The Real Reason Change Initiatives Fail — and What to Do Instead

Change is everywhere — and yet, most change initiatives still fail. Depending on the study, failure rates hover between 60–70%. Despite the best-laid plans, transformation efforts stall out, produce mediocre results, or quietly disappear altogether.

Why? Most organizations will tell you it’s due to “culture.” That’s the safe explanation. But the real reason is harder to admit:

Change doesn’t fail because of culture — it fails because of leadership.

I’ve seen this pattern play out repeatedly in my career, and it’s echoed constantly by professionals in my network — especially those working in HR operations, OD, and change management. They get brought in under the banner of transformation, innovation, or growth. The executive says they’re ready to scale, streamline, or modernize. But soon, the cracks start to show.

These leaders have already cycled through outside experts. They’ve spent large sums of money on consultants, playbooks, workshops. They say they want change — but deep down, they don’t actually want to change themselves. More often than not, they’re reacting to pressure: from the board, from investors, or from public scrutiny triggered by performance failures.

And here’s how it usually plays out:

• Expert recommendations are ignored. “We don’t do it that way here.”
• Internal hires are moved into critical roles they aren’t qualified for — not for development, but to avoid tough conversations.
• Outside consultants are brought in for optics, not outcomes. “We hired the right people” becomes the excuse, not the strategy.
• Culture gets blamed when momentum dies, even though the executive team is responsible for shaping and reinforcing that very culture.

The uncomfortable truth:

🔹 Culture is the shadow of leadership.

🔹 Change fails not because people resist it — but because leaders resist leading it.

Executives often claim they want transformation, but what they really want is transformation that doesn’t disrupt their comfort, question their decisions, or require them to be different. They want change that keeps everything else the same. That’s not change — that’s theater.

So instead of confronting tough truths — like unqualified leaders in critical roles, outdated ways of working, or unchecked performance issues — they compromise. They settle for mediocrity. They build the appearance of change while avoiding the accountability that drives it. And then they point fingers.

So, what does work? What should leaders do instead?

Here are five truths that separate performative change from real transformation:

✅ Start with the mirror. Change begins with self-awareness. Ask yourself: Am I actually willing to change? Am I role modeling the behaviors I expect from others? You don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need humility and courage. If you’ve never led this kind of transformation before, get help. That’s leadership.

✅ Listen to the experts you hire. You brought them in for their neutral perspective and experience. Let them challenge assumptions, poke holes in the plan, and guide the way. If it feels uncomfortable, that’s a sign you’re doing the right work.

✅ Hire for capability, not comfort. If your OD or Change Management hires can’t confidently assess readiness, influence stakeholders, and execute change with discipline and precision — you didn’t hire for transformation. You hired for optics. Don’t confuse familiarity with effectiveness.

✅ Create accountability before culture. Culture is not a vibe — it’s a result. It reflects what gets rewarded, tolerated, and ignored. If underperformance has no consequence, mediocrity becomes the culture. Accountability is the bedrock. Without it, nothing sticks.

✅ Lead visibly and consistently. Change is social. It spreads through what people see — not what they read in a memo. If you’re not modeling new behaviors, no one else will either. And your direct reports? They need to champion the change alongside you. If they’re not bought in, the effort stops with them.

The bottom line

Change is possible. But it requires leaders to stop outsourcing the hard work and start owning it.

So the next time you’re tempted to blame the culture, ask yourself: What am I reinforcing, tolerating, or avoiding that created this?

Because if you’re blaming the culture, you’re probably part of the problem — and you also hold the key to the solution.

PEOPLE MATTER in Business.

Cindy Goyette, SPHR, MAOM, CC – cindygoyette.com 2025

Accountability, Company Culture, Leadership, People Matter, Performance