Change Isn’t Hard
On Work & Change
On Work & Change
The projects, challenges, and lessons I’ve picked up along the way in work.
Change Isn’t Hard. It’s Extremely Hard.
A mentor of mine, Mike Farabelli, a seasoned change expert, has repeated that more times than I can count.
And he’s right.
Change is something we all think we’re ready for…until it actually shows up. Then the story shifts. The excitement of a new strategy quickly gives way to the grind of new habits, new tools, new expectations. The unknown creeps in, and suddenly “change readiness” feels more like “change resistance.”
But here’s the paradox: change is constant. It’s always coming. For years, the industry has framed change as a disruptor, something that throws everything into chaos. In reality, change is a stabilizer.
People as Systems in Larger Systems
Systems naturally seek balance. When things drift too far in one direction, change acts as the corrective force. That’s not disruption, rather it’s recalibration.
And here’s the important piece: people are systems. Each of us has rhythms, feedback loops, and limits. And we’re also part of larger systems. Our teams, organizations, communities, etc.
When the larger system shifts, our individual systems have to rebalance too. That’s why change feels personal even when it’s organizational. It’s not just a new policy or a new platform, it’s also a recalibration of how our own system fits inside the bigger one.
Think of it like riding a bike. Your body is a system constantly making micro-adjustments to stay balanced. Too much to the left, and the bike tips. Now scale that up: riding a trail, adjusting not only to the bike but to the terrain as well. That’s change in motion.
Why Change Feels Extremely Hard
If systems naturally recalibrate, why does change feel so hard?
Because human systems don’t always self-correct cleanly. We carry assumptions, fears, and habits that resist recalibration. Left unchecked, those forces create drag on the system. And when multiple people-systems collide inside an organization, the drag compounds.
This is where Organizational Change Management (OCM) matters. OCM helps make those hidden forces visible. It gives us language and tools to understand resistance, not as failure, but as energy. With the right framing, resistance can drive dialogue, shape priorities, and even reveal better solutions.
A Simple Mindset Shift
Here’s the shift that changes everything:
Change isn’t something happening to us. It’s something happening through us and for the system we’re part of.
When leaders frame change as disruption, people dig in their heels. But when they frame it as balance, as recalibration across interconnected systems, people can see the role they play.
They don’t expect ease. They expect effort. And they understand why it matters.
That doesn’t make change easy. It makes it meaningful.
Closing Thought
Change isn’t hard. It’s extremely hard. And it’s also constant. And it’s also stabilizing. When we recognize ourselves as systems within systems, we stop asking, “How do I survive this change?” and start asking, “How do we move together toward balance?”
That’s the difference between disruption that drains us and recalibration that sustains us.
Do the thing. & do it well!
Trev