One of the first things I noticed after moving into leadership was just how many change management models exist. Every course seemed to introduce another framework, another acronym or another diagram explaining how successful change should happen. Many were thoughtful, well researched and perfectly valid. The difficulty was remembering them when they were actually needed.
I first encountered the VARIS model during professional development designed for leaders responsible for leading professional learning within their own organisations. What appealed to me wasn’t that it claimed to be better than every other model. It was that I could remember it. Linking VARIS to the Toyota Yaris may seem a slightly unusual memory aid, but years later I can still recall every element without thinking. More importantly, I have found it genuinely useful in practice.
Over time, I realised that the real strength of the model is not that it explains change. It explains people.
Leaders sometimes describe people as being resistant to change, but I have never been entirely convinced that this is true. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working alongside colleagues from many different countries, cultures and professional backgrounds. While people naturally bring different perspectives, one thing has remained remarkably consistent. Most people are willing to embrace change when they understand where they are going, why it matters and believe they can succeed when they get there.
Working internationally has also reminded me that although people’s needs during change are remarkably similar, the way those needs are expressed can vary considerably between cultures. One of the books I have returned to repeatedly is The Culture Map by Erin Meyer. It offers valuable insights into how culture influences communication, decision making and leadership. Understanding those differences has helped me approach change with greater curiosity and fewer assumptions, particularly in diverse international schools where people may respond to the same situation in very different ways.
What people struggle with is uncertainty.
That is why I have always found VARIS so practical. It reminds me that people’s reactions are often giving us valuable information rather than creating problems.
- Confusion often tells us the vision is unclear.
- Drift usually suggests the action plan needs strengthening.
- Frustration often reflects a lack of resources.
- Resistance frequently means people do not yet understand the purpose or incentive behind the change.
- Anxiety often signals that people do not yet feel confident in their own skills.
Seen through that lens, resistance becomes something quite different. Instead of asking, “Why are these people making change difficult?” perhaps the better question is, “What might we I have overlooked?“
That is a far more productive conversation.
If I have learnt one lesson over the years, it is that leaders naturally focus on the problems they can see. Confusion quickly becomes obvious. Frustration is usually impossible to miss. Drift eventually affects results. A lack of skill, however, is much quieter. People often work incredibly hard to hide what they do not yet know. They avoid asking questions, quietly lose confidence or simply hope they will work it out for themselves.
That is why professional development has become one of my greatest passions.
Too often, organisations mistake a lack of confidence for a lack of commitment. In reality, many people desperately want to succeed. They simply need someone to invest in them. Coaching, training, encouragement and thoughtful professional development rarely solve every problem overnight, but they frequently provide people with something far more valuable: the confidence to believe they are capable of succeeding.
Perhaps that is why I have become less interested in managing change and more interested in leading people through it.
The two are not quite the same.
Successful change is rarely driven by perfectly written plans. It is driven by leaders who remain curious enough to keep listening after the announcement has been made. They notice when people become confused instead of becoming impatient. They provide support before demanding results. They see reactions as feedback rather than defiance.
Above all, they remain patient.
If there is one mistake I would encourage any leader to avoid, it is rushing change and expecting immediate success. We live in a world where technology responds instantly. Press a button and something happens. Organisations do not work like that because people do not work like that.
There will be setbacks.
There will be misunderstandings.
There will be moments when progress feels slower than you had hoped.
That does not necessarily mean the change is failing.
More often, it means people are learning, adjusting and gradually building confidence in a different way of working. The real test of leadership is not whether everything goes perfectly. It is how leaders respond when it does not.
One phrase has stayed with me throughout my career:
Go slow to go fast.
I have rarely regretted spending longer helping people understand, prepare and develop before asking them to move forward. Because when leaders reduce uncertainty, people rarely resist change. Eventually, they stop feeling that change is happening to them and begin feeling that they are helping to shape it.
If you enjoyed this article, you can continue exploring these ideas through the growing collection of short leadership videos published across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn. Wherever you choose to follow, I hope the reflections encourage you to think a little differently about the quieter moments that shape leadership every day.