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.

How Managers Drive 70% of Performance

By Cathie Leimbach • February 17, 2026
Most CEOs focus on strategy, systems, and talent. But the biggest driver of performance is already in place: managers. Manager behavior influences about 70% of team engagement and results. What happens in everyday conversations matters more than perks, pay, or policies. Managers either multiply energy or drain it. Clear, supportive managers raise performance. Avoiding, inconsistent managers quietly lower it. The good news? Small habits make a big difference: Clarifying expectations Giving timely feedback Addressing issues early Reinforcing priorities These moments add up. Instead of telling managers to “motivate people,” try asking: Where might expectations be unclear? Where is inconsistency allowed? What conversation is being avoided? When managers improve just a little, results improve a lot. 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation to explore how everyday manager habits quietly shape engagement and results.

Why Engagement Isn’t About Perks

By Cathie Leimbach • February 10, 2026
When engagement drops, many organizations reach for perks—rewards, programs, or incentives. These can create a short lift, but they rarely solve the real issue. Engagement starts with expectations. Most people want to do good work. What gets in the way isn’t motivation—it’s uncertainty. When priorities shift, roles feel unclear, or success means different things to different leaders, people disengage quietly. Leaders often don’t realize they’re contributing to this. Vague direction, inconsistent follow-through, or assuming “they already know” leaves teams guessing. Over time, guessing turns into frustration—and frustration turns into disengagement. Strong engagement cultures focus on leadership basics: Clear priorities Shared definitions of success Aligned expectations Consistent reinforcement When expectations are clear, people move with confidence. They take ownership, collaborate better, and stay engaged because they know where they’re headed. Perks can support engagement—but only after clarity is in place. 👉 Read our full article on Why Engagement Starts With Expectations to turn clarity into a real advantage.