Elevate Your Employees for Successful Change

Cathie Leimbach • October 22, 2024

According to experts Skerritt and Parsons, harnessing collective energy to drive change can be created by a three-step process, known as the “Three Es”. Let’s focus on the first E – Elevate.


Want your change efforts to be a success? It's all about getting your employees on board. Research shows that the results of change initiatives are much better when companies involve 20% to 30% of their  employees throughout the whole change process.


How do you get more people involved? Elevate a broad diversity of employees from simply doing what they are told to investigating, testing, providing feedback, and communicating the change.  


1.      Engage employees who love change. Ask them to beta test new processes and share their excitement for the benefits of the planned change.

2.      Leverage the capacity of employees who already have the skills needed to excel with the new technology, process, product, or service.

3.      Get input from a few employees who tend to discover problems and voice their concerns. Task them with finding solutions for the pitfalls.

4.      Request and listen to feedback from the ‘elevated’ employees with a ‘we really want to know the truth’ mindset.

5.      Involve several people who will be heavily impacted by the change in solving challenges that come to light.

6.      Once the beta testers and internal experts believe that the change will be beneficial, communicate the nature and timeline of the change in diverse ways. Be sure to include group meetings where beta testers share their experience, support, and excitement. 



By elevating many employees throughout the initial stages of the change effort, you can create a strong core of employees who are committed to your transformation. And that can make all the difference in your success.

Age and Gender Shape How Employees Want to Be Appreciated

By Cathie Leimbach • June 10, 2025
In today’s evolving workplace, one constant remains: employees want to feel valued. Interestingly, research comparing data from before and after COVID-19 shows that employees' preferred languages of appreciation have remained remarkably consistent over time. However, age and gender differences reveal important nuances leaders shouldn’t ignore. Gender differences are clear. Men more frequently chose Acts of Service as their preferred form of appreciation (26%), while women gravitated toward Words of Affirmation (46%). When asked about their least preferred language, women were more likely to rank Acts of Service at the bottom, while men showed a strong dislike for Tangible Gifts. Age also matters. Employees over 60 overwhelmingly preferred Words of Affirmation (48%), while the youngest generation (under 20) leaned toward Quality Time (33%). These trends suggest that life stage and workplace experience shape what appreciation feels most meaningful.  The takeaway? While core preferences haven't shifted dramatically post-COVID, effective leaders need to understand and respond to individual differences. Avoid blanket strategies and invest in knowing how each team member feels most valued. Personalized appreciation builds stronger teams—across every generation and gender. For further details, see Dr. Paul White’s article on gender differences in appreciation preference.

Why Better Leaders Mean Better Bottom Lines

By Cathie Leimbach • June 3, 2025
Let’s talk straight—leadership development isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s the engine behind real economic progress. John Kotter, a world-renowned voice in leadership and change, made it clear: organizations don’t rise or fall on products alone—they succeed because of how well they lead through change. When leaders know how to cast vision, inspire action, and adapt quickly, the ripple effect is huge. Teams become more engaged. Strategy gets implemented faster. Resistance turns into momentum. And yes—revenue and results improve.  Kotter’s work shows that companies with strong leadership navigate uncertainty better and capture more market share during tough times. Why? Because effective leaders create clarity in the chaos. They don’t just manage—they lead change with purpose. If we want to strengthen our teams, our organizations, and even our communities, we have to prioritize leadership development. Not later—now. Because when leadership improves, so does everything else. That’s not just theory. That’s proven strategy. Click here to view the document: Better Leader = Better Bottom Lines and see why investing in leadership pays off. Let’s build leaders who build better futures.
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