Change is personal

This might be a little controversial, but here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough: change is personal.

Behind every new system rollout, every restructure, every “strategic pivot,” are people.

Real people.

Wrestling with what it means for them. Because change doesn’t just impact what we do. It impacts who we are or more specifically, who we believe ourselves to be.

The identity disruption

When something in our work or life shifts, it has the power to shake up our sense of identity. A job title disappears. A team dissolves. A process you once led is now automated. Even when the change is positive or chosen, it can rattle the foundations of how we see ourselves.

Think about it: we anchor our identity to our routines, our roles, our relationships. So when those change, it can feel like we’re losing part of ourselves. It's not just resistance, it's grief. And too often, we try to rationalise it away, when what we really need is to acknowledge that loss, and work through it.

Change isn’t just Strategy. It’s psychology

This is where the people element of change comes in. We love a roadmap and a Gantt chart, but we’re less comfortable sitting with the discomfort that real change brings. The uncertainty. The vulnerability. The internal questions like: Who am I now? Am I still good at what I do? Do I belong here anymore?

These aren’t soft questions. They’re the ones that drive behaviour, that impact engagement, confidence, and trust. Ignore them, and change becomes something that happens to people. A tick-box exercise. But meet them head-on? That’s where real transformation begins.

A mindset shift we desperately need

If we want people to embrace change, we have to reframe it. Not as a threat, but as a growth edge. Not as a loss of control, but as an invitation to evolve.

This doesn’t mean pretending it’s easy. It means being honest: “This might be uncomfortable. But there’s something on the other side of that discomfort. A version of you that’s more resilient, more self-aware, and more aligned with what you truly value.”

We need to help people build the mindset to move through change, not just survive it. That means:

Normalising the emotional impact of change, rather than pathologising it.

Helping people make meaning. To connect the dots between what’s happening around them and what it means for them personally.

Creating space for identity work, where people can explore, reimagine, and re-anchor their sense of self in the new context.

This is Human Work

Change done well isn’t just about delivery. It’s about dignity. It’s about seeing people not as cogs in a system, but as whole physical beings navigating transition in real-time.

So next time you’re in a change conversation, pause for a moment.

Ask: What’s the story this person is telling themselves about who they are right now? And how might this change be rewriting that story?

Because if we want change to land and land well, it has to make sense not just on paper, but in our hearts, minds, and identities.

And that starts with recognising this one simple, powerful truth:

Change is personal. Always.