The Modern Leader series: When change fails, everyone pays

Modern leadership attribute No.21: When change fails, everyone pays

Even the best strategy fails if people can’t or won’t execute it.

The Hidden Cost of Failure

Our new enterprise change study with The Harris Poll found that 1 in 4 major changes fail, often leading to burnout, turnover, and lost productivity. Employees cite a lack of empathy, feedback channels, and leader connection as root causes — while leaders tend to blame planning gaps.

The Disconnect

This difference in perspective is costly. Employees experience emotional fatigue while leaders focus on operational fixes. Closing that gap requires acknowledging the human toll of constant change and giving employees a voice.

A Tip for Leaders

Start measuring how change feels, not just how it performs.

1. Build listening loops before, during, and after major initiatives.
2. Train leaders to communicate with empathy and transparency, even when the news is uncertain.
3. Recognize early signs of burnout as indicators of systemic issues — not individual weakness.

The Bottom Line

Change doesn’t fail because people resist it; it fails because people don’t feel supported through it. Listening and empathy aren’t soft skills — they’re risk-reduction strategies.

Explore the data further

Download the research report, The Change Tipping Point, to see key headlines, implications, and actions for leaders so you can turn change from a risk to a competitive leadership advantage.

About The Modern Leader series

Discover actionable insights released biweekly, designed to help you elevate your own leadership impact and drive the business results you seek.

So, how do you know if you’re a modern leader?

Modern leaders stand apart through their ability to balance head and heart in today’s complex workplace, integrating emotional intelligence with strategic thinking.

New research with The Harris Poll (publishing Summer 2025) shows only 30% of leaders truly meet their teams’ evolving needs — but that elite group leads with “their heart IN their head” and consistently demonstrates six key differentiators.

They:

• Lead with gratitude.
• Listen and empathize.
• Foster an inclusive culture.
• Communicate with context.
• Connect strategy to employee growth.
• Enable employees to meet the moment.

To see additional ways you can differentiate yourself as a modern leader, check out the collection of modern leadership attributes (added bi-weekly) here.