Over the past 30+ years, I have had the privilege of working across sectors, with senior leadership teams and project managers. As CEO of Change Specialists, I have led, supported and observed change across complex environments – and I have learned a few key lessons the hard way.
This article is the result of trenches, boardrooms, site walkarounds and countless honest conversations. Here are the most valuable truths that still hold water today.
1. People resist being changed
Projects fail not because change is a bad idea, but because people feel done to. The best change leaders co-create it, in order to stay relevant and give people a role in shaping the journey.
Lesson: Engage early. Explain the “why” before the “how”. Give people dignity in the process.
2. No framework will save you – but discipline might
Whether it is PRINCE2, Agile or Prosci, methodologies are helpful tools. But I have never seen one guarantee success on its own. What matters more is disciplined delivery: clearly defined roles and consistent decision-making, with a firm grip on risk and dependencies.
Lesson: Do not fall in love with frameworks. Have good governance and clarity.
3. Culture beats strategy when no one is looking
I have watched brilliant strategies fall apart because the culture underneath was not ready. Informal networks, unspoken norms, legacy behaviours – these derail more change than Gantt charts ever will.
Lesson: Diagnose culture first, and do not ignore the invisible dynamics in the room.
4. Real change management is not a workstream
Too often change management is treated as a box on a plan – a workstream, a comms plan, a few training sessions – and then everyone wonders why nothing sticks. It is not that. It is about winning hearts and minds, and that work does not fit neatly into a Gantt chart.
Lesson: If change management is a line item rather than a way of working, it is not really happening.
5. Capability and capacity
Organisations often misunderstand the difference between having enough people and having the right people. That is where we come in at Change Specialists – we supply expert capability, but our clients remain in the driving seat. We bring skill because sustainable change must be owned internally.
Lesson: Be honest about what you can do versus what you should outsource.
6. Overcomplicated solutions fail
I have watched organisations try to solve everything in one go – every process, every system, every behaviour, all at once. Ambition is not the problem. Trying to land it simultaneously is. Sometimes the simple fix works best, and it works now rather than in eighteen months.
Lesson: Do not mistake complexity for rigour. Solve the thing in front of you first.
7. Clarity is kindness
Dyslexic or not, clear, human communication matters. Overcomplicating change alienates the very people we need to take with us. I have always believed in saying what I mean without using jargon, and being brave enough to tell the truth even when it is uncomfortable.
Lesson: Speak plainly. Say what matters. Be human first, professional second.
Looking back
Leading change has not got easier – but I have got better at it. Change is a muscle. And like any muscle, it strengthens with use, patience and occasional pain.
If you are leading through uncertainty, I would offer this: surround yourself with people who tell you what you need to hear, and remember that progress always starts with a conversation.
John Dean is CEO of Change Specialists, which supplies expert change and transformation capability to UK public and private sector organisations. Change Specialists holds places on the DOS7 and G-Cloud frameworks. Get in touch.
Further reading: CIPD: change management factsheet