“If ever there is a misnomer, it’s change management. It rarely causes change—and it’s almost always mismanaged.”
That cutting observation comes from Phil Gilbert, the former head of design at IBM.
If, like me, you’ve sat through a ninety-minute “vision deck” presentation, only to go back to your desk and carry on exactly as before, you’ll know precisely what he means. Many leaders try to “manage” change with colourful Gantt charts, mandatory training sessions, and top-down directives. Yet, Gartner data shows that 80% of the workforce still feels poorly prepared for the future.
Clearly, change management isn’t working.
In a recent Inc.com article, Gilbert revealed how IBM approached this differently. They didn’t force 400,000 people to change; they designed a programme people adopted. In his words, they made change “irresistible.”
Or, as I often say:
“People change only when they want to change.”
This concept of “irresistible change” is a reassuring validation of the principles I teach every day. It proves that successful transformation rarely (if ever) comes solely from better mechanics or processes. It also demands shifts in human behaviour and gently teasing busy people out of the deadly complacency of their comfort zone.
To do change well, I believe you need to equip your people with a Future-Ready Mindset.
Here is how IBM’s success aligns closely with the principles of the ReadyAlready® Growth Cycle (AKA The FROST Framework), and how you can use this to turn resistance into enthusiasm.
1. Connect to Values, Not just “Initiatives”
Most corporate change efforts fail because they focus on the “what” not the “why”.
“I’m so excited to hear about our AI-First Strategy,” said no-one, ever.
IBM realised that when you label a transformation with a specific technology, it inherits all the baggage and negativity that people associate with that tech. Instead, they branded their change programmes around values, turning them into cultural movements about how teams worked together to serve clients better.
And here’s my Future-Ready Mindset view on this. This mirrors the Open stage of my framework, because great change only happens when we encourage our teams to Open their minds, challenge the status quo, and ask “Why?” with the naive curiosity of someone unburdened by years of experience.
Because when we see how a change aligns with our own values and desire for progress, we stop being employees hesitantly following orders and become proactive participants in creating and shaping our mission towards better.
2. Encourage Courageous Transparency Over Top-Down Vision
Leaders often try to evangelise change with slick presentations. Gilbert argues this often misses the mark. People don’t need promises; they need proof from trusted peers.
This is a powerful validation of the Tell stage in my FROST framework—but I think this needs to go much deeper than simply sharing carefully-polished success stories.
In my experience, top-down ideas are rarely the best. Yet in many organisations, they are the only ones permitted. To make change irresistible, we need courageous collaboration to fuel bottom-up thinking.
My “Tell” step calls for staff to have the mettle to share an unpolished idea, a hope, or a dream before it’s perfect. It’s about creating a psychological safety net where colleagues work together to transform a raw “what if…?” into a collaborative “let’s try…”
When you empower everyone in the organisation to shape the change agenda through bold, transparent collaboration, you create a pull towards the future that no mandate will ever achieve.
What this means for leaders:
Gilbert’s work at IBM proves that lasting transformation only happens when people choose to adopt it. Your job as a leader isn’t to manage the change process like it’s a carefully planned painting-by-numbers task. Your job is to create an environment where everyone gets a paintbrush and feels excited to create the future they deserve.
So, stop trying to “manage” change, and start building a culture of curiosity, imagination, and courageous communication. That’s what it takes to be ReadyAlready.
If you are ready to help your team find their voice and embed a Future-Ready Mindset, let’s talk.