38 Inspiring Change Management Quotes

In navigating the ever-evolving landscape of today's business world, effective change management stands out as a vital skill for leaders and organizations. The challenge lies not only in implementing strategic alterations but in inspiring teams to embrace and thrive amidst these transitions. One way to spark motivation and offer guidance is through the power of words. This collection of 38 inspiring change management quotes captures timeless wisdom and fresh insights from thought leaders, visionaries, and change-makers around the globe. Each quote serves as a reminder that change, while often daunting, is an opportunity for growth and innovation. Join us as we delve into these encouraging words that are sure to provide clarity and inspiration for your change management journey.

1. “A manager’s emotional commitment is the ultimate trigger for their discretionary effort, worth more than financial, intellectual & physical commitment combined.” - Stan Slap

2. “What companies want most from their managers is what they most stop their managers from giving. What managers want most from their jobs is what they most stop themselves from getting.” - Stan Slap

3. “The company may have captured their minds, their bodies and their pockets, but that doesn’t mean it’s captured their hearts.” - Stan Slap

4. “Try not to take this the wrong way, but your brain is smarter than you are.” - Stan Slap

5. “Your dreams and the dreams of your company may be different, but they are in no way incompatible.” - Stan Slap

6. “The worst thing in your own development as a leader is not to do it wrong. It’s to do it for the wrong reasons.” - Stan Slap

7. “The purpose of leadership is to change the world around you in the name of your values, so you can live those values more fully.” - Stan Slap

8. “Your company really has to work for you before you’ll really work for your company.” - Stan Slap

9. “When rewards come from an external source instead of an internal source, they’re unreliable, which means they’re dangerous if you grow to depend on them.” - Stan Slap

10. “What first separates a leader from a normal human being? A leader knows who they are as a human being.” - Stan Slap

11. “Imagine a world where what you say synchs up, not sinks down.” - Stan Slap

12. “The myth of management is that your personal values are irrelevant or inappropriate at work.” - Stan Slap

13. “When you’re a manager, you work for your company. When you’re a leader, your company works for you.” - Stan Slap

14. “Here’s what you need to know most about leadership: Lead your own life first. The only thing in this world that will dependably happen from the top down is the digging of your grave.” - Stan Slap

15. “You can’t sell it outside if you can’t sell it inside.” - Stan Slap

16. “Your company is its own competition and can deliver itself debilitating blows the competition only dreams of.” - Stan Slap

17. “The first step to solving any problem is to accept one’s own accountability for creating it.” - Stan Slap

18. “Being relevant to your customers only when you’re trying to sell something means choosing to be irrelevant to them for the rest of the time.” - Stan Slap

19. “You don't have to fear your own company being perceived as human. You want it. People don't trust companies; they trust people.” - Stan Slap

20. “There will be plenty of other problems in the future. This is as good a time as any to get ahead of them.” - Stan Slap

21. “The first step out of the gate has to be knowing where you want to end up. What do you really want from your company?” - Stan Slap

22. “Let’s get right on top of the bottom line: You must live your personal values at work.” - Stan Slap

23. “Hard-core results come from igniting the massive power of emotional commitment. Are your people committed?” - Stan Slap

24. “The heart of a company’s performance is hardwired to the hearts of its managers.” - Stan Slap

25. “Your values are your essence: an undistorted mirror showing you at your pure, attractive best.” - Stan Slap

26. “The high quality of a company’s customer experience rarely has anything to do with the high price of their product.” - Stan Slap

27. “To integrate one’s experiences around a coherent and enduring sense of self lies at the core of creating a user’s guide to life.” - Stan Slap

28. “Management controls performance in people because it impacts skills; it’s a matter of monitoring, analyzing and directing.” - Stan Slap

29. “Leaders make a lot of mistakes but they admit those mistakes to themselves and change because of them.” - Stan Slap

30. “Any expert will tell you that if you want emotionally committed relationships then people must be allowed to be true to who they are.” - Stan Slap

31. “When you’re not on your own agenda, you’re prey to the agenda of others.” - Stan Slap

32. “True leaders live their values everywhere, not just in the workplace.” - Stan Slap

33. “Emotional commitment is a personal choice. Managers understand this even if their companies don’t.” - Stan Slap

34. “A manager’s emotional commitment is worth more than their financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined.” - Stan Slap

35. “Why live my personal values at work? This is an excellent question to ask. If your attorneys are planning an insanity defense.” - Stan Slap

36. “This is your one and only precious life. Somebody’s going to decide how it’s going to be lived and that person had better be you.” - Stan Slap

37. “What managers want most from companies they stop themselves from getting.What companies want most from managers they stop them from giving.” - Stan Slap

38. “At that point where you have decided to upgrade from aspiration to expectation and have begun to visualize an outcome, something incredibly important has happened, you have committed to the process of change.” - Lorii Myers