When organisations plan change, they often think in terms of structures, processes and timelines. But for the people living through it, change is something different. It’s something that’s often felt before it is understood.

Many of us move through a predictable set of reactions. At first there can be shock, where focus is lost and it is hard to concentrate on anything else. That can be followed by denial, where people insist nothing is really changing. As the reality sets in, frustration and even sadness can take hold. Eventually, as people begin to test the new environment, confidence grows and they reach a point where the change feels manageable.^

This progression is often shown as a curve, but in practice the journey is not neat or linear. People move at different speeds. Some skip stages entirely. Others get stuck and need more support to move forward. Leaders themselves are often further along the curve than their teams, which creates a gap in perception. What feels familiar to you may still feel new or uncertain to those you lead.

It is also worth remembering that emotions look different for different people. Frustration might mean one person speaking up more sharply in meetings, while another withdraws and goes quiet. These are both signals that need to be recongised. And, it’s your job as a leader to recognise them and respond to them.

There are reasons why these reactions are so common. The human brain is wired to prefer the status quo. Even when a change is positive, it increases uncertainty and challenges a sense of control. People have also invested time, effort and expertise into existing systems and practices. When these are replaced, it can feel like their previous work is being simply forgotten about (at best) and devalued (at worst).

The leader’s task is not to prevent these emotions. That’s a fool’s errand, it’s not possible. The task is to notice them, to create space where they can be acknowledged, and to keep the peaks and troughs from becoming too extreme. By doing this, leaders build trust and help people move through the curve with more confidence and resilience.

^ These thoughts aren’t new of course…you’ll have heard of the Change Curve or the Kubler-Ross change curve (after it’s eponymous creator) before I’m sure. If you’re interested in learning more about the foundations of this work you can read more in Kubler-Ross’ seminal work “On Death and Dying” (as the title might suggest…it’s not the lightest of reads but there is a melancholic hope in it.