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The HR Leader's Edge — Edition #3

Why Change Is Hard (And What To Do About It)

By Heidi Klotz, Goal-Centric Coach | Fractional CHRO

Published May 6, 2026

A client of mine was told she was too negative in meetings. That she needed to change her attitude.

She was a smart, experienced HR leader. She cared deeply about her team. And she was frustrated, because from where she sat, she wasn't being negative. She was trying to protect her team from an unrealistic workload, manage expectations before things went sideways, and push back on decisions that landed on her people without any warning.

But that's not how it was landing with her boss.

So she came to coaching with a goal: figure out how to come across differently in meetings.

Here's the thing about that goal. It wasn't wrong. But it also wasn't quite right.

The plan is rarely the problem

This is something I see again and again in change work, both at the individual level and inside organizations. We identify the symptom, we build a plan around fixing it, and we wonder why nothing really shifts.

She didn't need to learn how to smile more in meetings or soften her language. She needed to understand what was actually driving the dynamic. And when we got underneath it, the real issue became clear: she had no seat at the table when decisions were being made. By the time her team got the information, it was already too late to push back in any meaningful way. Of course she seemed negative. She was reacting to a fait accompli, every single time.

The real change that needed to happen wasn't about her attitude. It was about her access.

What sustainable change actually requires

In goal-centric coaching, we don't start with the goal on the surface. We start with the person holding it, and we ask what's really going on underneath.

From there, three things have to be in place before real progress can happen.

The first is clarity. Not just on what needs to change, but on why it matters and what's actually driving the current situation. Vague goals produce vague effort. When someone can see the real problem clearly, they can finally work on the right thing.

The second is ownership. In her case, this meant having a direct conversation with her boss instead of trying to quietly adjust her own behaviour. That's a harder thing to do. It's also the thing that actually worked. She made the case for being included earlier in the planning process, her boss listened, and the dynamic changed. She got a seat at the table. Her team got better outcomes.

The third is momentum. Change doesn't happen in one conversation. It builds through small actions, reflection, and adjustment over time. Part of what coaching does is help someone stay connected to why they're doing this, especially when it gets uncomfortable.

Why this matters beyond one person's story

Whether you're supporting someone through a performance conversation or leading a team through a broader organizational change, the pattern is the same. If the real issue isn't identified, the change won't stick. People will work hard at the wrong thing and wonder why nothing improves.

Sustainable change starts with asking better questions before jumping to solutions.