“The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again.”

When former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said those words at the World Economic Forum in 2018, I remember taking a deep breath. As an entrepreneur and someone supporting leaders through change, I felt the need to buckle up.

Several years later, the conversations I have with leaders suggest a different response. People understand that change will continue. Many are wondering how much more they can give.

Gartner research documented an increase from two planned enterprise changes per employee in 2016 to ten in 2022. Over that period, willingness to support enterprise change fell from 74% to 43%.

You may recognize the signs. An announcement receives polite nods and few questions. People who championed the last initiative wait to see whether this one lasts.

Making the case more urgently is a familiar response. Yet when people already understand the pressure, repeating why change matters may do little to strengthen their willingness to engage. As reinvention expert Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva observes, “urgency without capability produces paralysis, not movement.”

For senior leaders, this raises a question: what helps people remain willing to contribute when change keeps coming?

What Goodwill Makes Possible

Goodwill is the willingness to make an effort together because experience gives people reason to trust how they will be treated. It shows up when someone raises a concern early, shares an idea or helps work through an unexpected difficulty.

Goodwill also includes disagreement. People need to believe that speaking honestly can improve what happens next. Leaders seek out different perspectives and experiences and use them to inform decisions.

My work as an Adaptability Quotient practitioner reinforces the importance of the environment around people. Individual adaptability is only part of the picture. Team support, organizational support and work stress also shape people’s capacity to respond.

Relationships matter because they influence whether people ask for help, admit uncertainty and trust that their concerns will receive a fair hearing. They need practical backing through time, resources and realistic expectations.

For leaders in community and social services, higher education and government, change often arrives with conditions set by a ministry, funder or board. Your influence lies partly in how people experience your leadership within those constraints.

1. Trust Begins With What People Already Experience From You

Every new change arrives with a history. People remember whether earlier commitments were honoured, whether concerns influenced decisions and what happened when implementation became difficult.

A compelling announcement cannot erase that experience.

Rebuilding goodwill begins with acknowledging what people have learned from previous changes, including where leadership fell short. Sometimes this means explaining what changed because people spoke up. Sometimes it means being candid about what could not change and why.

Trust grows when listening has visible consequences. Your organization’s response gives people reason to judge whether contributing again will make a difference.

Ask yourself: What have people learned from previous changes about whether they can trust how we lead the next one?

2. Participation Requires Meaningful Influence

Leaders often face a difficult balance: a decision is settled, yet its success depends on knowledge held by people who were not involved in making it.

There may still be meaningful choices about sequencing, implementation and protecting essential services. Being clear about those choices makes participation credible. Inviting input without explaining its limits can deepen the frustration you hoped to address.

For senior leaders, this requires judgement about where authority belongs. People closer to the work may recognize consequences and possibilities that have not reached the executive table. Giving them meaningful influence can improve both the decisions and their commitment to making them work.

Goodwill grows when people can recognize their contribution in how the organization moves forward.

Ask yourself: Where could sharing more influence lead to a better outcome?

3. Managers Need Your Partnership

Managers are often expected to translate decisions into workable changes while maintaining day-to-day services. They also hear the concerns that may never reach the senior table.

Their relationship with leadership matters as much as their relationship with their teams.

When managers can question assumptions, surface competing demands and influence expectations, they are better placed to support people honestly. When their role is largely to relay decisions, that becomes harder.

Senior leaders build goodwill by taking those tensions seriously, including decisions about what can wait and what support implementation requires. Acknowledging pressure means more when it changes an expectation or a priority.

Ask yourself: What are our managers telling us about the pressures on their teams, and how is that shaping our decisions?

You may have limited control over the changes ahead. Your relationships give you a place to exercise influence.

Before asking people to commit again, consider what their experience has taught them to expect from you. Where do they have reason to trust your leadership, and where might that trust need attention?

Their willingness to engage begins well before the next announcement.

If you would value a confidential thinking partner as you work through these leadership questions, my executive coaching offers space to find clarity about your next steps.