The Biggest Mistake Leaders Make During Change
Every leader wants change to succeed.
Whether implementing a new technology, restructuring a department, introducing a strategic initiative, or responding to changing market conditions, leaders invest significant time planning the work ahead. They establish timelines, define milestones, allocate resources, and communicate expectations. Yet despite thoughtful planning and capable leadership, many change initiatives still struggle to achieve their intended outcomes.
Why?
Because leaders often focus on managing the change itself while unintentionally overlooking how employees experience the change.
This is one of the most common and costly mistakes organizations make.
Leaders spend months discussing a change before it is announced. They understand the reasons behind the decision, the business challenges it addresses, and the benefits they expect to achieve. By the time employees first hear about the initiative, leadership has already become comfortable with the idea.
Employees, however, are hearing about it for the first time.
That gap in understanding changes everything.
The Knowledge Gap
One of the greatest challenges during organizational change is what psychologists often refer to as the "curse of knowledge." Once we understand something, it becomes difficult to remember what it felt like not to know it.
Leaders unknowingly fall into this trap.
Because they have spent weeks or months discussing a new initiative, they assume employees will quickly understand both the need for the change and its urgency. As a result, communication often begins with what is changing rather than why the change matters.
Employees are left trying to answer questions leadership has long since resolved.
Why now?
Why this solution?
How will this affect me?
What happens if this doesn't work?
Until those questions are answered, uncertainty naturally fills the gaps.
Change Is Experienced Emotionally Before It Is Understood Logically
One of the biggest misconceptions about organizational change is that people resist because they dislike change itself.
In reality, most employees successfully navigate change throughout their personal and professional lives. What creates hesitation is not change. It is uncertainty.
When employees are unsure how change will affect their role, their team, or their future, they naturally begin looking for information that helps reduce that uncertainty. If leaders do not provide enough context, employees create their own narratives based on incomplete information.
Rumors spread.
Assumptions replace facts.
Confidence declines.
The challenge is rarely a lack of communication. It is a lack of shared understanding.
Great Change Leaders Close the Gap
Organizations that navigate change successfully recognize that communication is only one part of effective leadership.
They intentionally close the knowledge gap.
Rather than assuming employees see the situation through the same lens as leadership, they explain the business context, acknowledge concerns, and create opportunities for dialogue.
They understand that employees are not simply evaluating the change itself. They are evaluating whether they trust the people leading the change.
That trust is built through transparency, consistency, and empathy.
Leaders who acknowledge uncertainty often create more confidence than leaders who attempt to project certainty they cannot genuinely provide.
Leadership During Change Is About Perspective
Perhaps the most important role of a leader during change is helping employees make sense of what is happening.
People perform at their best when they understand where the organization is going, why the change matters, and how they contribute to its success.
When leaders focus solely on implementation, they risk overlooking the employee experience.
When they intentionally lead both the operational and human sides of change, they create the conditions for lasting adoption.
LaMarsh Perspective
Successful change is rarely determined by the quality of the project plan alone. It is determined by how effectively leaders help people understand, navigate, and ultimately embrace the journey. Organizations often invest heavily in managing the technical aspects of change while underestimating the leadership required to guide people through it. Sustainable results come when leaders intentionally manage both.
Leadership Reflection
As you think about the changes currently underway in your organization, consider these questions:
What information does leadership have that employees do not?
Have you explained why the change is happening, or only what is changing?
Where might uncertainty be creating unnecessary resistance?
If you were hearing about this change for the very first time today, what questions would you ask?