How to lead through change is one of the most important questions leaders face. Change can come from growth, uncertainty, new technology, new leadership, shifting priorities, or pressure to do more with less. Some teams adjust and keep moving. Others lose focus, confidence, and momentum.
The difference is often in leadership. Leaders can’t remove all of the difficulty that comes with change, but they can help people understand what is happening, what matters most, and how to keep moving forward. To better understand how to lead through change, I asked leaders to share their best advice for leading people through change.
Leaders on How to Lead Through Change
Ryan Paquet, President of Americase: We have to stop thinking about change as a singular, scary event. As a leader, we have to accept change as omnipresent. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus was attributed with the adage, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” When we go on holiday, whether it’s the beach or the mountains, we tend to see and focus on that specific moment in time, but the reality is that the beach is constantly moving, the mountain is either growing or eroding (or both at the same time). Every day brings change, and for a leader of an organization, we need to embrace this philosophy as an opportunity to build a culture of continuous improvement. By embracing the reality that every day brings at least incremental change, we can strip the fear from the concept and focus on the opportunity to improve, in that moment. Nimble, successful organizations and their leaders don’t look at change like a light switch; they acknowledge that everything is in a state of flux: their clients’ needs, their employees’ lives, market demands, technology, even the weather. Fearing or pushing back against change won’t stop it, so use it to your advantage to build a better organization.
Laurel Bongiorno, President of Hartwick College: The most successful leaders don’t try to manage change. They create alignment that allows change to happen. During periods of disruption, it’s easy to respond to each new challenge with another initiative. Effective leaders do the opposite. They establish a small number of enduring priorities, build support across their leadership team and governing board, and communicate those priorities consistently while allowing strategies to evolve without losing sight of the larger mission. At Hartwick College, that shared alignment enabled us to rethink how we deliver value, integrate work that had traditionally been viewed as separate, and reimagine our tuition pricing to make it more transparent, affordable, and sustainable. By bringing faculty, staff, and other stakeholders into the process, we built on our authentic strengths rather than creating a new institutional identity. Change is rarely successful because leaders have all the answers. It succeeds because people understand the purpose, trust the direction, and believe they are helping shape the future rather than simply reacting to it. When leaders communicate intentionally, invite others into the process, and consistently reinforce a shared vision, organizations become more agile, resilient, and prepared for whatever comes next.
Jaime Newbery, VP of People & Culture at Pipedrive: One of the biggest myths about leadership is that you need all the answers before people follow you. In reality, today’s leaders rarely have the luxury of certainty. Markets shift, technology evolves, and priorities change faster than ever before. Waiting for complete clarity often means waiting too long. I’ve learned that people don’t expect leaders to predict the future. They expect them to create enough clarity for the steps ahead. Be honest about what you know, what you don’t know yet, and how decisions will be made as you learn. Transparency builds far more trust than false certainty. Just as importantly, don’t treat change as something you communicate once. Treat it as a capability you build. The organizations that adapt fastest are the ones where leaders are constantly coaching, listening, and helping people become more comfortable with ambiguity. At Pipedrive, AI has accelerated how quickly our teams evolve, but it has also reinforced something very human: the best leaders create environments where learning is normal, experimentation is encouraged, and changing direction isn’t seen as failure, but as progress. The organizations that will thrive won’t necessarily be the ones with the best five-year plans. They’ll be the ones that pause regularly, reflect honestly, learn quickly, and reset with confidence.
Mark Levin, founder and CEO of Consumable: We know how important it is to adapt to keep pace with business changes across technology, consumer preferences, and supply chains. It starts with being an expert in your field. This means talking with customers often, creating a culture of innovation, and staying involved in your industry. By spotting market and industry shifts early, leaders put themselves in a better position to react and guide their teams. The real opportunity is to think creatively about what’s changing and build something bigger in response to it. Look at the rideshare industry. Uber didn’t take rides from taxis; it created a new market and increased the total demand for transportation. We had this mindset when building Consumable. We saw a greater demand for audio advertising and built our platform on the open web to create a new category instead of going after streaming inventory from traditional players like Spotify and Pandora. We were confident in our vision, aligned as a team, and disciplined in meeting our goal. Leading through change starts with a clear vision but requires team support to bring it to life. People need to understand what is changing, why it matters, and how they contribute to the outcome. The most successful leaders are constantly monitoring their industry, communicating with their team, and actively listening to their audience. Leaders should ask themselves, what opportunities am I missing because everyone’s looking at things the same way?
Shelley Huff, former CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding and co-founder and CEO of The Interval: When the ground shifts and the familiar structure falls away, your instinct will be to move fast and find the next thing before the silence gets too loud. Resist that urge. The most important work you can do right now is to slow down long enough to ask yourself the harder questions. The journey of this kind of inward reflection is not about the destination, but the “unlock,” asking questions like “Who am I now?” “Who am I becoming?” “What does the world most need from me now?” That kind of honest reflection does not come from moving faster. It comes from creating space to think clearly and surrounding yourself with people who truly understand the weight of what you are carrying.
Claire Coder, founder and CEO of Aunt Flow: My best advice for leaders on how to lead through change is to understand that every stage of growth asks for a different version of you. In the beginning, doing everything yourself can feel necessary, even admirable. But there comes a point when that instinct starts becoming a roadblock. I would advise leaders to surrender the need to control every moving part. Real growth requires pivoting quickly, as needed, building the right teams, and insulating your core mission from external demands. When I started Aunt Flow in 2016 at 18, I packed and hand-delivered products myself, wearing multiple hats to steer the business. As the company grew, I realized that I had to quickly adapt without losing sight of the mission. That meant bringing in perspectives beyond my own and building a group of trusted leaders to own major decisions. Earlier this year, for example, we entrusted Sarah Howard, our new Vice President of Revenue, with building the teams needed for our next stage of growth. This shift resulted in clearer accountability across the customer journey. I would also advise leaders to think seriously about how they channel their time. Change cannot be navigated by white-knuckling daily logistics. It is managed by being more deliberate about how you can create the most value for your business, whether that is closing new deals, developing new business partnerships, or establishing relationships with other founders and prospective partners. Finally, leading through change is not about reacting to external pressures beyond your control. It is about proactively addressing the ones you can control, trusting the operational systems you have put in place, and changing how you lead as your business evolves.
Jim Simon, co-founder of and CEO of JiMMYBAR! Functional Protein: Change is part of life, and it’s part of business. Leaders who resist change tend to be ineffective; they are slow to adapt, and in business, that catches up with you. I’ve always been comfortable with change personally. I’ve moved over 20 times in 30 years and lived in 7 different cities, so adapting to new environments is just how I operate, and that mindset carries into how I lead. I think of change as another form of learning, and if you’re not learning, you’re not growing. That mindset has shaped real decisions in my own business. At one point, we saw a gap in the market that our original product plans didn’t address, so we made the call to pivot entirely. It wasn’t quick or easy; it took over a year and a lot of trial and error to get it right. But it reinforced something I believe strongly: if you’re not willing to take a chance when the data and the market are telling you something, you’ll stay stuck. My advice to other leaders is simple: don’t treat change as a threat to manage. Treat it as information. The businesses that struggle most are usually the ones that saw the shift coming and hesitated anyway.
Sunny Beutler, CEO of Sunrider International: Lead through change by first discussing the proposed ideas with directors and managers to gather input and align on the approach. From there, develop a clear plan of implementation with the key stakeholders and assign a project lead to oversee the process. Before moving forward, always ensure that the change will benefit the company and those affected as much as possible. Clearly communicate the reasons behind the change, so employees understand its purpose and support and follow the change. Successful change often requires ongoing training, open discussions, and regular follow-up reminders to get everyone aligned and moving in the same direction. But having engaged managers and leaders who actively guide and reinforce the transition is key to making the change successful.
Scott Fifer, founder and CEO of GO Campaign: Lead with principles. Change has a way of exposing the “musts” from the “nice to haves.” Plans change. Budgets change. The headlines certainly change. If your leadership is anchored to those things, you’ll spend your time reacting. But if it’s anchored in principles, your team will know where they stand, even when the path forward is uncertain. Over the last twenty years at GO Campaign, I’ve learned the best leaders don’t pretend to have every answer. They stay curious, communicate honestly, and remain close to the people most affected by their decisions. The temptation during periods of change is to move faster and listen less. The opposite is true for me. The more uncertainty you face, the more important it becomes to seek out the people closest to the problem. Leadership through change isn’t about projecting certainty. It’s about creating trust. When people trust your values, they’re willing to navigate uncertainty with you.
Helen Christoni, co-founder of Make Time Wellness: Be honest, move fast, and bring people with you. Change is messy, and you’re rarely going to have every answer before you need to act. Share what you know, be clear about where you’re going, and give your team room to help figure out how you get there. Listen, make the call, and keep moving. Momentum matters.
Cristle Collins Judd, President of Sarah Lawrence College: Throughout my career, I have learned that the most successful leaders balance agility with consistency. While your strategies can and should evolve, your mission must always remain your north star. Listen to those around you, keep communication open, and empower others to help determine the best way forward. Act with integrity and purpose and stay committed to your core values. And along the way, maintain a sense of humility and a sense of humor. Change is inevitable, and – it seems – at an ever-increasing pace. Leading through change is not merely managing the disruption; it’s about cultivating a culture that understands change not as a threat but as an opportunity to learn and innovate. The most successful leaders don’t try to have all the answers; instead, they ask the right questions, are transparent, and are open to the ideas of others.
David Naylor, CEO of Rayburn Electric Cooperative: Leading through change means giving people confidence that, whatever happens next, you will face it together. After Winter Storm Uri, Rayburn Electric Cooperative faced challenges unlike anything we had experienced before. I learned that trust becomes a leader’s most valuable asset during uncertain times. That means sharing information, explaining the reasons behind decisions, and trusting your people to step up. When employees understand the mission and know their leaders believe in them, they will often exceed expectations. People don’t need leaders who pretend to have every answer. They need leaders who are honest, consistent, and willing to navigate uncertainty alongside them. My advice is to view change as an opportunity to learn, improve, and move the organization forward. The status quo may feel comfortable, but leadership requires the courage to recognize when comfort is holding you back.
Casey Evans, Chief Operating Officer of ASU EdPlus: Change requires courage. The courage to trust your instincts, make decisions before every answer is known, and stay anchored to a clear vision even when the path changes. Great leaders create space for people to take thoughtful risks because innovation rarely comes from playing it safe. They model that behavior themselves, with the humility to be transparent about the ideas that didn’t work and the lessons they learned along the way. Leadership isn’t about preventing failure. It’s about building the safety nets that help people learn, recover quickly, and come back stronger.
Jean Leslie, Senior Fellow & Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership: Most leaders think leading through change means minimizing disruption and getting people safely to the other side. My advice is almost the opposite. Disruption is the opening. Treat it as a window. This holds whether the change is one you chose or one that chose you. Our research on how organizations transform under pressure found that barriers that held for decades can lift almost overnight when disruption aligns interests, dissolves boundaries, and overrides the vested interests protecting the status quo. One executive told us that changes he’d been pushing for three years happened in just three weeks. But windows close. As pressure eases, old patterns reassert themselves unless leaders deliberately capture what the change made possible. Spot the workarounds that outperform old procedures, document them before memory fades, and build them into policies and incentives. Resist the instinct to ask, “How fast can we get back to normal?” Leaders who only restore normality often recreate the same conditions that made change necessary. Instead, ask, “What is this change making possible that we should keep?” Then ask your people while they’re living through it.
Tracy Nolan, Senior Vice President of Consumer Distribution & Sales Strategy at Humana: The greatest mistake leaders make during change is waiting for certainty before taking action. In my experience leading through mergers, crises, digital transformation, and industry disruption, certainty rarely arrives first. Employees don’t need a leader who has every answer; they need a leader who creates confidence and takes action while the answers are unfolding. Leadership begins the moment certainty ends.
Dr. Stanton F. McNeely III, President of the University of Holy Cross: Leading through change begins with one question: What does my community need from me right now? In New Orleans, we know this lesson better than most. When a storm hits, we might regroup or change course, but we have a job to do and people counting on us. Our purpose holds steady when everything else is shifting. In 2021, the pandemic was pushing higher education toward tuition hikes, cutbacks, and closure. At the University of Holy Cross, we responded by eliminating degree tracks that weren’t meeting the state’s workforce needs and built more flexible pathways for working adults. This was a difficult call. The temptation to diversify is hard to ignore when the market is shifting. It’s just as hard to invest when you’re tightening the belt. By listening to our community and staying focused on our mission, the guidance we needed was already there. It takes long-term dedication and discipline to stay rooted in your mission and remain close enough to your community to know what serves them. That commitment is the real test of leading through change, and it is the foundation that will guide you no matter how much the market changes.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Lead Through Change
What does it mean to lead through change?
Knowing how to lead through change means helping people navigate a shift in direction, priorities, expectations, or ways of working. Leaders need to explain what is changing, why it matters, what people should focus on, and how the team can keep moving while the transition is happening.
Why is leading through change important?
Knowing how to lead through change is important because change can disrupt focus, communication, morale, and execution. Even necessary change can become harder than it needs to be when people don’t understand what is happening, why it matters, or what they should do next. McKinsey research found that organizations were at least twice as likely to outperform their peers when leaders helped employees understand why a transformation was necessary and how it would move the organization forward. Change is one of the most common leadership challenges organizations face.
What is the most important part of leading through change?
The most important part of leading through change is helping people understand what matters now. During change, people can easily lose focus because old routines no longer apply and new expectations may not yet feel clear. Good leaders help people see where to direct their attention and energy.
How should leaders communicate during change?
Leaders should communicate during change with honesty, consistency, and practical detail. Anyone learning how to lead through change must clearly explain what is changing, why it is changing, what it means for people’s work, and what they should do next. Communication should continue as the change unfolds, not stop after the initial announcement. Clear, consistent communication is also one of the leadership skills every new manager needs to succeed.
What mistakes do leaders make when leading through change?
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is assuming that people are ready to move as quickly as leadership is. Understanding how to lead through change requires recognizing that leaders often have more context and more time to process the change. Teams usually need explanation, repetition, and support before they can fully adapt.
How can leaders help employees adapt to change?
Leaders can help employees adapt by making the change easier to understand and easier to act on. That means setting clear priorities, answering questions, reducing unnecessary confusion, and showing people how the change connects to their day-to-day work.
How can leaders keep teams moving during change?
Leaders can keep teams moving during change by narrowing the focus. A central part of how to lead through change is helping people understand what matters most right now. Good leaders clarify priorities, make decisions, and maintain progress without pretending the transition is simple.
