Keynotes On Leading In Change, Leading Through Change & Leading The Change
- Nick Jankel
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 8
How to Lead in Change and lead THE Change
“How do I lead through all this change and disruption?”
“What’s the difference between change leadership and change management?”
"How do we lead in these turbulent and volatile times?"
"How do we cope with so much complexity and uncertainty?"
"How do I help my team and reports deal with change and learn to embrace it?"
These are the questions I’ve been helping leaders answer for over 25+ years. The times may have changed a little, but I've been working on the frontlines of disruption since 1999 and the dot-com expansion, and these issues have been challenging leaders since then.
If you’re a senior executive navigating digital transformation, market volatility and uncertainty, or organizational culture shifts, this post is for you. It's also here for event planners and keynote bookers looking for an outstanding leadership keynote speaker who can make a real impact at top 10-10,000 leader events, a specialty of mine.
I’ll explain what it means to lead in change and lead the change, and some of the key leadership qualities and capabilities required to lead in what I have come to call the VUCA++ reality.
What’s the Difference Between Leading In Change vs. Leading the Change?
Leading In & Through Change
Staying effective while change happens around you
Making sense when nothing seems to make sense
Building stability to allow more agility
Communicating with calm, clarity, truthfulness, and empathy
Inspiring empowerment and ownership
Leading The Change
Setting a clear vision for what’s next that can adapt in real time
Building momentum when people are exhausted and overwhelmed
Guiding people to feel secure through the journey, comfortable in the discomfort
Making "good enough" decisions with imperfect data
Inspiring and coaching others to adapt and evolve
Turning resistance into resolve
Collaborating across silos and functions
Both are essential for future-fit leaders, yet require different tools and skills.
My Leadership approach for leading in change
Over the past two decades, and more, in which I've led 100+ innovation and digital transformation programs with all the resistance and challenge these ignite, and coached and trained 100,000 or so senior leaders to do the same, I’ve developed a neuroscience-based framework to help leaders navigate complexity and transform their organizations:
1. BTX®: A neuroscience-driven method for rewiring limiting beliefs, unlocking creativity, and shifting from reactivity to purpose-driven action.
2. Cell-to-Self-to-System™: A brain-based leadership curriculum we have developed for Fortune 500s and beyond to develop resilient, connected, and visionary leaders at every level.
These tools have helped thousands of leaders create breakthroughs in innovation, performance, and culture.
6 Core Skills for Leading Through Change & LEADING THE CHANGE
If you’re aiming to lead transformational, not just transactional, these are some of the key capabilities I help leaders build:
Sensemaking In Complexity: Making sense of things with the best data and clarified intuition
Empathic & Ethical Influencing: Inspiring others to act with heart and head
Transformative Communication: Provide direction, purpose, and feedback in clear, calm, and candid ways
Systems Thinking: Understanding interconnections, interdependencies, and interventions
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Ensure others feel seen, heard, respected, and value
Embodied Wisdom: Live, embody, and model values you want others to live by
These aren’t soft skills. They are really hard yet essential survival skills for 21st-century leadership.
“A standing ovation! I’m already sharing Nick’s insights with my leadership team.”— CEO, Unilever USA
Common Leadership Questions I Help Answer ABOUT LEADING IN CHANGE
How do I lead through uncertainty without burning out?
How do I keep my team engaged during transformation?
How do I deal with resistance and exhaustion?
What’s the best leadership style during disruption?
How do I shift mindsets and behaviors?
How can neuroscience help leaders adapt faster?
These are the kinds of questions I cover in my keynotes, retreats, and leadership programs.
Final Takeaway
To lead in change is to stay grounded while the world shifts. To lead through change is to help others move with you toward something better.
That’s the work I do with leaders every day: helping them turn volatility into vision, and disruption into transformation.
If your team or organization is facing change and wants to thrive through it, I’d be honored to support you.
Explore my executive leadership programs at SwitchOnLeadership.com
Or reach out directly for speaking, coaching, or advisory services
Let’s transform uncertainty into opportunity.
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