By Kimberly States
The Organizational Edge
If you’ve felt exhausted lately — not just tired, but the kind of fatigue that doesn’t go away — there’s a good chance change is at the root of it. Not any single change, but the relentless accumulation of them. New federal priorities. Shifting funding landscapes. Staff turnover. Board transitions. And through all of it, the expectation that you’ll keep the mission moving forward.
There’s a model called the Change Curve, originally developed from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s grief research and later applied to organizational change. I’ve found it to be one of the most useful frameworks for helping teams navigate change, because it acknowledges that change is first a human experience — and that before people can adapt, they have to move through something.
The first stage: Denial
When change hits, the first instinct for many leaders and teams isn’t panic — it’s minimization. “This isn’t that big a deal.” “We’ve been through worse.” The danger for leaders in this stage is that you can unknowingly model denial for your team. When staff see their leader minimizing a real disruption, they don’t feel reassured — they feel unseen. The change they’re feeling in their daily work becomes something they’re not allowed to name. That silence is where burnout quietly begins.
The second stage: Anger and Frustration
When denial gives way, frustration moves in. This is the stage that makes leaders most uncomfortable, because it often shows up sideways — as sarcasm in staff meetings, outward resistance, or a shorter fuse in your own responses. People aren’t necessarily angry at you. They’re grieving the way things were and resisting the uncertainty of what comes next.
The mistake most leaders make here is trying to resolve the frustration too quickly. They call a meeting, issue a memo, or roll out a plan — anything to move away from the tension. But people don’t need to be managed out of this stage. They need to be acknowledged in it. Naming what’s hard, without pretending it isn’t, is one of the most underrated leadership moves there is.
Why this matters for burnout
Here’s what I’ve seen happen in organizations that skip over these stages or rush through them: the change gets implemented, but the people never catch up. On paper, things are moving forward. Underneath, the team is running on empty. The most resilient leaders I’ve worked with don’t try to protect their teams from the reality of change. They bring their teams into it. They talk about what’s uncertain. They name what’s being lost, even when something better is being gained. And they give people enough information and enough voice to feel like participants rather than passengers.
When leaders navigate the early stages well — acknowledging denial, making space for frustration, and staying present rather than pushing past — teams move through change. They move into exploration, where people start asking “what could this look like?” instead of “why is this happening?” And eventually they reach commitment — the stage where the change is no longer something being done to them, but something they’re actively building together.
One thing you can do right now
The next time you’re moving through a significant change — whether it’s a funding shift, a leadership transition, or a strategic pivot — pause long enough to ask your team one honest question: “What’s feeling hardest about this right now?” Then listen without fixing. You don’t have to have an answer. What people need most in the middle of change isn’t a solution — it’s a leader who’s willing to be present in the difficulty with them.
That’s where trust gets built. And trust is what carries organizations through change without burning everyone out in the process.
If this resonates, join us for the next free Clear Waters Collaborative on May 15 at noon at the Delta Innovation Workspace Community Room: How Nonprofit Leaders Reduce Miscommunication and Align Staff, Boards, and Volunteers. Or if you’re navigating something that can’t wait, one-hour consultations are available. Learn more at www.clearwatersconsult.com.
Kim States has more than 20 years of experience in organizational transformation in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Her passion is helping organizations stabilize day to day operations, build capacity and create positive, sustainable cultures that drive growth and reduce costs. If you have an idea for a column topic email kimberly.clearwaters@gmail.com.
