Moving + Organizational Change = Peak LinkedIn

so many boxes

I'm moving again. For the zillionth time.

You'd think I'd be good at it by now.

You'd think that in 2026 I'd have finally downsized my library instead of hauling boxes of books across the country and the planet.

Maybe invest in a Kindle.

But no. The books stay.

They're full of notes and stickies and the passages I want to come back to, and copies I want to be able to lend to friends.

The move itself?

I actually chose this one.

I'm excited about it.

And I'm still packing at 3am the night before closing. Still putting off the call to the utility company until the day of close. Still overwhelmed.

Which got me thinking about every change rollout I've ever watched at work.

(Because that is OBVIOUSLY what normal people lie awake thinking about in the LinkedIn universe and definitely not something people make up because they have been busy packing for 2 months and have neglected LI and now they are trying to make up for it and make a real life experience relevant to work)

We hand people a change they didn't choose - often without telling them what's in it for them - and then act surprised when they're not thrilled to jump through the hoops of making it happen.

If change I picked and am genuinely excited about is THIS hard… why would anyone expect employees to sail through change that was handed to them?

So - in honor of the grad school change management textbooks I just re-discovered and that I will be lugging across the country (as well as an intentional effort to procrastinate packing and an excuse to relax by typing this while lying on the floor) here are 5 things the change management pros (Kotter, Prosci's ADKAR model, Bridges) have been saying for years :

𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 the 𝘄𝗵𝘆 - and make it about them. "Awareness" is the very first step in the ADKAR model for a reason. People don't move until they understand why the change matters to them. "Pack because we're moving" isn't motivating. "Pack because of the life waiting on the other side" is.

i.e. with each item that I pack into a box I'm asking "does this item represent the future life I am trying to build?"

𝟮. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀. Even Kotter's famously hefty 8-step model gets recommended in phases because the whole thing at once is paralyzing. "Completely transform the way our organization operates" freezes people. "Pack one closet" gets done.

i.e. ADHD friends - this one is for you - I made a sticky note for every single cabinet / closet / piece of furniture so I get the immediate gratification of tearing down a sticky with each item that I pack.

𝟯. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 — 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁. The utility call doesn't get less annoying at 3am. It just gets more stressful. Build the unglamorous tasks into the plan up front.

i.e. I have no advice for this one other than - don't be like me.

Make the boring phones calls to cancel utilities and water and trash and forward your mail in advance. It's so much more stressful to do it the day of and you probably end up paying for your home buyer's utilities for the weekend.

𝟰. 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. Kotter calls these out explicitly: early victories prove the effort is working and build momentum. One packed room. One account switched over. Momentum is fuel.

i.e. Along with the gratification of each sticky note I tear down for every cabinet or closet or piece of furniture packed - I also get a roll of smarties and 8 minutes of scroll time with each accomplished sticky because I'm 10. In the corporate world - an acceptable substitute could be public recognition, points in a corporate reward system, or honestly maybe a roll of smarties and a handwritten card would work just as well :)

𝟱. 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 — 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁. "Reinforcement" is the final R in ADKAR because without it, people drift back to old habits.

Keep the destination in sight.

Remind people - over and over and over and over through the chaos - what they're moving toward and why it's worth it.

Seriously.

I'm talking a wallpaper on my phone of the new life I'm building.

I'm talking a new phone ringtone.

I'm talking sticky notes EVERYWHERE laying out the life I'm building.

I'm talking printed pictures around the house reminding me of why I'm going through all of this and what the reward will be on the other side.

In corporate - this means reminding people of the payoff.

What is the bigger vision you're trying to get everyone to?

What is the big picture goal you're striving for both as an organization and as a team?

What is the progress you've made towards that big picture?

How is this change going to pay off and make life better for your staff in the short run or the long run?

Have a phrase or keywords or images to constantly remind staff of your vision.

Remind people in town halls.

Remind people in break rooms.

Over and over and over.

This is what we are working towards.

This is what is going to make it worth it.

Now go and be change masters.

I'll be here under a pile of boxes.