---
title: "Paving the way for change: 4 tips for effective change leadership"
description: Business growth is about exploration, but it's often hard to get employees on board. Here's how to avoid the lone road with strong change leadership.
image: https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine-Paving%20the%20way%20for%20change-%204%20tips%20for%20effective%20change%20leadership-01.svg
---
[](https://www.turbinehq.com)
Tour
[Overview](https://www.turbinehq.com/turbine-overview) [Purchase orders](https://www.turbinehq.com/purchase-orders) [Time off requests](https://www.turbinehq.com/time-off-requests) [Expenses](https://www.turbinehq.com/expenses) [Employee database](https://www.turbinehq.com/employee-database)
[Integrations](https://www.turbinehq.com/integrations)
[Pricing](https://www.turbinehq.com/pricing)
[Blog](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog)
[Support](https://support.turbinehq.com/)
[Contact](https://www.turbinehq.com/contact)
[Sign in](https://cdn.turbinehq.com/users/sign_in)
[30 days for free](https://cdn.turbinehq.com/companies/new?plan=21)
[Efficiency](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/efficiency) [Employees](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/employees) [Entrepreneurship](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/entrepreneurship)
# Paving the way for change: 4 tips for effective change leadership
[By Callum Sharp ](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/author/callum-sharp)
Published 27-Dec-2018 08:50:00 Updated September 24 2024
Change is a good opportunity for the ambitious entrepreneur. Yet new directions often fall short due to employee resistance and lack of engagement.
According to John Kotter, the problem stems from an [over-reliance on change management,](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2011/07/12/change-management-vs-change-leadership-whats-the-difference/#d6a63734cc6b) and a lack of **proactive change leadership***.* He explains that while management is about control and maintenance, change leadership is about empowering people and 'putting an engine on the whole change process'.
This week, we've pulled together our top tips for effective change leadership:
## 1. Always give a heads up
It sounds obvious, but most of us fail to communicate properly. This is particularly common with small 'no brainer' changes, like adopting more efficient paperwork systems. If something is going to affect people's day-to-day processes, it's your duty to tell them in advance.
This sort of thing will do you favours in gaining your employees' trust, which you'll need when you embark on bigger change-missions.
[](https://www.turbinehq.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLK0GXBBW8cCCpv%2BWl6giU3dbG6e07XuwFtZVIGa7Ya9ukTtIxSIck9qL9tl5AY%2BNNXSyrnFpzvAIOOnvMWlAf1k8lpLksxJHDB0%2Fa0%2FSLLqv0AggtQIDTuSKjtbwFWOkKKwtbI0jj4WDyVJHctrCUZnZT6VNXwqrMUyPf5KinnwrJEQ3M5YslujON3OpnLvBpDVyRw%3D&webInteractiveContentId=179198303298&portalId=2183131)
## 2. Lead change with your vision
All change is best communicated (and received) in the **context** **of your company vision**. Given that nobody knows more about your business than you do, you should align[ mind-frames](https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/06/30/change-management-requires-leadership-clarity-and-alignment/#3b57336a3e3c) by answering everyone's big questions:
- **Why are things changing?** As Simon Sinek says: great leaders [always start with why](https://simonsinek.com/). It's the secret to the kind of depth that engages and inspires people.
- **How are we going to get there?** Often the road to change is a long and bumpy one. Be upfront about this; your employees will appreciate the honesty. Then, lead the way by breaking it down into small, manageable projects.
- **What’s in it for me?** While there might be lots of benefits once you reach transformation, rewards and incentives along the way are important for boosting morale. Think about what your employees *really* want for their personal and professional development. You need to encourage people to grow with the company.
Make a point of **presenting** your vision properly. Scattered bits of information will only confuse people.
## 3. Overcome the comfort zone
Even with the big questions answered, **it's human nature to feel uncertain about change** because it forces us to step outside our comfort zone. Jason Clarke talks about this in his [TedX Talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPhM8lxibSU) on embracing change. He explains that while everyone wants change, **we make excuses to avoid the unknown**.He translates these excuses into what we actually mean:
- **It’s always been like this.** The problem is older than we think.
- **It’s the same everywhere.** The problem is wider than we think.
- **It’s tradition.** Actually, I don’t know why we do this.
As a change leader, your role is to **encourage** **open dialogue** around breaking the status quo to get people on your side.
## 4. Build trust
Once you overcome these fears, it’s important to **tackle** **cynicism**. The only way to do this is to build trust with your employees.People won’t be fully committed until you prove that you are. Commit to things like:
- Take responsibility for sharing information.
- Be part of informal discussion.
- Celebrate small wins together.
Effective change leadership is all about addressing the emotional aspects of change, and building an ongoing conversation around your project.
## On the same road home
Through taking these steps** before you set foot on the open road**, you’ll create a strong esprit de corps and a more collaborative culture all round. This way, when change is approaching (big or small, forced or strategic) everyone will be on board and rooting for success.
Be a good change leader, and everyone else will follow.
[](https://www.turbinehq.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLK0GXBBW8cCCpv%2BWl6giU3dbG6e07XuwFtZVIGa7Ya9ukTtIxSIck9qL9tl5AY%2BNNXSyrnFpzvAIOOnvMWlAf1k8lpLksxJHDB0%2Fa0%2FSLLqv0AggtQIDTuSKjtbwFWOkKKwtbI0jj4WDyVJHctrCUZnZT6VNXwqrMUyPf5KinnwrJEQ3M5YslujON3OpnLvBpDVyRw%3D&webInteractiveContentId=179198303298&portalId=2183131)
Share
[](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/change-leadership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/change-leadership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook)
## Related articles
[employee efficiency](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/employee-efficiency) [workplace tools](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/workplace-tools)
### [Simple operational changes you can make to boost business efficiency](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/simple-operational-changes-business-efficiency)
Business efficiency is something all organisations strive for, but very few manage to achieve it.
By Claire Poskitt
[Efficiency](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/efficiency) [Leadership](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/leadership) [Communication](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/communication)
### [3 common challenges in personnel development and how to overcome them](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/personnel-development-challenges)
Nurturing high-performing personnel development was cited as the top challenge for human resources (HR) professionals by two thirds of...
By Jess Lawrence
[expenses](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/topic/expenses)
### [How to reduce your expenses (and your carbon footprint) at the same time](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/reduce-expenses-and-carbon-footprint)
Last year, leading climate scientists delivered a dire warning to the world: We only have 12 years to limit climate catastrophe. If we...
By Paul Morton
[](https://www.turbinehq.com)
Follow us
Useful links
- [Blog](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog)
- [Support](https://support.turbinehq.com/)
- [Integrations](https://www.turbinehq.com/integrations)
- [Contact](https://www.turbinehq.com/contact)
Latest posts
- [Holiday Pay Records: What the New Law Means (And How to Get Compliant Fast)](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/holiday-pay-records-what-the-new-law-means-and-how-to-get-compliant-fast)
- [11 essential HR blogs](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/hr-blogs)
- [The best 18 companies who will (probably) hire remote workers in 2020](https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/18-companies-hiring-remote-workers-in-2020)
Copyright © Turbine, 2010 - 2026. All rights reserved.
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "Corporation",
"alternateName" : "TurbineHQ",
"contactPoint" : [ {
"@type" : "ContactPoint",
"areaServed" : [ "US", "GB", "CA", "150" ],
"availableLanguage" : "en",
"contactType" : "support",
"email" : "support@articulatemarketing.com",
"telephone" : "+442031417888"
} ],
"description" : "Online purchase orders, time off, expenses and HR records.",
"logo" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine_Logo_-_dark.png",
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/change-leadership",
"@type" : "WebPage",
"description" : "Business growth is about exploration, but it's often hard to get employees on board. Here's how to avoid the lone road with strong change leadership."
},
"name" : "Turbine",
"sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/TurbineHQcom-277247968993159/", "https://twitter.com/turbinehq", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbine-hq/", "https://www.turbinehq.com" ],
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com"
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Callum Sharp"
},
"dateModified" : "September 24, 2024, 8:28:14 AM",
"datePublished" : "2018-12-27 08:50:00",
"description" : "Business growth is about exploration, but it's often hard to get employees on board. Here's how to avoid the lone road with strong change leadership.",
"headline" : "Paving the way for change: 4 tips for effective change leadership",
"image" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine-Paving%20the%20way%20for%20change-%204%20tips%20for%20effective%20change%20leadership-01.svg"
},
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/blog/change-leadership",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.turbinehq.com/hubfs/Turbine_Logo_-_dark.png"
},
"name" : "Turbine"
}
}
```