Earlier in my career, I was hired to lead a turnaround. From day one it was clear the organization needed change. The board had one set of ideas, the leadership team another and the staff yet more opinions. Everyone agreed change was necessary but everyone also had a reason why now was not the time. Some wanted to wait for the perfect plan. Others argued we should hold off until conditions were just right. Still others said the team was too stretched to take on more.

From earlier turnarounds and organizational change management, I had learned this pattern well. There is no Goldilocks moment, no perfect time when everything aligns. The real risk is waiting. So I moved ahead, not recklessly but systematically, with urgency and purpose.

That lesson echoes the insights of Frances Frei and Anne Morriss in their Harvard Business Review article “10 Beliefs That Get in the Way of Organizational Change,”  where they argue that the best leaders “move fast and fix things.” They identify 10 beliefs that often hold organizations back, from the idea that meaningful change must be slow to the assumption that more preparation guarantees better outcomes. These beliefs are seductive because they sound responsible, but in reality they breed inertia. Leaders who want to accelerate excellence must adopt disciplined urgency, making decisions with about 70% of the available information, protecting people’s time as a scarce resource, and building lightweight structures that enable momentum rather than stifle it.

HR strategist Mark Stelzner reinforces this approach in a recent article in HR Executive, offering four steps to sustaining organizational change in turbulent times. First, leaders must define and communicate a true north, a clear and compelling vision that ties tactical choices back to enterprise goals. Second, they need proactive agility. Plans are never static; leaders must build systems that sense changes in context, allow rapid course corrections, and keep the organization aligned without losing speed. Third, engagement must be authentic and broad. Transformation fails if it is done to people rather than with them. Transparent communication, feedback loops and distributed ownership help employees see themselves as co-creators of the future. Finally, organizations must invest in the skills, tools and processes required to thrive, not just survive.

But even clarity, agility and engagement are not enough without culture. McKinsey’s 2023 State of Organizations research, referenced in a recent article called “Five bold moves to quickly transform your organization’s culture,” shows that inclusive cultures drive productivity, retention and resilience. In fact, employees who feel they belong are significantly more likely to stay and perform at high levels, while disengagement can cost a median-size S&P 500 company hundreds of millions of dollars per year. To address this, McKinsey highlights five power moves: leaders should show, not just tell, exposing employees to new practices and inspiring stories; enroll, not assign, creating opportunities for people to opt into the change; shake up entrenched routines with meaningful new rituals and incentives; connect the dots by identifying hidden influencers and equipping them as change agents; and remember that change is personal by supporting employees’ well-being and sense of belonging.

Taken together, these insights confirm what I saw firsthand when I walked into that turnaround: waiting for perfect conditions only deepens the status quo or prolongs a crisis. There is no perfect moment in organizational change. The leaders who succeed are the ones who start, sustain momentum and build a culture where people choose to belong. That is how uncertainty becomes progress and disruption becomes advantage.

I asked leaders for advice on what approaches or practices have worked best for them in creating momentum and bringing people along with them.

Adam Gregg, president and CEO, Iowa Bankers Association, and former lieutenant governor of Iowa

I’ve often heard the phrase “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Sure, a definitive event can create a unique opportunity to drive change. Such events can put the issues at hand in stark relief and clarify the choices to be made. However, those situations can be rare, and aren’t the only opportunity to affect change.

I’ve found that leading change outside of a “perfect moment” requires more effort, but can be more durable. My formula usually involves starting with why. Why is this change needed? Why is the status quo failing us? Why is a new approach better? Starting with why shows respect to your stakeholders – it appeals to their intelligence and calls upon shared priorities. If you can get your team to buy into why the change is good, they’re far more likely to be on board with what you want to do and how you want to accomplish it.

Marcela Hermosillo-Tarin, HR director at Arvum Senior Living, a Discovery Senior Living company, and founder of Serenity by Design 

As an HR director and Prosci-certified Change Management practitioner supporting more than 1,200 employees and an entrepreneur in remodeling and staging, I’ve learned there’s rarely a perfect moment to lead change. 

Momentum comes from pairing strategy with tactical execution – clear vision, communication, training and resistance planning. Research shows that 70% of change initiatives fail, most often because the people side of change is overlooked.

I think of it like a map: You must understand both your starting point and your destination to chart the most effective route. 

And today, as AI adoption accelerates, McKinsey reports that 70% of its value depends not on the technology itself but on how people adapt their work. 

That’s why I focus on equipping people with the knowledge, skills and clarity to engage fully as we navigate the messy middle. Momentum is built when people are equipped, not when change is delayed.

Olesya Holker, vice president of operations, Association for Talent Development – Central Iowa

Meaningful organizational change doesn’t wait for a perfect moment. It starts with clarity, purpose and open communication. Transparency isn’t optional; it builds trust, aligns teams and creates a shared understanding of why change matters. When employees see the “why” behind decisions and have space to ask questions, they become more engaged, more committed and empowered to own the change. 

My advice to leaders is to communicate early and often, share both the vision and the challenges, help your team see how their work matters and celebrate small wins to sustain momentum. By fostering a culture of transparency and purpose, leaders can turn uncertainty into opportunity and strengthen trust that endures beyond any initiative.

Larry Taylor, CEO, Merchants Bonding

At Merchants we’ve learned that if you wait for the “perfect moment” to lead change, you’ll be waiting forever and miss opportunities. Momentum starts with being transparent about why we’re moving in a certain direction and inviting people into that story. When our associates understand the purpose behind a change, they feel ownership and energy instead of hesitation. We also lean heavily on our culture – it’s something we’ve built intentionally and are proud of, and it helps people see change as growth rather than disruption. I try to celebrate progress, empower leaders across the company and keep communication open so no one feels left behind. That approach has carried us to becoming the eighth largest surety in the country, and it’s why we’re expanding our headquarters today. Change may not be perfect but it is exciting. With trust and shared purpose, it becomes a chance to grow together.

Travis Toliver,  vice president of Downtown Development; executive director, Ames Main Street

There’s never really a perfect time to make change happen. Through my experiences, it’s best to start where you are and bring people along early. For me, momentum comes from clearly sharing the “why” behind the change and then inviting others to help shape the “how.” When people see their fingerprints on the process, they are naturally more invested. I also like to focus on celebrating small wins, so progress feels real, even when the bigger goal is still ahead. Finally, listening louder than you speak is just as important as leading! One of the human truths in life is that people want to feel heard. When they are, they become much more open to moving forward together. Because at the end of the day, it’s about building trust, keeping the vision in front of people, and showing that change isn’t just disruption … it’s progress.