When change hits, even the most seasoned teams can feel like they’ve been tossed into uncharted waters. Projects stall. Energy dips. Decision-making slows to a crawl. If you look closely, you’ll see the same pattern repeat: people linger in what psychologists call the mourning phase, the period where they’re holding on to what used to be, before they can step into the moving phase where they engage, adapt, and deliver.
For leaders, this stall is costly. The longer your team sits in mourning, the more momentum and competitive edge you lose. Your role is to shorten that curve, guiding people from “why is this happening to us?” to “here’s how we can win in the new reality.”
Why Teams Get Stuck in Mourning
Change disrupts more than just workflow; it challenges identity, routines, and a sense of control. Even when change is positive, like a new market opportunity or a long-overdue process overhaul, it creates uncertainty, and uncertainty feels risky. The brain responds to risk by clinging to the familiar. This is why you might see people reminiscing about “how we used to do things” or resisting new ways of working. It’s not always about the change itself, it’s about the loss of stability.
How Leaders Can Accelerate the Shift to Moving
1. Name what’s happening.
You can’t manage what you don’t acknowledge. Call out the reality that change feels uncomfortable, and normalize that it’s part of the process. When you put words to what the team is feeling, you remove the undercurrent of confusion that slows progress.
2. Anchor to a clear, compelling “why.”
People are more willing to move when they understand why they’re moving. Revisit the purpose behind the change repeatedly, not just in a kickoff meeting. Show how this change connects to long-term goals, customer needs, or competitive advantage.
3. Focus on small wins that signal progress.
Change fatigue lifts when people can see tangible results. Look for quick, visible wins that prove the new direction is working, whether it’s a process that saves time, a customer metric that improves, or a problem that finally gets resolved.
4. Model the behavior you want to see.
If you appear hesitant or nostalgic for the old way, your team will pick up on it. Instead, be the example of adaptability: engage with the new processes, ask forward-looking questions, and talk about opportunities instead of losses.
The Payoff of Shortening the Curve
When leaders intentionally move their teams through change faster, they protect energy, morale, and execution speed. Over time, teams learn to see change not as an interruption but as a normal and even exciting part of growth.
Change will never feel perfectly comfortable. However, with the right leadership approach, you can turn it from something people mourn into something they’re ready to move toward.