Reflections on change, vulnerability, and what teams really need from their leaders.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself in conversation with several leadership teams navigating different kinds of change. Some are facing big, systemic shifts; others are dealing with the quieter, but no less significant, challenge of forming new teams or adjusting to new dynamics.
At a recent leadership breakfast with Mark Evans, and in work with a number of teams since, a few themes have kept resurfacing—particularly around the lived reality of transformation and what it demands of leaders beyond the headlines.
Change is constant—but context matters
Change isn’t new. Transformation isn’t new. What is new is the context in which it’s playing out. Many organisations are trying to respond to large-scale shifts in technology, consumer behaviour, or societal expectations. But even at a more local level—new hires, new leaders, new teams—the ripple effects can be just as real.
In any of these situations, there are a few things I’ve noticed make the difference.
1. Start with the ‘why’
Whether the change is large or small, leaders need to be absolutely clear on the purpose: why this, why now, and what will it give us? That clarity isn’t just a comms point—it’s the fuel that feeds motivation and builds resilience.
Without it, energy can scatter. People can start to place their focus in the wrong places. Frustration grows. When leaders can articulate a shared purpose—something to return to when things get tough—they anchor the team and create forward momentum.
2. Know what you need to collaborate on
One of the most overlooked sources of wasted energy in teams is over-collaboration. We see it a lot during times of transformation. In the name of alignment, teams over-index on togetherness—lots of meetings, group decisions, circular conversations.
But collaboration isn’t a virtue in and of itself. It’s a choice. And one that needs to be made deliberately.
The question for any leadership team should be: What are the things only we can do? What are the decisions only we can make, the issues only we can solve, the conversations only we can have? Everything else—delegate to the experts, trust, and let go.
3. Create space for vulnerability
In moments of change, leaders are watched more closely. People are looking for cues: Are you confident? Are you rattled? Are you invested?
That’s why vulnerability, when shown with intent, can be a powerful leadership act. Not performative openness—but genuine signals of humanity. A well-timed moment of honesty can cut through defensiveness, invite others to lower their guard, and accelerate real conversation.
It needs judgment, of course. The right moment, the right audience. But when it lands well, it shifts the atmosphere and makes room for truth.
4. Show up like it matters
If you’ve chosen to be in the room—for a conversation, a workshop, a team session—then be in the room. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
People take their cues from how leaders show up. And in times of change, congruence matters. If you say something is important, but act like it’s optional, people notice. If you say people are empowered, but micro-manage anyway, people feel it.
Opportunities are won and lost in the way leaders show up to the everyday. Role modelling isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about consistency.
Transformation isn’t just a strategy document or a reorg plan. It’s a series of moments. Meetings. Behaviours. Decisions. Interactions.
And it’s in those moments that leadership either builds change—or undermines it.
In my experience, the best leaders know how to stay grounded in the why, make smart choices about how they work together, and show up with the kind of presence that gives others permission to do the same.