Mastering change leadership in an era of constant transformation – – Mediashotz

How do you ensure leadership success against constantly shifting goalposts?
It’s no easy task, as the new generation of team leaders is discovering, as they find their skills being stretched on an almost daily basis.
But Laura Thomson-Staveley founder and leadership coach at Phenomenal Training and co-host of Secrets from A Coach podcast, believes there are ways to master change from a leadership point of view without scoring an own goal, however often the posts are moved…
Change has become the only constant in today’s workplace. Businesses across a variety of sectors are facing unprecedented challenges: economic pressures, redundancies and uncertainty that requires a fundamental shift in leadership approach.
As someone who has guided countless leaders through transformational change, I’ve observed that we’re dealing with a whole generation of team leaders having to stretch their skills.
They need to maintain composure and confidence while setting a vision for teams in an uncertain future.
Everyone is waiting for the leader to set direction. Success depends on developing a mindset within leaders and teams that accepts change as ongoing and views it as an opportunity rather than a threat.
From change management to change leadership
The most crucial shift I advocate for is moving from change management to change leadership. Change management is process-focused, dealing with logistics, timing and measurement of change.
While these elements are important, they must be balanced with change leadership, which takes a people-focused approach.
This means understanding everyone’s reactions and considering the human emotional impacts of change alongside the process aspects.
In my experience, creating safe spaces for leaders to share their challenges and learn together in a cohort environment is one of the quickest ways to fast-track this learning.
When leaders can share best case and worst case examples, it’s not only useful from a content and technique perspective, but it also creates camaraderie. They see that others are navigating the same challenges.
This realisation can significantly boost confidence and morale within leadership and management teams. The number one phrase I have heard in 2025 is ‘I’m glad it’s not just me’ – to then shift from self-doubt into action-mode.
The power of perspective
Almost everything a leader does in this decade involves implementing change which always requires careful communication.
One of the most valuable techniques I’ve seen is when leaders communicate change to their teams while also highlighting what’s staying the same, not just what’s changing.
This approach enables a calmer, more rational perspective, particularly valuable when dealing with fatigued teams who are tired or disengaged from relentless, ongoing change.
For teams that have experienced layoffs and redundancies, where workload has increased, maintaining team morale becomes even more critical.
This is where what I call ‘the TNTs’ – or tiny, noticeable things – becomes invaluable.
These are small actions a leader can take to acknowledge that a person’s effort has been seen and appreciated.
Creating motivational moments
I often guide leaders through the DOSE mindset – dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins – helping them understand how to create team meetings that create a feelgood buzz rather than stress or dread.
Whether it’s a Monday Teams call or a Friday checkout call, the goal is ensuring team members feel supported rather than isolated in handling challenges.
One crucial mindset shift involves maintaining an adult perspective rather than a parent-child perspective. No manager can make their team member feel happy, confident and accepting of change; that’s a choice each person must make.
You cannot force someone to engage with change, but you can create an environment that lends itself to motivation.
This understanding gives managers an appropriate level of responsibility and prevents the burnout that comes from taking on others’ emotional responses.
I’ve been working with a large social housing provider where there had been growing distrust of senior leadership due to decisions made during the pandemic. Initially, there was significant anti-organisation sentiment and feelings of being let down by transformational change leadership.
The breakthrough came when senior leaders showed they cared. This was achieved by having a leadership representative start every workshop and participate in virtual sessions, creating airtime for real conversations.
What made this particularly successful was using tools like Insights Discovery™ to create safe, positive ways to examine individual differences and work styles.
By strategically choosing cohort participants from different organisational areas, we created commercial benefits through more collaborative relationships between teams.
Reconnecting with purpose
There is something powerful about rekindling team motivation: reconnecting with what attracted people to their industry in the first place.
When managers become further removed from the frontline work that initially inspired them, teams can lose their spark.
I’ve seen remarkable results when fashion teams visit museums, gaming teams have dedicated hackathons, or care teams focus on looking after each other.
It’s like having a date night with your industry again, reminding yourself why you chose this path and reigniting that original passion that can sustain you through any change.
Recommendations for leaders operating in changing environments
Honour your one-to-ones
No matter how busy your diary becomes, never cancel these meetings. That gesture of cancelling can have serious ramifications. Like any relationship, when things get tricky, you need to get closer, not create distance.
Create opportunities for team connection
Build in time off the pitch to focus on how to be on the pitch. Teams need space to connect as humans, not just as task-focused units.
Seek clarity at every opportunity
Use the GRPI tool – Goals, Responsibilities, Processes and Interpersonal interactions.
This framework, developed by Richard Beckhard, is brilliant for taking teams that feel messy and stress-y, and can help them feel calm and clear about their purpose and operations.
Effective change leadership requires getting closer teams during difficult times, not pulling away.
By combining the human focus of change leadership with the practical elements of change management and reconnecting with what drew everyone to the work in the first place, managers can not only survive constant change but help their teams find energy and motivation within it.
The question isn’t whether change will continue – it’s whether you’ll lead through it with intention and care.

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