How leadership behaviours shape energy, trust, and resilience during times of change.
In strategy, alignment is only half the equation. The other half? Sustaining energy and commitment in the face of change.
And by alignment, we don’t just mean agreement at the top. We mean a shared commitment across all levels – a unified understanding of direction, priorities, and purpose. Without it, even the clearest strategies struggle to succeed.
As we explored in our recent article Leadership That Moves Strategy, strategy execution fails not because the ideas aren’t strong – but because the shift required to deliver them isn’t always supported. Strategic clarity may start at the top, bringing it to life means engaging people at every level. That’s where change meets resistance. And where leadership becomes personal.
People don’t resist change. They resist uncertainty.
Driving meaningful impact begins with clarity. That means not only having a shWhen a new direction is set – whether driven by growth, technology, or transformation – leaders often assume logic will carry it forward. But people don’t move because of logic. They move because they believe the change is real, they feel part of it, and they trust those leading it.
In 2024, global employee engagement dropped to 21%, according to Gallup—the second decline in twelve years. Managers experienced the sharpest drop, which is particularly concerning, as 70% of team engagement is driven by the manager. This disengagement cost the global economy an estimated $438 billion in lost productivity. When engagement drops, resistance to change increases, and the cost to organisations is profound. (Gallup, 2024).
And yet, in our work with leaders across industries, we still see change efforts stall for the same reasons: unclear messaging, unmet emotional needs, and a lack of consistent behaviour at the top. This leads to a disengaged workforce, confused priorities, and a loss of momentum that undermines even the strongest strategies.
We see this pattern in work we’ve done with international development and humanitarian organisations, many of which are navigating complex restructuring processes. We’ve been called on to support leadership teams in precisely these moments – helping them bridge emotional and strategic gaps, re-engage their people, and lead change constructively.
Emotional intelligence isn’t soft. It’s strategic.
During change, what people need most is rarely more information. It’s connection, empathy, and trust.
Empathy isn’t about being nice – it’s about understanding what’s at stake for others. That requires emotional intelligence: the ability to recognise your own responses and tune into what others are experiencing. Leaders who can name uncertainty, acknowledge discomfort, and remain present through resistance are far more likely to retain motivation and trust.
This is more than theory: Harvard Business Publishing’s 2024 Global Leadership Development Study found that 70% of HR and leadership professionals across 15 countries believe it’s important or very important for leaders to master a broader range of behaviours to meet today’s business needs. Their conclusion? Leaders must become more adaptable and emotionally attuned to break the cycle of resistance and stress.
The insight is something we see consistently across our client partnerships: leaders who lead from emotional intelligence, not just strategically, are the ones who drive sustainable change and results. One of the largest humanitarian agencies, for example, asked us to design a series of workshops for their senior country-level leaders. We focused on building strategic leadership capabilities through the lens of brain science, communication, and change. These programmes weren’t abstract – they were grounded in practical tools that leaders could use immediately to support the behavioural change needed in their teams.
Change communication is a leadership discipline
Execution speed matters. But speed without alignment can be costly. Organisations that Traditional change management often relies on a ‘cascade’: a series of top-down messages. But real communication should be a conversation, not a broadcast.
That means leaders must do more than pass on messages. They must interpret them in context. What does this strategy mean for my team? How do I translate it into action? What concerns might surface, and how do I create space to listen?
In our client work, we often equip leaders with structured frameworks and guidelines to do exactly this. These frameworks help make sense of the change process. Not just intellectually, but also emotionally. We embed practical techniques leaders can use to uncover concerns, surface resistance, and guide and engage people through change with empathy and intent.
Motivating people through change isn’t about charisma. It’s about consistency. Showing up with clarity and empathy. Creating a sense of shared direction, even when the destination might still shift.
Motivation begins with meaning
Change consumes energy. It challenges identity. And without meaning or direction, it can feel like loss.
One of the most effective ways leaders can motivate during transformation is by reconnecting people to purpose – not just organisational goals, but individual contribution. Why does this matter now? And why does your work matter in making it happen?
When people understand the why behind the what, and see their role in delivering it, resistance begins to soften. Energy returns. And with it, a sense of shared ownership.
Listen to resistance
We help executive teams move from intent to execution – faster, together, and with greater iMany leaders view resistance as a problem to be solved. But often, it’s a signal: of fear, of fatigue, or of a deeper misalignment that needs to be surfaced.
Strong leaders create safe spaces for honest dialogue. They welcome being challenged and invite feedback. Because real engagement isn’t about being compliant, it’s about being committed. And that starts with being heard.
We often say that change isn’t just about systems or structures. It’s about people. And people shift through change, including the leaders tasked with managing it. Which also offers them an opportunity: to grow their leadership skills, broaden their worldview and to learn navigate discomfort.
This is where we come in. Many of the leaders we support describe their experience with us as a crash course in growth. Through our work together, they learn how to sit with discomfort, embrace resistance, and create space for all voices – including those that otherwise might go unheard. In doing so, change stops just being something to manage. It becomes a catalyst for deepening leadership maturity.
Trust is the foundation of speed
In times of change, execution speed becomes even more critical. But speed without trust leads to confusion, rework, and shallow engagement.
When trust is high, people move faster – not because they’re forced to, but because they feel safe to act, to take initiative, and to improve what’s not working.
McKinsey’s 2023 State of Organizations report found that only half of business leaders feel their organisations are prepared to anticipate and react to disruption, and two-thirds see their organisations as overly complex and inefficient, undermining transformation efforts. Trust and clarity are essential for navigating disruption and maintaining competitive advantage.
Trust is built through everyday actions: following through on promises, showing vulnerability, and maintaining clarity in ambiguity. And it’s destroyed just as easily.
Communication is key here, at all levels. People’s need for certainty doesn’t disappear just because decisions are being made at the top. In the organisations we support, we often see a clear and shared understanding of the change developed at leadership levels but not cascaded down to the broader organisation. Even when decisions sit with senior teams, failing to translate that to other levels undermines trust, fuels resistance, and stalls progress.
Consistency matters, in both words and actions. From strategy to culture
Strategic transformation isn’t a project – it’s a shift in how the organisation thinks, behaves, and decides. And that means culture.
Culture change doesn’t start with a new set of values. It starts with how leaders show up. Every conversation. Every decision. Every moment of discomfort. That’s where trust is built, motivation sustained, and strategy made real.
We help leaders lead change that motivates, not mandates
Turning insights into action.
At UNLOQ, we partner with leadership teams to build the capability and confidence to lead change in a way that motivates, not mandates. Whether through co-created executive retreats, leadership programmes, change labs, or tailored coaching, we help leaders:
- Lead with emotional intelligence and empathy
- Build trust through consistent, clear communication
- Navigate resistance with confidence and skill
- Connect strategic intent with everyday behaviour
Because strategy execution doesn’t succeed on clarity alone. It succeeds when people believe in it – and in the leaders asking them to deliver it.
If you’re leading change, and want your people not just to adapt – but to engage – we’d love to talk.
