Change is often managed as a process: we create roadmaps, choose models, and steer project plans. Building awareness is straightforward; numbers and strategies explain why we must shift direction.
Then we hit the wall. How can you, as a leader, prevent change from stalling?
Organisations assume that once the facts are presented, people will follow, and change will happen. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
The transition from Awareness to Desire in the ADKAR change management model is the most challenging step and is often overlooked. And there lies one of the greatest pitfalls in leading change.
Why? Because emotions can feel "soft" rather than business-critical. And in our experience, most leaders aren't comfortable dealing with emotions at work.
When change begins, we focus on the new: what to learn, how to implement. But real change doesn't start until people can let go of the old.
Letting go means confronting identity:
If these questions are not addressed, the change becomes superficial. People know what they should do, but they often lack a sense of ownership over it. Fears, uncertainty, and inner “saboteurs” – negative belief systems described, for instance, in Positive Intelligence – block progress even when training and tools are provided.
For change to succeed, we must make room for both letting go and building the new. Leaders play a crucial role, but what should they actually do to drive the change?
Organisations don’t change – people do. And for change to be lasting, we must lead two things at once: letting go and strengthening the new.
When identity is at stake, change feels personal. Only when people find new meaning, a story they can relate to, does genuine desire emerge. That is the kind of transformation where a new shared purpose is born.
At the heart of future leadership lies the ability to guide identity – helping people and organisations grow into who they need to become, without losing their passion or sense of purpose.
Next time your organisation embarks on change, pause for a moment. Don’t just ask what new things you want to build. Also, ask what time it is to let go of. Only then will change take root and truly last.
Many of the core methods and tools in design, such as design games, employee journeys, emotion cards, and storytelling, are also highly effective for working with identity: letting go of the old and envisioning an appealing new future.
Hellon is an internationally awarded pioneer in developing and applying these methods. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.positiveintelligence.com/ and https://www.prosci.com/methodology/adkar
Authors:
Kirsikka Vaajakallio is a Principal Transformation Designer & OKR Coach at Hellon who believes that real change happens when people, not just processes, are at the centre. With over 20 years of guiding CX and employee experience transformations, she specialises in humanising strategy execution, combining design methods with strategic implementation to create lasting change.
Emilia Gustafsson is Hellon’s Chief Strategy Officer with vast experience in driving technology-enabled business renewal across industries. At Hellon, she’s driving the firm’s reinvention of consulting, shaping a model that ignites the full potential of human-AI collaboration for lasting impact at scale.