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    Interactive assessment

    Leading Through Change

    Assess your effectiveness as a leader of change, across communication and vision, managing resistance, sustaining momentum, and embedding new behaviours.

    McKinsey's research (2023) found that 70% of large-scale change programmes fail to achieve their stated goals, and the primary cause is leadership, not strategy. This diagnostic identifies which specific leader behaviours are supporting or limiting the change efforts you are responsible for.

    Questions or items
    20 questions or items
    Completion time
    Around 10 minutes
    Dimensions
    Change Communication & Vision, Managing Resistance, Sustaining Momentum, Embedding New Behaviours
    What you receive
    Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    What it covers

    • Change Communication & Vision
    • Managing Resistance
    • Sustaining Momentum
    • Embedding New Behaviours

    Rate each statement from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) based on how you actually lead change, not how you think you should. Reflect on a current or recent significant change initiative.

    Results: Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    How this interactive diagnostic works

    Read what it covers here first. Nothing is saved or sent until you continue. Your result is calculated once every required item is answered.

    If it asks for your first name and work email, you enter them in the diagnostic itself. This page sends nothing.

    Statements in this diagnostic

    Statements are grouped by section. Answer each one for the situation named in the instructions, using the scale shown.

    Change Communication & Vision

    How effectively you create a compelling case for change, connect it to what people care about, and communicate consistently enough for the message to land.

    1. I communicate a clear and compelling reason for the change, not just what is changing, but why it matters
    2. I connect the change to what my team cares about, their work, their development, their values
    3. I over-communicate, I repeat the vision and rationale far more than feels comfortable to me
    4. I am honest about what I know and don't know, I don't pretend to have certainty I don't have
    5. I create space for questions, concerns, and honest feedback about the change, not just announcements

    Managing Resistance

    How effectively you engage with rather than dismiss resistance, recognising it as information about the change, not an obstacle to be overcome.

    1. I actively seek out people who are sceptical or resistant and engage with their concerns genuinely
    2. I distinguish between resistance based on genuine concern and resistance based on misinformation, and I respond accordingly
    3. I involve those most affected by the change in shaping how it is implemented, not just informing them about it
    4. I acknowledge losses and costs openly, I don't pretend the change is only positive for people
    5. I address visible resistance directly rather than hoping it will dissolve on its own

    Sustaining Momentum

    Your ability to keep the change moving through the inevitable dip in confidence, energy, and progress that follows the initial announcement.

    1. I identify and celebrate early wins that demonstrate the change is working, making progress visible
    2. I maintain my own energy and commitment visibly, I don't signal doubt or fatigue in front of my team
    3. I remove barriers and blockers that are slowing the change, I don't leave people to navigate obstacles alone
    4. I monitor the pace of adoption honestly and adjust my approach when progress is slower than expected
    5. I protect the people leading the change from burnout, I recognise that change management is energy-intensive work

    Embedding New Behaviours

    How effectively you make change stick, aligning systems, reinforcing new behaviours, and ensuring the old way doesn't simply reassert itself.

    1. I make sure the systems, structures, and incentives support the new behaviours, not the old ones
    2. I hold people accountable for demonstrating the new behaviours, not just the outcomes
    3. I recognise and reward people who embody the change, making them visible role models
    4. I maintain focus on the change over time, I don't move on before it is genuinely embedded
    5. I review what worked and what didn't after each significant change, and apply those lessons to future change efforts

    How the result is read

    Your answers are totalled for each section and overall. Each total falls into one of the bands below.

    • Developing, 20 to 44: Significant gaps in how you lead change. Start with Change Communication & Vision, most resistance and failure in change starts with a communication gap, not a people problem. Your team cannot commit to a change they don't understand or believe in.
    • Emerging, 45 to 64: You are doing some things well but the gaps are likely limiting your change results. Focus on Managing Resistance if it is your lowest score, most leaders avoid it and it is the most powerful single lever for change success.
    • Capable, 65 to 82: A capable change leader. The people you lead are more likely to navigate change successfully because of how you show up. Deepen your weakest dimension, even a small improvement in Embedding New Behaviours can prevent change drift.
    • Advanced, 83 to 100: An exceptional change leader. You are rare, most managers are significantly underdeveloped in change leadership. Your team is more adaptable, less anxious, and more productive through change because of how you lead.

    Sources named in this diagnostic

    • Bridges, W. (2003) Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. 2nd edn. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
    • Kotter, J.P. (2012) Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
    • McKinsey & Company (2023) The State of Organizations 2023. McKinsey Global Institute.
    • Prosci (2023) Best Practices in Change Management. 12th edn. Fort Collins, CO: Prosci Inc.

    Where to take the next step

    Our change management programmes equip leaders and teams with practical skills for navigating complex change.

    Explore Change Management Training

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Leading Through Change measure?

    McKinsey's research (2023) found that 70% of large-scale change programmes fail to achieve their stated goals, and the primary cause is leadership, not strategy. This diagnostic identifies which specific leader behaviours are supporting or limiting the change efforts you are responsible for.

    How many questions are in the Leading Through Change?

    It contains 20 questions grouped into 4 dimensions: Change Communication & Vision, Managing Resistance, Sustaining Momentum, Embedding New Behaviours.

    How is the Leading Through Change scored?

    Responses are totalled within each section and across the diagnostic, and each total falls into a result band.

    What happens after I complete the Leading Through Change?

    Once the required items are answered, you enter your first name and email to see your results: an overall interpretation, section scores and development guidance.

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