A New Lens: From Change Management to Change Leadership

Guest Contributor: Sheneen Jit -  Enterprise Delivery & Change Execution Partner

The Modern Playbook for Leading Across Generations

Many organizations still treat change management as a late-stage communications plan. But real change leadership begins upstream. It influences how teams are formed, how alignment is built, and how momentum is sustained. The upstream now looks different than the downstream because you may have 4 different generations on your team.  

With over 30 banking system implementations under my belt, one thing stands out in hindsight: many of my early projects were completed within a single generation of workers. Teams tended to share similar communication styles, work values, and change tolerance levels—it was a more uniform environment to lead through. 

Two of the implementations were done from within client organizations. The rest were delivered from a systems integrator role, giving me a broad perspective on how different organizations approached transformation. 

I worked at a financial institution that had strong Change Management practices and Lean certifications. Shortly after, I took on a contract with another institution where Change Management was virtually nonexistent. The scope of the work was similar—but the experience was entirely different. One was collaborative, smooth, and grounded in trust. The other felt chaotic, disconnected, and reactive. 

Now, working with Pivotal Growth, that early insight has only deepened:

Change Management is most successful in organizations where strong Change Leadership exists. The tools and frameworks matter—but it’s the mindset and modeling from leaders that truly determine whether change will stick. 

In our last blog, we explored why change management must evolve into a leadership discipline—grounded in trust, emotional readiness, and user adoption.  Now, we turn to the how: What does modern change leadership look like in action? And how do we align it with the expectations of a multigenerational workforce? 

This matters more than ever in today’s workforce, where generational dynamics shape expectations and engagement. 

Today’s workforce is undergoing a generational transformation.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Millennials (born 1981–1996) now make up 36% of the workforce, followed by Gen X (31%), Gen Z (18%), Boomers (15%), and the Silent Generation (1%). 

 In Canada, Stats Canada confirms a similar pattern—Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers and Generation X in the general population. 

And by 2028, Millennials are projected to hold the majority of VP-level roles across organizations. 

This shift underscores why modern change leadership approaches must be tailored to the expectations and motivations of a predominantly millennial labour force. 

Per Pivotal Growth Future of Leadership research, Millennials lead with emotional intelligence, inclusivity, and transparency. They don’t just want to follow plans—they want to co-create them.  This is why legacy change models—checklist-heavy, top-down, and compliance-driven—often fall flat. The future of change is human-centered, relationally led, and emotionally intelligent. 

Leading Change Across Generations 

So how do you lead a large transformation when your workforce values look very different from the traditional corporate mindset? 

You begin by acknowledging those differences, then leaning into the leadership behaviours that build trust, not control. 

The good news? You don’t need to throw out your change process—you just need to rethink how you lead through it. 

If I could go back and re-do some of the earlier implementations, I would be more intentional about checking in, giving everyone a voice, and exploring concerns. 

Here's a quick comparison of how traditional change management differs from modern, relational change leadership—especially in how we build readiness and navigate resistance. 

Traditional vs. Modern Change Management 

Traditional Change Management View	Modern Change Leadership View
Change is managed via milestones and plans	Change is led through people, relationships and behaviour shifts
Training is delivered post-launch	Readiness is co-created through early, ongoing engagement
Resistance is a problem to fix	Resistance is a signal to explore and understand
Leaders sponsor change from a distance	Leaders model change by showing up vulnerably and consistently
One-size-fits-all messaging	Communication is personalized, two-way and trust-building

The shift is clear: from change control to change connection. 

The change management process itself: planning, analysis, training, and implementation, remains important. But the leadership energy applied throughout must evolve. The process may be linear—but the experience is relational. 

Coaching, empathy, and team sensing must be woven into every stage—not just bolted on at the end.  The diagram below shows traditional change management processes below the red arrow.   Change Leadership (shown above the red arrow) increases the user adoption rates and ensures business objectives are met through relational energy.   

The call is clear: change doesn’t succeed because it’s planned; it succeeds because it’s felt.If you’re ready to modernize your approach to change, lets start with the people who power the outcomes. 

Reach out to explore our Pathway to Transformation change diagnostics, leadership workshops, or team coaching experiences.  

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Sheneen Jit

Enterprise Delivery & Change Execution Partner

Sheneen Jit has led more than 30 successful core banking system implementations, a level of transformation success that is uncommon in an industry where most large programs miss their targets.  She combines disciplined execution with a relational leadership style that strengthens adoption, reduces resistance, and stabilizes teams through complex change.

Her approach creates the conditions for leaders and project teams to stay aligned, engaged, and accountable from early readiness through post-implementation. She proves that large-scale transformation succeeds when operational rigor and human dynamics are treated as equal drivers of outcome. Sheneen holds a Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management, has a Certificate in Change Management, and is Lean Greenbelt certified.