Change: Where Leadership is Forged

Change and leadership are often treated as separate domains. One is framed as disruption to be managed; the other as a role to be performed.

But leadership has never existed apart from change.

As the Center for Creative Leadership reminds us, leadership is a social process that enables people to achieve outcomes together that they could never reach alone [1]. This kind of work becomes necessary precisely when certainty is unavailable.

My own definition builds on this:
Leadership is a mindset and skillset that shapes how we make decisions everyday, how we relate to others under pressure, and ultimately what we leave behind through those choices.

And pressure shows up most clearly during change.

Why some leaders are remembered

Leadership is the reason some people stay with us long after the role is over - while others quietly fade into the background.

In leadership, awe [2] emerges when someone holds complexity without collapsing into fear, ego, or convenience. When they continue to take care of others even while navigating uncertainty themselves.

Most of us want to work for leaders like that - and many aspire to become that leader.

And yet, when change brings discomfort, our instinct is often to escape it as quickly as possible. In doing so, we miss the very moments that shape - and reveal - our own leadership.

How leadership is pressure-tested during change

Even the most well-meaning leaders default to what feels safest under pressure. That response is deeply human, and most people understand it.

1. Change forces us to choose with incomplete information
   Change rarely presents us with clear right or wrong options. More often, people are choosing between imperfect paths, partial information, and competing values. And it doesn't quite matter whether change brings better or worse outcomes - they all happen at a cost.
   
   

2. Leadership is an inside job
   Change exposes the inner terrain of leadership. Under pressure, our unexamined fears, attachments, and assumptions surface quickly. The urge to rush, control, or reassure prematurely often comes from our own discomfort with uncertainty.
   
   

3. Change exposes the quality of leadership
   Change doesn’t just test technical competence; it reveals how leadership is experienced especially in small moments - how decisions are held, how people are treated, and how uncertainty is carried. If change happens at an individual level, it exposes how we make decisions, how we treat ourselves and how we carry uncertainty in our lives.
   

How leaders may choose their response

What distinguishes leadership is the ability to notice that pull - and choose how to respond, rather than react.

“Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor E. Frankl

Leadership is built in that space. Especially during change.

1. Self-awareness in real time [I notice my reactions before it takes over]
   Under pressure, leaders feel the same pull as everyone else - to rush, control, or seek relief from uncertainty. Leadership begins when a leader notices that reaction as it happens, and intentionally chooses not to act from it immediately. That moment of awareness prevents anxiety from cascading through the system.
   
   

2. Holding what remains constant [I can name what still matters]
   When change threatens to disrupt routine, structure and plans, leaders create stability for themselves and their teams by naming what still holds. Values, principles, purpose, and intent can become powerful anchors when information is incomplete and trade-offs are unavoidable. People can live in uncertainty if they are able to orient themselves amidst change.
   
   

3. Presence through uncertainty [I can show up without having all the answers]
   Presence is more important than polish during change. People don't need leaders who are endlessly confident. In fact, a little vulnerability can go a long way in building trust and authenticity. Leaders who remain genuinely engaged - listening, acknowledging what's difficult, and showing real care - can inspire the same kind of presence in the organisation.
   
   

4. Capacity to adjust [I can adjust and learn without destabilizing others]
   When change happens, there is no need to get everything right the first time. It requires the space to course-correct without collapse. Leaders who allow themselves to acknowledge missteps, adapt thoughtfully, learn, and keep moving forward also makes it safer for others to do the same.
   
   

When leadership becomes intuitive

The leaders we admire most don’t pause in the middle of change to ask themselves what to do next. Their responses appear calm, grounded, and proportionate - not because they are naturally gifted, but because their inner work is already in motion.

Ongoing reflection changes how leaders meet pressure. When people regularly examine their experiences - what triggered them, what assumptions were at play, and how they chose to respond - insight starts to show up during the moment, not only after it.

This is how leadership becomes intuitive - not reactive or rehearsed.
Integrated.

Coaching supports this process by creating deliberate space for reflection and sense-making while experiences are still fresh. Over time, learning settles into instinct. Leaders become more able to respond without panic, carry uncertainty without passing it on, and choose their actions with greater intention.

Change will always be unpredictable.
But leadership becomes steadier - and more human - when reflection is ongoing and learning is allowed to integrate.

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References:

1. McCauley, C. (2025, March 15). What Is Leadership? Center for Creative Leadership. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/what-is-leadership-a-definition/

2. Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the Heart: Mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience. Random House.