You Don't Have to Be "Good at Change" to Lead Through It
Last week, I facilitated a day-long training on change leadership, and I watched something powerful unfold. As we moved through the day, I could see the relief on people's faces when they realized they could lead change even if it makes them uncomfortable. They didn't need to become different people or adopt traits that felt unnatural to them. They just needed to lean into their own strengths. Funny enough, change is in fact predictable – it's going to happen all of the time. Right now, organizations are navigating uncertainty, restructuring programs, and adapting to new realities. And too many capable leaders are fretting because they don't think they're "good at change." Here's what I want you to know: Anyone can lead people through change by leaning into their strengths.
Change Management vs. Change Leadership
Change management is a process to follow - it's the systems, timelines, communication plans, and structural elements of implementing change. It's important work, but it's not where most leaders get stuck. Change leadership is about the people - it's helping them move through anticipated or unanticipated change. It's about influence, trust, communication, and supporting people through the emotional reality of what's shifting. This is where leaders hesitate, especially if they think they need certain personality traits or a particular leadership style to be effective.
But here's what became clear during that training: The leaders who successfully guide people through change don't all look the same. They don't all lead the same way. What they have in common is that they've identified their strengths and figured out how to use those strengths to lead through change. Brené Brown reminds us, "We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both. Not at the same time." Leading through change requires courage - the courage to step into uncertainty, to make decisions without perfect information, to support people through difficult transitions. But courage doesn't mean you're comfortable. It doesn't mean change feels natural to you. It means you're willing to lead anyway.
Finding Your Change Leadership Strength
What holds people back from seeing themselves as change leaders? In my experience, it's usually one of two things: either they're opposed to the change itself and struggling to lead something they don't fully support, or they don't have confidence that they can do it.
If you're opposed to the change, your role as a leader is to separate your personal feelings from your responsibility to support your team. You can disagree with a decision and still help people navigate it. In fact, your honesty about the difficulty of the change - while maintaining your commitment to leading through it - can build tremendous trust. If you lack confidence, it's the moment to identify your change leadership superpower. You already have strengths as a leader. The question is: how do you apply those strengths to leading change?
Are you data-driven? Lead change through evidence and clarity. Show people the metrics, the benchmarks, the proof points of why this change matters or what success looks like. When a program needs restructuring, you're the leader who can present the data that helps people understand the rationale and see the path forward.
Are you relationship-focused? Lead change through connection. Have one-on-one conversations. Build buy-in through understanding what people need. When your team faces uncertainty, you're the leader who can help individuals process their concerns and feel heard through the transition.
Are you visionary? Lead change by painting a picture of where it leads. Help people see beyond the difficulty of today to the possibility of tomorrow. When everything feels chaotic, you're the leader who can provide the North Star that keeps people oriented and motivated.
None of these approaches is better than the others. They're just different. And chances are, one of them feels most natural to you. Once you know your superpower, use it deliberately when leading through change. If you're relationship-focused, don't try to become a data analyst overnight—instead, focus on having meaningful conversations with your team about what the data means to them. If you're data-driven, don't force yourself to be overly emotional in your approach - instead, provide the clarity and evidence people need to understand the change. Leading through your strengths doesn't mean ignoring other approaches. It means starting from a place of confidence and competence, then adapting as needed.
Moving Forward
Change leadership isn't about having a particular personality type or being "naturally good at change." It's about having the courage to lead through uncertainty by leveraging your unique strengths. You don't need to transform into someone else to be an effective change leader. You need to understand your strengths, intentionally activate them, and surround yourself with people who complement your approach.
There is no one way to lead change. There's only your way, grounded in your strengths and committed to supporting the people who are navigating it with you.