When Leading Change Leads to Learning

When Leading Change Leads to Learning

If my life right now were a movie, the title would be Transition City.  Here’s why:
• I turned 55 this year
• My son is graduating from Grade 12 next year and starting university (I hope)
• I’m engaged to be married for a second time (yay)
• I lost my mom to dementia last year (we were very close)
• I lost one of my dearest friends just a month after I lost my mom
• My body is going through some major changes (go ahead—ask AI about menopause symptoms)
• I’m a fairly new Partner in the business that is Kwela

Some of these changes have been deeply painful. Others are joyful and energizing. And some – like turning 55 or navigating menopause – are simply part of being alive and evolving. We often say that change is constant, but lately I feel like I’m not just acknowledging that truth – I’m actively living it.

One of the gifts of my work is that I get to facilitate leadership development workshops with many different groups of people. I never take for granted that I am always learning right alongside the participants. Recently, I facilitated a Leading Change workshop for an organization experiencing significant disruption – not just the usual organizational change, but a fundamental shift in their identify and functioning.

Alongside changes in strategy and operations, employees were also facing layoffs. There was a level of uncertainty, concern, and fatigue in the room -but also resilience, honesty, and a real desire to support one another. During the session, I asked participants to examine two real changes they had experienced together: one that felt like a good experience and one that did not. As they talked in small groups, I could sense how engaged they were with each other.

About halfway through the allotted time, one of the leaders looked at me and said, “I think we need more time to talk.” And she gave that look – the one that said, ‘This matters’. I adjusted the agenda and gave them the space they were asking for. In the feedback afterward, one theme stood out clearly: participants deeply appreciated the opportunity to connect, to share experiences, and to learn from one another.

Upon reflection, I think they also appreciated being seen – as humans navigating change – and having the chance to see others swimming in the same ocean. The change itself hadn’t disappeared, but the conversation seemed to lift some of the weight that was in the room. This wasn’t the first time I had witnessed that. Years earlier, as an independent consultant, I worked with a large U.S. organization that had been acquired by an even larger company. The transition was expected to take more than a year, and uncertainty was unavoidable. Our team’s question was simple but not easy: how do we support people through a long, ambiguous transition? We offered a wide range of workshops, which more than 14,000 employees and leaders attended worldwide, with an average feedback rating of 4.9 out of 5. Looking back, I believe the success wasn’t just about strong content or good design – it was about creating opportunities for connection, learning, and shared meaning.

Again and again, I’ve seen that when people are navigating change – whether it’s positively or negatively-perceived – having the space to reflect, connect, and learn makes the experience not only more manageable, but sometimes even meaningful. So as I move through my own personal transitions, I’m paying closer attention to what actually helps people – including myself – navigate change more effectively.

First, people need time and space. Not every agenda needs to be optimized, and not every emotion needs to be resolved quickly. Sometimes the most powerful leadership move is simply slowing down and actively listening.

Second, connection matters more than certainty. I’ve seen again that when people feel connected – to each other and to a shared experience – they can tolerate far more ambiguity than we often assume.

Third, making others feel seen, especially during change, is not a “soft” skill; it’s a leadership skill. When people feel acknowledged as humans, their capacity to engage, learn, and contribute expands.

And finally, leaders don’t have to remove the difficulty to be effective. We can’t always fix the change, but we can shape how people experience it – by creating spaces for honesty, learning, and shared meaning.

I’m still very much in Transition City myself. But this period is reinforcing what I’ve learned over years of practice: when leaders lead with humanity, change becomes not just survivable, but potentially transformative in a positive way.

Laura Villacrusis, Partner
laurav@kwelaleadership.com