The Dual Emotions of Guiding Organizational Change

I wanted to share a little bit of my life and passion with you. The work we do as change professionals and why it matters. Maybe in this way, we discover together something new.

We enable change that empowers people and moves organizations forward. At the same time, our role is fraught with contradictions that create conflicting feelings.

When I help leaders implement significant changes, I feel honored that they trust me to implement suggestions that will change the process and alter the life of many. But I also know the immense pressure they feel to get it right. Their stress becomes mine, and their happiness also becomes mine.

I believe strongly in the changes I recommend, and that motivates me. But I also know that my confidence could turn into fanaticism and blind me to risk. I try to walk this path and think of how to make whatever they do sustainable.

My job is to guide others through uncertainty and accelerated change. But in doing so, I must also face my own doubts, biases, and discomfort with the unknown. My goal is to remain calm despite inner volatility. And this is something hard when you have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

I try to be empathetic and caring to people going through changes. But in chaotic times, I cannot promise that all hardships will disappear.

When groups oppose what I see as shared progress, frustration rises within me. But there may be wisdom in their skepticism that I have overlooked. Adaptation follows reflection and, finally, change.

As a supposed expert, I sometimes feel very alone and suffer from the nagging impostor syndrome. And this also happens to every leader exposed to high uncertainty and situations that nobody has experienced before. But through our shared humanity and our questions, a connection is formed between the present and the possible consequences.

When major changes turn life upside down, they're always followed by grief—even when the change is necessary. In those difficult moments, my heart also breaks. Just because something is necessary doesn't make it easy or happy.

During the rocky transition, I try to be a solid anchor so others can grow and change. But when the storm settles, I feel off balance, like I'm about to topple over. Through quiet reflection, I regain my calm and focus.

Being a change professional is a beautiful career but it also means living with contradictions-hope and fear, meaning and chaos, courage, and vulnerability. By acknowledging this roller coaster, perhaps we can help others do the same. Going through the ups and downs together makes things feel a little smoother.