My Apology Letter: I'm sorry

I’m sorry.

I really am. 

This week got me all riled up. I was at some networking drinks in Sydney and a few people shared a common challenge they were having, which I hear from my community and students all too often.

They’ve gone and they’ve done what they thought they needed to do to land a role in Change Management or learn how to lead change. They got the certification or the accreditation or the post-graduate degree. 

But they left: confused. 

And no closer to:

a) getting a role in Change Management - because hiring managers and recruiters want to see demonstrated experience of transferable skills (which wasn’t taught in the course they did); or 

b) leading change - because they still aren’t quite sure what to actually “do” (practical tools, templates, and activities weren’t taught either).

They’re filled to the brim with Change theories, models, and methodologies which have expanded their mind and deepened their understanding of change and people. 

Yet they’re left Googling “Change Management”, trying desperately to piece together some semblance of what to practically do to lead change confidently and successfully. 

Whenever I share my own lived example of this (I went to do a certification after working in Change for a couple of years and disappointingly got archaic theory not advanced tools), the number of people who publicly and privately reach out to me to say they experienced the same thing astonishes me. 

It breaks my heart and it makes my blood boil. 

Because it truly shouldn’t be like this. 

If you are investing in a course, degree or certification, you should come out eligible for roles and confident to lead change. 

It makes me angry and ashamed of my industry and my profession!

So if this is you and has been your experience, on behalf of my industry and profession: I’m sorry. 

I’m sorry for the ongoing mass delusion that certification and degrees would help you land jobs and lead change better.

I’m sorry for the recruiters and hiring managers who perpetuate these because they don’t know or want to admit the content won’t be used in day-to-day Change work.

I’m sorry for the training providers out there who sell on a pipedream rather than practical skills.

And I’m sorry for the practitioners who spout theories and models instead of adding real value to your projects.

I have so much compassion for you and please know that it’s not your fault and you’re not alone. 

It reminds me a lot of that Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Emperor’s New Clothes. Everyone knows the emperor is butt naked, that there is no substance beneath the illusion and delusion of style. But they go along with it anyway, afraid of being proven the fool. And in the end - everyone is made foolish (and most of all, the emperor).

But because it’s still what so many in the industry “expect” and keep reinforcing, the mythology perpetuates. 

So on behalf of savvy Change practitioners everywhere, I’m sorry. 

Just a day after that networking event, I saw Justin Balaski’s post on LinkedIn - so timely! 

Republished with permission - Credit: IdeaLeap (Justin Balaski) www.idealeap.com

I’ve known for a while that Justin and I are on the same wavelength (and there’s a few savvy Change thought leaders out there like us). I’m all about democratising Change Management - simplifying it, putting it into the hands of as many leaders and people as possible, and making sure we’re adding as much value as we can by actually “doing” change, not just talking about it. I’ve been flying this flag for six years, when I shared 2 full pages of ideas to our peak body on how to raise the profile of Change Management and build a pipeline of savvy, strong practitioners to future-proof our industry.

I know that if we don’t keep delivering real-world value from our change work, projects and C-Suites won’t keep investing in Change Management. And this is a very real risk. When I was speaking at the AgileAus 2024 conference in August, a comment was made in one of the Day 2 keynotes that Agile roles are few and far between at the moment and Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters are struggling to land work. Industries peak and industries bust. Yesterday’s buzzword is tomorrow’s passé practice. So every time someone who is Change-trained doesn’t add real, practical value to their project or team, it waters down the value of Change Management and the future of our industry and profession for everyone. 

I’m so thankful I never fell into this trap, and the only reason I got a lucky escape is because one of my very first Change recruiters told me that she avoids talent who have a particular certification because she knows they will be theory-heavy and practice-light, the quality won’t be there, and her clients won’t be happy. I’ve seen it with my own eyes - projects begging to have me back because the very experienced Change Manager who replaced me couldn’t be flexible, fit-for-purpose, or delivery-focused. Recently-certified Changies who go strong on the technical side of Change but forget basic business engagement. And in some cases it’s not the fault of recruiters and hiring managers who perpetuate it because they don’t know any better - sometimes Change roles are being hired by Project Managers, Heads of Change, and IT leaders who themselves have only ever experienced the traditional dogmas.

The intention of this post isn't to trash or tear down other training providers. It’s not targeted at any specific course, certification or degree because, quite frankly, there are so many like this and I’m sure many people do get a lot from their offerings. I'm about compassion not combat. Collaboration not competition. I don’t focus on a "zero sum game", because for many years now I’ve been trying to instead fuel the Change industry with a growth mindset to “increase the size of the pie” of roles, opportunities, and value.

I think there’s a place for the theory, models, and methodologies: for experienced Changies who want to take their practice deeper. I’d never recommend that a beginner learns to ski on the icy, man-made snow Australian slopes. They’ll likely fall, hit on hard ground, and give up skiing for good. Instead, go learn on the fluffy pillowy powder of Japan or the interior of Canada. You’ll enjoy skiing, build skills faster, and fall on softer snow as you’re learning. You can tackle the advanced ski-fields later, when you already know how to stay upright. The theory is nice-to-have; the practical application, the clarity of transferable skills, and the confidence to lead change are essential.

My course Leading Successful Change was specifically designed to fix and bridge this gap. It's closed at the moment for the September Group Cohort but I can let you know when it reopens to new students. In the meantime, feel free to grab my “Creative Launch Ideas Guide”. It has 53 ideas for what you can do to bring your next Change and Transformation to life, peppered with real-world examples of change engagement, communications, launch, and readiness activities that either I’ve done, I’ve participated in, or I’ve seen others do.

CLICK HERE to download your free Creative Launch Ideas Guide

And like I mentioned - if you’re struggling to grasp what Change Management is and how to actually do it in your day-to-day, you’re not alone. We see you and we believe in you and we know that one day industry will (finally) put the horse before the cart.

Lata xx