Leaders don’t win change with roadmaps. They win it by listening, involving, and empowering the people impacted.

Business transformation has become a constant in organisations. Executives and entrepreneurs are expected to pivot in response to technology shifts, market shocks, and ever-changing customer demands. But while strategies and roadmaps get much of the attention, what truly determines transformational success or failure is something much less tangible: the human experience of change.

According to CIPD’s 2024 Resourcing and Talent Planning report, 56% of organisations are facing rising retention challenges. Behind that statistic are people. Individuals who don’t feel heard, connected, or supported during times of change.

So how can leaders successfully drive transformations in ways that put people in the centre? Here are four lessons I’ve learned - sometimes the hard way - from years of guiding and facilitating people through change in their workplace.

See change through the eyes of those impacted
If we want transformation to last, we must start not with process, but with empathy. Traditional change management literature highlights the importance of stakeholder management and engagement, but too often it becomes a tick-box exercise with endless workshops, newsletters, and town halls. In my experience, true empathy requires more.

The first step is to identify who gets impacted by the transformation, and to consider consequences, fears, and frustrations from their point of view. Better yet, create safe spaces for people to express their worries, questions, and even cynicism to validate your hypotheses. Listen without defensiveness. Often, your most valuable insights will come from the people closest to the work, who can see the challenges that will be missed by the management group or consultancy rolling out the transformation program.

Does this sound like activities that are way too time-consuming and will slow down your transformation? Trust me, you will invest the time in your transformation either way. It’s up to you if you want to invest it up front in truly engaging your people, or if you want to spend it on firefighting when your planned changes take effect and your people push back.

Build structure but keep it flexible
By viewing transformation through this lens, leaders can anticipate resistance from different groups (not as stubbornness, but as a natural human response to uncertainty) and plan accordingly. But be careful with long-term, timeline-driven plans: they tend to create the illusion that change is linear.

Instead, break down your transformation into smaller cycles and incorporate feedback loops e.g. through surveys, retrospectives, and focus groups. This way, you give your people a voice and allow leaders to adjust course in real time.

Prioritise clarity over certainty - and normalise the messiness
Your people are going to want to know why the transformation is happening, and what it will mean for them. Leaders often feel pressured to have all the answers, but in reality, transformation rarely follows a straight line. Often, the best we can do is to share a direction, be transparent about what we don’t yet know, and involve our people in shaping the path forward. Treat them as partners, not passive target groups.

It will not be tidy. It never is. People resist, priorities clash, and missteps happen. The most effective leaders don’t hide the mess. They make it visible, frame it as learning, and keep momentum by showing that setbacks are part of progress.

Continuously show that you care
Demonstrate your empathy in small, practical ways throughout your transformation.

Take the time to check in regularly with individuals, don’t just send automated updates. Acknowledge the emotional toll of uncertainty - or ask your line managers to do so directly with their people. Celebrate small wins, but also your failures along the way.

It’s not only about being compassionate. It’s also strategic. When people feel heard, they are more willing to engage and more likely to contribute ideas that make the transformation succeed.

Transformation is a human journey
For executives and entrepreneurs, the takeaway is clear: when leaders listen and involve people meaningfully and plan change through the lens of those affected, they earn commitment. And that commitment is what turns change from a plan on paper into a reality that lasts.

The competitive edge is not the ability to design flawless strategies and roadmaps, but the ability to cultivate workplaces where people are willing, and eager, to adapt.

Anne Katrine Carlsson Sejr (AK) is the co-author of the new book, Maneuvering Monday