When a change effort falters, frustration moves in one direction: downward. Employees are accused of resisting new ways of working, project teams are blamed for poor execution, and middle managers are criticized for not driving change.

Yet, the people making these judgments, i.e. the executives who define, fund, and sponsor change, rarely ask the tougher question: What was our role in this failure?

Employees don’t control priorities, budgets, or decision-making. They can’t set the vision or remove roadblocks. If change isn’t taking hold, leadership, not employees, should be the first place we look.

Why Employees Are Labeled ‘Resistant’

What’s often mistaken for “resistance” is a rational response to poorly led change. Employees and middle managers don’t push back because they dislike change itself. Often the rationale for the change is clearly understood. The reason why people hesitate to adopt a change, it’s often because:

• The reason for the change is unclear, making it difficult to trust or prioritize.
• Leaders fail to model the change themselves, sending mixed signals.
• The change feels like just another knee-jerk reaction with no long-term commitment.
• Project teams face shifting priorities, unrealistic expectations, or limited resources.
• Middle managers are expected to drive adoption but lack the authority or executive backing to do so effectively.

Despite these real barriers, leadership tends to deflect responsibility, assuming that the problem lies with those further down the chain.

The Leadership Behaviors That Sabotage Change

Many executives assume that once they announce a change, their job is done and alignment will naturally follow. But transformation isn’t automatic, it requires consistent, active leadership engagement. Change efforts fail when leaders:

• Announce transformation intentions but fail to back it up with action and commitment.
• Assume employees will “figure it out” instead of providing clear direction and support.
• Delegate responsibility to project teams or HR, treating change as an operational task instead of a leadership priority.
• Blame execution failures instead of questioning whether the strategy, resources, and leadership commitment were sufficient to achieve the desired results.

When these missteps go unaddressed, organizations fall into a cycle where change stalls, initiatives lack credibility, skepticism increases, and employees become disengaged. And once people lose trust in their leadership’s ability to see things through to completion, the organization becomes unwilling and unable to make a change for the better.

What Leaders Must Do Differently

To break this cycle, leaders must stop blaming employees and start leading change effectively from the front. That means:
Owning change as a leadership responsibility. If executives aren’t engaged, employees won’t be either.

Aligning leadership incentives with the change. Mediocre results are inevitable if leadership performance isn’t aligned with change success.

Providing clarity and removing roadblocks. Change fails when employees are expected to work around barriers that leadership should have addressed.

Holding themselves accountable before blaming others. Before assuming employees are the issue, leaders must ask: What haven’t we done to set this up for success?

Final Thought: Change Fails From the Top, Not the Bottom

Real transformation starts at the top. It’s not about forcing compliance. It’s about leading with clarity, conviction, and commitment. Instead of expecting employees to simply ‘get it,’ articulate the vision. Instead of blaming teams for poor execution, remove the obstacles in their way. Instead of waiting for change to take hold organically, drive it with intention.

Don’t shift responsibility; own the change. That’s what real change leadership looks like.

📅 Successful transformation starts with leadership accountability. Book a free consultation to uncover the real roadblocks and build a change strategy that works.

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