Successful change leaders: What makes them? What do they do that is different?

Strong leadership is central to successful major change, but some leaders shy away from engaging in it. Mistakenly, they declare victory too early. Only three out of four change initiatives give the return on investment that leadership forecast. Failure is usually in the execution of the initiative. What differentiates the good leader from the bad? The latter tries to allay fears that change may be messy — and by doing so will pay later for his mistake. The good leader builds high levels of commitment and resolve, which is important, but ultimate success depends on discipline and the right implementation framework. The good leader is adaptable and can therefore navigate change successfully. Leadership change beliefs are important. What are these beliefs, and why does the good leader gravitate to one particular set of beliefs? Cost of failure is an issue that is addressed by the good leader. The paper identifies the characteristics associated with change that have a high cost of failure and looks at what good leaders do to reduce risks — including a belief that their own behaviour is critical for project success, and that implementation needs to be systematic and relentless.