifting the focus from managing to leading change means organizational budgets and timelines will need to adapt.

According to Prosci and other benchmarking research, organizations typically spend around 10–15 % of a project’s total budget on change management efforts.³ Structured programs recognize the importance of ongoing, frequent, and sustained communication. And a substantial amount of time is dedicated to those efforts. For projects exceeding $10 million, this can translate into $1.5 million or more.  Those expenses are substantially more than most companies spend annually on leadership training.

If organizations want to break the cycle of stalled initiatives and wasted time and money, they must stop outsourcing change to frameworks and start building internal leadership capability. The most effective change strategy is simple: train your leaders to lead it.

1 Boston Consulting Group. (2021). How to Drive a Transformation That Works. bcg.com
2 Wharton Executive Education. (2024). New Leaders Need Training, Not Assumptions. executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu
3 https://www.prosci.com/blog/the-correlation-between-change-management-and-project-success