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| Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash |
For the Command and General Staff College, we teach Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model. It’s simple, smart, and built for real humans—not mythical teams who “love change.”
Let’s break it down in plain English. Then I’ll show you how to guide your people through the chaos without losing their trust—or your mind.
Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model
1. Create a Sense of Urgency
People don’t move just because you said so. They move when they understand that staying still is no longer an option.
This isn’t about fearmongering—it’s about clarity. Show the stakes. Share the data. Paint the picture.
2. Build a Guiding Coalition
You need allies. Not yes-men. Not people who disappear the moment work appears.
Find those who carry influence, trust, and follow-through. They become your internal engine.
3. Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives
This is where you answer the golden question:
“Where are we going, and how will we know we’re getting there?”
Keep the vision simple. If it takes more than 30 seconds to explain, it’s homework, not a vision.
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| Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash |
If you’re sick of saying it, they’re finally starting to hear it.
No, seriously. People don’t absorb change the first time, especially when their routines are being disrupted.
5. Remove Obstacles
If your team keeps tripping over the same problems, the problem isn’t them.
Cut the red tape. Fix the systems. Give them the tools to actually succeed.
6. Generate Short-Term Wins
Nothing keeps momentum like a quick victory.
Find an early win and celebrate it like your favorite team finally beat their rival.
7. Sustain Acceleration
People revert to the old way the second you stop watching.
Keep improving. Keep adjusting. Keep pushing the vision until the new normal becomes… normal.
8. Anchor the Change in the Culture
When people say, “This is just how we do things now,” congratulations—you’ve won.
It’s no longer a change. It’s a habit.
So How Do You Lead Through Change Without Losing Your Team?
Here’s the part leaders usually mess up:
Change isn’t about the new system, structure, or strategy—it's about people.
Let’s hit the essentials.
Communicate early—even when you don’t have all the answers.
Leaders often wait until everything is “perfectly figured out” before they share information.
Spoiler: that day never comes.
Silence breeds rumors. Rumors breed fear. Fear breeds resistance.
Say what you know.
Say what you don’t know.
Say when they can expect an update.
People don’t need perfection. They need honesty.
Explain the “why” behind the change.
Nothing loses a team faster than forcing a change without telling them the reason.
Give them the purpose. Give them the story. Give them the big picture.
When people understand the “why,” the “how” becomes far less overwhelming.
Give people ownership in the transition.
If people feel like change is done to them, they’ll resist.
If people feel like change is done with them, they’ll engage.
Invite ideas.
Ask for feedback.
Let them help build the solution.
Ownership creates buy-in faster than any memo ever written.
Address uncertainty directly.
Change creates anxiety—always.
Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
Call it out. Let people ask questions. Tell them what’s changing and what’s not.
Your job is not to eliminate uncertainty—it’s to lead your team through it with confidence.
Keep the mission steady while the methods shift.
Change is easier when the mission stays the same.
You can change tools, schedules, workflows, or systems—as long as the purpose remains rock-solid.
When everything feels like it’s moving, anchor people to what will not change.
Final Thought
Change isn’t a storm you survive—it’s a season you lead through.
And when done well, it can strengthen trust, sharpen focus, and elevate your team to a new level they didn’t know they had in them.
So communicate. Explain the why. Share ownership. Embrace the uncertainty. Keep the mission steady.
JVD
Sources & Credits
Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model is based on the work of Dr. John P. Kotter, first published in Leading Change (Harvard Business School Press, 1996).
This post was drafted with the assistance of AI (ChatGPT) and edited by Mr. VanDusen.
