🔑 Leading through change with confidence, clarity, and culture in mind.

Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter!

This newsletter is for leaders and entrepreneurs who want to unlock their businesses' full potential. We’ll explore strategies to enhance leadership, culture, and employee engagement— all crucial for sustainable growth.

This week, we’re exploring:

🔑 Leading through change with confidence, clarity, and culture in mind.

Change!! It sparks ambition in the visionary and anxiety in the team.

But in today’s world, the only constant is change.

Whether you’re scaling, pivoting, or embedding new systems, success hinges on one critical skill:

👉 Your ability to lead your people through change.

This is a topic I regularly unpack with business leaders on the Help to Grow Programme at the University of Winchester, and one I’ve explored deeply with the Hampshire Growth Hub and HBBA Global.

It also plays a pivotal role in my engaging leaders programme with leadership teams.

Let’s look at what separates thriving change from failed initiatives—and how you can lead with confidence and clarity.

❌ The Brutal Truth:

🔺 70% of change efforts fail to deliver their intended results. And it’s rarely the idea that’s the problem—it’s the execution. More specifically: the people part.

✅ What Successful Change Demands:

1. Clarity of Vision (WHY, WHAT, HOW): If people don’t know why change is needed, they’ll resist it—often subtly but consistently. What's in it for them?

2. Chunk the Change Big change can feel overwhelming. Break it down. Celebrate small wins. Build momentum.

3. Understand Motivation.

Here’s the game-changer: Change doesn’t happen to people—it happens through them.

💡 So I always ask: What truly motivates your team and how can you harness it?

🔍 The Nine Work Motivators

These motivators determine how people respond to change. Ignore them, and you hit friction. Align with them, and you unlock performance:

The Nine Key Work Motivators

What They’re Thinking During Change

Defender: "Will I survive this? Will my job be secure? Why do we need to change things?"

Friend: "What will happen to me and my colleagues/teammates?"

Star: "Will I be able to stand out?"

Director: "Will I be able to stay in control?"

Builder: "Where’s the financial upside/reward?"

Expert: "Can I master this? Will my expertise be needed?"

Creator: "How will I be able to innovate? Will my innovation be stifled? Is this fresh or just fluff?"

Spirit "Will I keep my independence?"

Searcher "How will I be able to continue to add value? Does this change make a difference?"

💬 So, How Do You Take People With You?

Too often, we forget—while leadership’s been planning for months, this may be the first time employees are hearing it.

✔ Acknowledge fears

✔ Listen deeply

✔ Coach them through the Transition Curve

✔ Involve them in the process

🔑 If you want ownership, start with involvement.

💥 From Chaos to Confidence: Your Role as a Leader

The best cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re built—especially during uncertainty. That’s where visible, empowering leadership becomes non-negotiable.

 Ask yourself:

• Have I clearly shared the strategic story?
• Are my managers engaging people as individuals—not cogs?
• Are our values turning up in behaviours, not just posters?

If the answer is “maybe,” your change journey will be harder than it needs to be.

🧭 Final Thought: Change Is Not a One-Off

It’s a journey—not a one-time push. That’s why I encourage leaders to develop 90-day Motivational Action Plans (MAPs). Like pilots making mid-flight adjustments, you need regular check-ins and course corrections.

✨ Let’s Be Honest:

Nobody finishes learning how to lead change.

But if you’re committed to:

• Chunking the change
• Understanding motivation
• Meeting people where they are

…you’re already ahead of most.

🔑 Want to become an Employer of Choice?

⭐️ Then become the 'Leader of Change' your business—and people—need.

About Me

Hi, I’m Steve Jones—a business strategist, speaker, and creator of the P.R.O.F.I.T.S. model.

I specialise in helping fast-growth businesses accelerate their growth by attracting and keeping top talent while embedding strong and effective leadership.

I co-chaired the UK Government's Task Force Team that looked at employee engagement in the UK. We studied successful companies and found four main themes, which are outlined in my book 'How To Become An Employer of Choice'

I deliver on the UK Government's Help to Grow Programme, where I am contracted to train business owners on scaling through high-performance leadership.

🏛 I'm a Visiting lecturer at the University of Winchester—one of the top two nationwide providers of the Help to Grow Programme.

📖 Author of three books, including my latest book, How to Become an Employer of Choice, available on Amazon: Buy the book here

📩 Drop a comment or message me if you want help driving productivity by harnessing and attracting the best leadership teams and people to drive engagement and growth.

Next Edition: Understanding Motivational Drivers

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