'We've Tried This Before': the symptoms of failing change.
From a live TESS leadership session with trainer Jamie Chambers · captions included
“Cynicism, one of my favourites: 'we've tried this before.'”
A 34-second checklist of the symptoms every leader should watch for after rolling out a change, because failing change rarely announces itself. These clips come from live sessions that feed into the CMI Managing Change unit our learners complete.
Transcript
What are the symptoms of failing change? Because it might look at first like change is working, but it's failing. There are more than this; these are just a few points I've put together. Silence in meetings, passive agreement, low engagement, missed deadlines, confusion, increased absence, frustration, cynicism. And one of my favourites: "We've tried this before." These are things that might indicate that change is not…
Leadership & AI apprenticeships · CMI qualifications included · 100% levy-funded · Ofsted Good
Book a Free Discovery Call
How to use this checklist
Run through the list a month after any change lands: silence in meetings, passive agreement, low engagement, missed deadlines, confusion, increased absence, frustration, cynicism. Two or more and the change is drifting even if the dashboard says green. The fix is rarely more communication; it is usually a leader who can name the resistance and work with it, which is the practical content of the CMI Managing Change unit inside our leadership apprenticeships and the Navigating Change workshop.