What progressive leaders are learning the hard way
Most change initiatives don’t fail because the plan was wrong. They fail because leaders underestimate the human work required to make change real.
At Progressive Leadership Fest, we’re bringing together leaders who have lived through change (not theorised it), and a clear pattern of their change management journeys has emerged.
1. Acknowledge Reality
2. Create Psychological Safety
3. Reconnect to Purpose
4. Model the Change
5. Embed Through Practice
Successful change doesn’t happen through control, pressure or spreadsheets. It moves through five human phases.
And here’s what they look like in practice…
1. Acknowledge Reality
“I thought I was leading. Turns out, no one was following.”
Real change starts with honesty.
Michelle Quadrelli (Scott & Fyfe) shares how unexpected feedback forced her to confront a hard truth: title doesn’t equal leadership. Until leaders are willing to see reality as it is; losses, disengagement, and cultural drift. Nothing meaningful shifts.
This phase requires humility, not bravado.
As John Steele OBE (Team England) reminds us, exceptional leaders don’t blend in or hide behind the status quo. They stand apart by being different and facing what others avoid.
2. Create Psychological Safety
Change won’t stick where people don’t feel safe
People don’t resist change. They resist fear, shame and exclusion.
Whether it’s:
- women needing a space to be heard (Trish Sheader)
- men breaking the silence around mental health (Jonathan Wurr)
- leaders learning how stress hijacks decision‑making (Adel Houton)
- or teams operating under constant pressure and disruption (Apex Computing)
The message is the same: Safety is the foundation of performance.
Without it, change becomes compliance. With it, people bring discretion, creativity and care.
3. Reconnect to Purpose
Why are we really doing this?
Sustainable change happens when people connect to the overarching purpose and it feels meaningful to them.
Lee Wakeham’s journey from prison to building HM Pasties shows how purpose transforms both people and organisations. Jane Moorby MBE (Oxley Group) demonstrates how empowerment, not command-and-control, fuelled a real business turnaround.
And Fiona Ras (Mission Works) challenges leaders to move beyond purpose statements to mission-led decisions, where profit and impact are no longer in conflict.
When purpose is clear, resistance softens, and energy and momentum build.
4. Model the Change
Leaders go first.
Culture never changes through instruction. It changes when leaders behave differently under pressure.
Rachel Hennigan OBE shows the power of choosing authenticity over outdated leadership ideals. Polly Lerner and Simon Forsyth demonstrate how purposeful leadership builds trust through everyday actions, not grand gestures.
If leaders want:
- Ownership → they must release control
- Trust → they must show vulnerability
- Accountability → they must self-reflect and model self-accountability
People watch what leaders do, especially when it’s uncomfortable.
5. Embed Through Practice
Change sticks when it becomes how we work
Lasting change isn’t launched; it’s practised.
It shows up in:
- flexible ways of working built on trust
- how we develop future talent (and stop burning them out)
- how we respond to failure, stress and difference
- how second chances are offered, and honoured
That’s why the festival closes with pledges. Because insight without action changes nothing.
Why This Matters Now
We’re at a turning point. Old leadership models are cracking. Performance without wellbeing is unsustainable. People are asking deeper questions about work, fairness and impact.
The organisations that will thrive are not the ones with the best frameworks. They’re the ones led by people brave enough to lead from within.
That’s what Progressive Leadership Fest is really about.
Change doesn’t start with systems. It starts with people. And it always starts with the leader.
If you’re leading change and want to do it with people rather than to them… join us on 13th May.
Registration closes on 29th April at 3pm. Register your interest in attending here: Home | Progressive Leadership Fest
