All change is people change.
Dan Pink talks about how we experience time in three phases: beginnings, middles and ends. If that’s true, then this 2026 beginnings energy gives us a chance to bring some fresh thinking to the stubborn old ways we approach change.
Beginnings create openness, a sense of possibility and a willingness to do things differently.
Middles are where effort goes up, energy goes down, and progress feels that little bit harder.
Ends create urgency and give us the nudge we need to focus on getting things done.
Bringing a fresh energy for change.
Energy comes from people choosing to opt in, to care, and to do things differently. It doesn’t come from plans, programmes or PowerPoint packs.
It’s easy to think about change in terms of the things that are changing.
The strategy, structures, systems and processes. The things that sit neatly in decks, plans and spreadsheets.
We need to look beyond those things because no matter how clear the strategy is, how logical the structure looks, how well the system performs or how efficient the process appears, none of it works unless people actively choose to behave differently.
Looking at change through this lens makes the real work visible—the everyday shifts in behaviour that actually make change real:
This is why all change is people change and why success depends on people choosing to act differently, every day, in real conditions.
We all know it’s impossible to deal with one neat change at a time, and this year promises more layers of messy change stacked on top of what’s already come before.
A new structure on top of the last new structure. New expectations alongside old measures of success. New ways of working without time to let go of previous ones.
Energy will be stretched, confidence will be challenged, and trust will be tested. Yet the default response is still to treat change as a technical exercise.
People are expected to adjust.
That adjustment is the change.
And if we want it to work, it needs to be approached with the same care and diligence as the strategy, structure, system or process itself.
Feel familiar?
If you’ve led or lived through a transformation, you might recognise the typical warning lights:
The strategy is sound in theory, but daily decisions don’t shift
The structure is clear on paper, but ways of working stay the same
People say the right things, but continue to act as they always have
These are symptoms of change that hasn’t been designed with people as the active agents.
They appear when people lack clarity on:
Where the change is heading and what role they play in it
How they’ll be supported and equipped to deliver it
What they need to stop doing to create space for something different
What all of this means in the reality of their day-to-day work
Designing for the people that power change
Every business change asks people to do something different.
Restructures are people change. Growth plans are people change. Cost programmes are people change.
Not in a tokenistic people “matter” way. People really do decide whether any of those changes become real.
You are asking people to:
Make different decisions
Think and work differently
Unlearn familiar habits
Let go of routines and familiarity
Take new risks
Learn new skills
Work across boundaries that once felt fixed
Bring energy and confidence to uncertainty
Still not convinced? Here are three reasons change only moves when people do.
People are the only source of energy behind change.
Without people, there is no change.
If people resist, it’s your problem, not theirs.
Leading people-powered change.
Seeing change through a people-powered lens changes how you lead it.
Stop asking: “How do we land this change?”
Start asking: “What are we asking people to actively do differently?”
That shift leads to different choices:
Involving leaders early, not just as sponsors but as visible role models.
Designing change around real work, not theoretical or abstract scenarios.
Creating space for sense-making and processing all the emotions.
Treating energy as something to actively generate and protect, not once and done.
Don’t mistake this for ‘soft work’. This is the hard work. It requires effort, but it’s what makes business change work and stick.
A practical place to start.
If you want change to be powered by people, start with three practical steps:
Name the behavioural shifts.
What do people need to do differently, day to day, for this change to work? Aim for practical and tangible descriptions of what will be different for people, in real terms.
Be explicit about trade-offs.
What needs to stop, pause or be deprioritised to make space for this?
Check where energy is being spent.
Where is this change asking for extra effort, and how are you creating mental and physical capacity to make it happen?
All change is people change. People decide whether change sticks or slips. If you want people to power change, design for them from the start.