Episode 13

Resilient Leadership: How to Sustain Momentum During Change Fatigue

Summary:

Let's be real, change is hard—even when it's good. In this video, we discuss how resilient leaders can keep their teams engaged when energy is low and changes keep coming. We delve into three essential strategies: checking in on people, equipping middle managers, and building in breaks. Discover how to maintain momentum, connect with your team, and make change stick by focusing on human elements rather than just strategic metrics.


Chapters:


00:00 Introduction: The Challenge of Change

00:16 Key Strategies for Resilient Leadership

00:29 Checking in on People, Not Just Progress

01:42 Equipping Managers to Lead Change

02:27 Building in Space, Not Just Speed

03:06 Conclusion: Making Change Stick


Host Kelsey Arico: linkedin.com/in/kelsey-arico-775b772b

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

Transcript

Let's be real. Change is hard even when it's good. And the dirty secret is. Everyone's exhausted. Leaders are exhausted too, and especially our middle managers, they're being asked to drive transformation. They had usually zero say in and their teams are tapped out.

So how do resilient leaders keep people engaged when energy is low? And change keeps coming because it will, they don't power through. They don't layer on more noise. They do a few things really well. Three, in fact, one, they check in on people, not just progress. Two, they equip their managers to lead change, not just to deliberate.

le rarely talk about morale. [:

Ask, are we still connected to the why? What's the energy level on the ground? What do we need to do about that? Are people still with us, or do you think they're just going through the motions? So here's the science you need to know. When people experience too much change too fast, your prefrontal cortex, that part of the brain that manages things like decision making, empathy and adaptability, literally starts to shut down.

So then what happens? You don't get creativity. You don't get collaboration. You get compliance and things that you've heard of, like quiet, quitting. Number two, great leaders to sustain momentum during times of change. Equip their people, . Middle managers are the heartbeat of the organization, but during change, they're often just treated like messengers, not leaders.

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So if you wanna sustain momentum, start by equipping the people who are carrying it because the people closest to the work, they're also the people closest to your culture and the credibility of the organization. Lastly, and certainly not least in this checklist, is great leaders to sustain momentum.

When change fatigue sets in, they build in breaks. To regain that buy-in, to reset, to reconnect. Change isn't just cognitive, it's emotional. People need space to process the shift, to see themselves in the story, to put themselves in the story, to reconnect with the purpose behind that push. If you want momentum, you need to make it personal.

e huge milestones months and [:

So when your team is dragging, when that spark has faded, when change fatigue sets in because it will, there is no shortage of the changes that we're asked that we can't predict that are coming.

Kelsey Arico: They're gonna keep crashing on us like waves every day, and we need to know what to do to support our teams through that. Are you as a leader pushing harder or are you going to create the conditions for people to come back in with energy, with purpose, and a reason to care? Change sticks because it feels worth it because people can see themselves in it and because it meets them where they are and invites them forward, change doesn't stick because it's strategic.

It sticks because it's human.

About the Podcast

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About your hosts

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Alexa Beavers

I’m the founder and CEO of The Axela Group, where I work with leaders who are doing hard and important things—whether that’s leading change, shifting culture, or just figuring out how to keep showing up when the pressure’s on.

These days, I spend a lot of my time multiplying my impact through our growing team at The Axela Group. Our incredible team of coaches and consultants is making a difference in work and in life —through coaching executives to tap into their whole human intelligence, consulting on how to navigate rapid change, developing productive teams, and creating spaces where leaders can share their challenges, lessons, and what matters most in these fast-moving times. In essence, I’m building a team that helps others lead with clarity and humanity—especially in messy, high-stakes environments. I am also bringing real leaders stories of growth and transformation to life through amazing conversations with leaders across industries who have been there done that - and are courageous enough to share.

When I’m not in conversation with a leader who is sharing their story or leading my own amazing team, I’m probably up to my eyeballs in paint doing art, walking the dogs by the river, or hanging with my crew of teenagers in Richmond, Virginia.

Ping me if you’re trying to lead through change and want a partner who’s been in the trenches.
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Dr. Jim Kanichirayil

I'm the occasional host and full time producer of the Transformation Unfiltered show. At this point I've had over 1500 podcast episodes hosted/produced and it's one of my favorite mediums to work in.

I've previously hosted and produced top 10% globally ranked podcasts (Cascading Leadership, HR Impact, Engaging Leadership) and have a number of other shows I've helped launch and produce as well.

When I'm not in these interwebs streets yappin' away, I'm a fractional Head of GTM (go-to-market) for early stage/accelerating growth stage HRTech, TATech, and executive coaching organizations. I help organizations integrate sales, marketing, and partnership functions into a unified practice.

Ping me if you have questions and/or if you want to be a guest.