I got fired.
And it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Here’s what actually happened…
I built change management capability within my junior colleague.
He was ready.
Fully equipped.
Confident.
So I was asked to handed over the reins – and the project no longer needed me.
That’s the uncomfortable truth about doing change management right. If you do it well… you make yourself redundant.
My fellow change practitioner Nissi Ozigbu nailed it recently: modern change managers build capability that lasts.
Not dependency.
Not a personal empire.
Capability.
And she’s right. Better equipping everyone with the knowledge, mindset, and skill to navigate continuous change is a win for everyone – business bottom line included.
But here’s where most organizations get it wrong:
→ They treat change management as one person’s job
→ They hire a change manager and expect magic
→ They forget that change is constant – and everyone needs to know how to work with it
The real legacy isn’t a perfect change plan sitting in SharePoint.
- It’s when your project manager understands adoption.
- When your IT lead thinks about the human side.
- When your HR team speaks the language of transformation.
- When the team leader navigates resistance without calling for backup.
Because the future of change management isn’t one hero driving it all.
It’s organizations where the capability lives in the culture – not in a single role.
This is exactly what the new Change Management Institute research – Futures of Change 2035 – confirms.
Today, 72% of people see change management as a project management process.
By 2035? Only 20%.
Instead, 58% expect change management to become a core leadership capability – and 38% believe it will become an organisational capability, not an individual one.
The future of change management is not in more refined methodologies.
It is in building the mindset – across teams, roles, and levels.
And those who understand this earlier than everyone else will gain the greatest advantage.