How to lead people through change: practical tools and tips
Change has become part of everyday life at work - new systems, technologies, restructures, budget pressures, shifting priorities, and new ways of working. For leaders and managers, it can feel like you’re trying to hold everything steady while the ground keeps moving.
Leaders are expected to keep performance up, communication flowing, and morale intact even when they don’t have all the answers. It’s not easy. But there are simple, practical ways to support your team through change, reduce resistance, and keep people engaged along the way.
In our last article, we explored the human side of change management, how people react emotionally and why even positive change can lead to anxiety, resistance or fatigue. This one explores what you can do as a leader to help people through it.
Start with purpose, not process
People cope with change better when they understand why it’s happening and what difference it makes. Purpose gives people something solid to hold on to when everything else feels uncertain. Before you talk about plans and timelines, start by exploring together:
What problem are we solving?
What benefit will this bring to customers, to colleagues, to the business?
What will stay the same?
Avoid vague language or overselling. Clarity and honesty go further than polished slogans. Say, “We know this will mean extra work for a few weeks, but here’s why it matters.”
Communicate early and often
Silence creates worry and anxiety - not just the absence of information, but the lack of space for people to ask questions, raise concerns or make sense of what’s happening. When information is scarce, people fill the gaps with assumptions, usually negative ones.
Share updates early, even if the plan isn’t perfect.
Repeat key messages in different ways: meetings, one-to-ones, and written summaries.
Use plain, human language: “Here’s what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what we’re still working out.”
Keep communication two-way: ask, “What feels clear?” “What still feels unclear?”
Be visible and steady. Even when you can’t give certainty, your presence and openness create reassurance.
Handle resistance constructively
Not everyone will feel positive about change, and that’s normal. When people resist, they’re usually not being difficult; they’re protecting something that feels threatened: control, competence, or stability. Try this:
Listen first. Ask what’s worrying them before explaining the plan.
Acknowledge impact. “I can see this feels uncertain — let’s talk about what would help.”
Look for useful signals. Resistance often points to practical issues you can fix.
Give small choices. Let people shape how change happens in their area.
Recognise effort. A quiet thank-you after a hard week does more good than another presentation.
Remember Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s reminder: people resist loss, not change. Show them what they’ll gain, and involve them early so they feel part of it.
Keep energy up and spot fatigue early
How to manage change fatigue
Look for signs of fatigue: short tempers, silence in meetings, reduced creativity, or doing the minimum. What helps:
Re-prioritise - what can wait?
Break change projects into manageable chunks, don’t launch everything at once.
Create quick wins to rebuild belief.
Celebrate progress, even small steps.
Ask openly, “How’s everyone’s capacity right now?”, listen and adjust.
Encourage breaks and reflection time; sustained performance needs rest.
6 Practical tools for leading change
These simple tools draw on proven change models and theories but are practical to relevant every day.
1. Circle of Control
During times of change, it’s easy for teams to feel powerless: decisions are being made elsewhere, and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. The Circle of Control (based on Stephen Covey’s influence model) helps people regain focus by separating what they can control, influence, and let go of concern for.
Start by drawing three concentric circles labelled Control, Influence, and Concern. Give everyone a few minutes to think individually, then discuss together:
What’s within our control right now?
What can we influence, even if we don’t fully control it?
What’s outside both - the things we can’t change, however much we’d like to?
As people share ideas, capture them inside the relevant circles:
Control: what’s directly in your hands: your communication, tone, priorities, and how you treat others.
Influence: what you can shape: collaboration, relationships, team morale, ways of working.
Concern: everything else: wider business decisions, policies, or market forces.
This exercise often creates relief as people see that some things are within reach and that time spent worrying about what isn’t can be redirected toward meaningful action.
It’s a simple, visual way to move from frustration to focus and remind everyone that control starts with ourselves.
2. Change Check-In
During change, it’s easy to jump straight into updates and actions without pausing to notice how people are feeling or what they need.
A Change Check-In (inspired by Bridges’ Transition Model and the Change Curve) creates space for honest conversation - a short, structured moment for people to share what’s clear, what’s uncertain, and what’s helping them stay motivated. Used regularly, it builds trust and helps leaders spot early signs of confusion or fatigue before they turn into resistance. Here’s how to do it:
Set the scene: Explain that this is about listening, not fixing. It’s simply a space to understand how people are experiencing the change.
Ask three questions: What feels clear right now? What feels unclear or worrying? What’s helping you stay positive or motivated?
Listen fully: Note patterns or repeated themes, but avoid defending or explaining straight away.
Close the loop: Summarise what you’ve heard and outline what you’ll follow up on.
You can use this check-in at the start of team meetings or one-to-ones; it takes ten minutes, but it prevents weeks of miscommunication. It also reminds people that their experiences matter, not just their output.
3. Start–Stop–Continue
Change isn’t only about what you start doing, it’s also about what you stop and continue.
This simple team exercise, inspired by Kurt Lewin’s “Unfreeze–Change–Refreeze” model, helps people take ownership of the change and see that they have a role in shaping the new way of working. Here’s how to use it:
Set up three headings: Start, Stop and Continue.
Ask your team:
What new habits, tools or ways of working should we start to make this change a success?
What’s no longer helping us, or feels outdated, that we should stop?
What strengths or routines are worth continuing as we move forward?
Capture ideas visibly on a whiteboard or shared document — and agree on two or three to act on right away.
This exercise helps people “unfreeze” old habits and make sense of what’s changing.
It gives them a sense of control, surfaces valuable insight from the front line, and ensures you don’t lose the things that already work well in the process.
4. ADKAR Conversation Check
When someone is struggling with a change, it’s easy to label them as resistant, but often they’re simply missing one of the key ingredients for successful change. The ADKAR Conversation Check helps you work out what’s really going on so you can respond in a way that helps, not frustrates. This quick diagnostic helps you identify what’s missing, whether it’s information, motivation, skill or appreciation — and respond appropriately rather than assuming resistance. Ask yourself or your team directly five simple questions:
Awareness: Do they understand why the change is happening?
Desire: Do they want it to succeed, or do they see it as something being done to them?
Knowledge: Do they know how to make it work -the steps, tools or expectations?
Ability: Do they have the time, confidence or skills to do it?
Reinforcement: Are we recognising effort and progress so it sticks?
5. Bridge the Transition
Change happens externally, but transition happens internally. It’s the emotional and psychological journey people go through as they let go of the old and move into the new. A short Bridge the Transition ( from Bridges’ Transition Model and the Change Curve) conversation helps people make sense of where they are on that journey. This discussion legitimises emotion and gives people language for what they’re feeling, and helps them realise that uncertainty is normal and that you’re in it together. Ask your team three questions:
What are we leaving behind? (Acknowledge endings habits, processes, roles, routines.)
What feels unclear or “in between”? (Name the uncertainty and temporary confusion that sits in the middle.)
What are we beginning to build together? (Focus attention on new opportunities and shared goals.)
6. Quick-Win Tracker
Momentum matters. When change feels long and uncertain, visible progress keeps motivation alive. The Quick-Win Tracker (the sixth step in Kotter’s 8 Step Change “Short-Term Wins”) is a simple way to show that effort is paying off and that improvement is already happening. Seeing regular progress reminds people that change is working, builds belief, and balances out the fatigue that comes from focusing only on what’s still to do. How to set it up:
Create a visible space: a whiteboard, digital board or shared document and each week, capture three things:
Wins achieved - even small ones.
Who made them happen?
What impact they’ve had.
Celebrate publicly - a quick mention in meetings or a thank-you message goes a long way.
Leading change starts with self-management
Leading through change is demanding. You’re managing your own uncertainty as well as everyone else’s. It can be hard to admit that you don’t have all the answers, but people don’t expect perfection. They need steadiness, honesty and perspective. Here are a few ways to stay grounded:
Protect your thinking time. Don’t fill every hour with meetings; reflection enables you to make thoughtful decisions.
Stay connected. Talk to peers or mentors; sharing what’s hard makes it easier to carry.
Model calm and transparency. People take their cues from you. If you stay open and steady, it helps others do the same.
Acknowledge your limits. Ask for help when you need it. Strong leadership isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about being realistic and trustworthy.
Mind your energy. Rest when you can, delegate where you can, and celebrate small wins, yours and others’.
Good leadership during change isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating calm in the noise, setting direction, and showing that it’s possible to adapt without losing what matters most.
Reflection
Think about the change you’re leading right now. Where could you communicate more clearly or involve your team earlier?
What one small habit would make the biggest difference this month?
Change needs steady, human leadership. When leaders communicate openly, listen carefully and involve people in shaping what happens next, they turn uncertainty into progress.
Would you like to strengthen leadership capability and confidence through change?
We design and deliver practical workshops, coaching and leadership programmes that help managers lead change clearly and confidently.
If you’d like to explore how we can support your leaders, get in touch ›
