Welcome to The Subtle Shift, a weekly newsletter where I share simple but powerful ideas to help you lead with clarity, inspire change, and create a lasting impact. This week, I want to talk about why big change fails and how subtle shifts can help you succeed. I’ll introduce a powerful concept that can help you in all aspects of life and leadership, whether you’re navigating personal growth, managing a team, or guiding an entire organization.
Why Big Change Fails
We live in a world obsessed with transformation.
Everywhere you turn, someone is launching a big, bold new initiative, announcing sweeping changes, or pushing for total reinvention. I get it. Significant change is exciting. It fuels our ambition, captures attention, and provides people with a clear sense of direction.
But underneath that excitement, something subtle is working against us.
People feel overwhelmed, disconnected, and resistant.
It’s not because they don’t care. Or because they’re unwilling to change. The real problem is that the pace, the pressure, and the packaging of significant change don’t align with how people actually adapt and grow.
And that’s why big change fails.
Humans are wired for stability, and any efforts to disrupt that stability work against what psychologists call cognitive inertia: our brain’s tendency to stick with existing beliefs, routines, and ways of thinking, even when presented with better alternatives.
When Bold Backfires
I’ve watched it happen in organizations time and time again. A new leader shows up with fresh ideas. The leader tells the team to pivot or initiates a reorganization. Roles are redefined. It all sounds great, and leaders often mask it as progress, but it isn’t.
Our addiction to change has become so predictable, and the story is always the same.
We push for change, but energy fades, enthusiasm wanes, and people quietly slip back into old ways of doing things.
Why?
Because the human system couldn’t keep up.
People didn’t resist the change. Leaders mishandled it.
It wasn’t safe or slight, and the approach wasn’t sustainable.
And that’s why big change fails. Not because people are stubborn, but because they’re scared. Or confused. Or simply not ready.
So What Actually Works?
You don’t need to make a lot of noise for real change to be powerful. The most effective changes I’ve seen begin with something more quiet and nuanced. Leaders quietly make a subtle nudge and resist the urge to shove.
Great leaders introduce subtle shifts in how we think, listen, and operate.
They understand why big change fails, and they take a different approach.
Those tiny tweaks might not make headlines, but they create space. They invite participation and build momentum quietly, in a way that feels human.
The best leaders I’ve worked with don’t force change. They guide it. They sense what’s needed next and make one small move; then step back to give people space to follow.
A Smarter Response to Why Big Change Fails
If you understand why big change fails and want to lead change that lasts, stop trying to launch a revolution. Recognize that sustainable change is all about evolution, and your presence as a role model is significant. How you show up and initiate change is more critical than the grandiose plans or vision you have.
Therefore, we should all ask ourselves:
- What’s one behavior I could shift this week to build trust?
- Is there a message I should reinforce more consistently?
- Have I overcomplicated something that needs to be simplified?
- How can I build on the nudges I made last week to keep things moving forward?
Lasting change doesn’t come from doing everything differently. It comes from doing the little things exceptionally well, in a way that others can feel, follow, and replicate.
When you do that, change doesn’t just stick. It spreads.
Over to You
Now that you know why big change fails and accept the power of subtle shifts, what’s one subtle shift that’s made a big difference in your work or your leadership?
Hit reply. I’d love to hear about it.
And if this message sparks something in you, feel free to forward it to a colleague who wants to find a better way to navigate all this change. They might be searching for something quieter and more effective.
Here’s to the subtle shifts that make big things happen.
