Government leaders are right to feel urgency. New technologies, policy mandates, workforce shifts, cybersecurity threats and citizen expectations are converging at once. Transformation is no longer optional, it’s operationally necessary.
And yet, too many change initiatives stall.
When that happens, the explanation offered is often familiar: “The workforce is resistant.”
That explanation is convenient, and usually incorrect.
In most agencies, hesitation doesn’t come from stubborn employees or a fear of change itself. It comes from how change is introduced, communicated and governed. When leadership clarity is missing, even the most capable workforce pauses, not out of defiance, but out of self-preservation.
The truth is this: Your workforce is watching for leadership signals, not resisting progress.
The Misdiagnosis That Derails Good Intentions
Most government employees are among the most change-experienced professionals in the world. They have lived through reorganizations, system modernizations, policy pivots, leadership transitions and budget disruptions, often simultaneously.
What they resist is not change. They resist:
- Sudden announcements untethered from strategy
- Initiatives launched before basic questions are answered
- Shifting priorities without explanation
- Being told what is changing without understanding why or how
From the workforce’s perspective, a poorly rolled-out initiative communicates something very different than what leadership intends. Instead of “strategic urgency,” it often signals:
- This may be under-resourced.
- This may not last.
- This may conflict with existing priorities.
- This may increase risk without support.
Pausing in that environment is rational.
Hesitation Is Feedback, Not Failure
When employees slow down, wait for clarification, or ask pointed questions, they are not pushing back for sport. They are doing risk assessment, the same skill they use every day to protect missions, systems, and the public trust.
Smart leaders treat hesitation as data.
It tells you:
- Where alignment is unclear
- Where tradeoffs haven’t been acknowledged
- Where incentives conflict
- Where authority and accountability are fuzzy
Ignoring that feedback doesn’t accelerate change, it drives quiet disengagement.
Why Fewer Initiatives Create More Momentum
One of the most consistent patterns across government transformations is initiative overload. Agencies stack modernization on top of compliance, on top of workforce reform, on top of new tools, often without retiring anything.
From an executive vantage point, each effort makes sense. From an operator’s seat, it feels impossible. Momentum doesn’t come from volume. It comes from meaningful prioritization.
High-performing agencies:
- Limit the number of “top priorities” to what leaders are willing to actively sponsor
- Explicitly name what will slow down or stop to make room for something new
- Align performance expectations, funding signals and leadership messaging
- Connect initiatives to outcomes employees already care about, mission success, reduced rework, clarity of purpose
When leaders create space, the workforce fills it with energy.
Five Questions Every SES Should Answer Before Announcing a Transformation
Before you stand at the podium, send the all-hands email or roll out the slide deck on the latest transformational initiative, your leadership team should have crisp answers to these five questions, and be prepared to repeat them consistently.
- What problem are we solving that clearly matters to the mission?
Not a tool. Not a policy. A mission-level problem employees recognize. - What will change, and just as importantly, what will not?
Stability anchors change. Naming it builds trust. - Who is accountable for decisions, tradeoffs, and outcomes?
Ambiguity here is where initiative fatigue is born. - What competing priorities are we actively managing or retiring?
If everything stays urgent, nothing moves. - How will we know this is working, and how will we adjust if it isn’t?
Feedback loops signal seriousness and maturity.
Executives who can confidently answer these questions rarely face “resistance.” They face engagement.
The Myths Leaders Tell Themselves, Gently Debunked
Let’s address a few persistent myths with honesty and respect:
- “They just don’t like change.” The workforce adapts constantly, when change is coherent.
- “Once we announce it, momentum will build.” Announcements create awareness, not adoption.
- “We’ll clarify as we go.” Uncertainty compounds faster than clarity travels.
- “Training will fix it.” Training supports understanding; it cannot replace co-creation, engagement, or alignment gaps.
And perhaps the most common:
- “They’re confused.” In reality, they’re waiting to see whether leadership is aligned enough to commit.
As one seasoned government employee put it succinctly: “Your people aren’t confused, they’re waiting for you to tell them what the game plan is.”
What Smart Change Leadership Looks Like in Practice
Executives who consistently turn hesitation into momentum do a few things differently:
They lead visibly, not episodically.
They sponsor change personally, not just through delegation.
They align words, funding, and incentives before launch.
They invite questions early, rather than interpreting them as opposition.
Most importantly, they respect the workforce’s intelligence and lived experience.
This is not about soft skills. It is about operational credibility.
The Payoff: Trust, Velocity, and Better Outcomes
When leadership rolls out change with clarity, intention and discipline, something remarkable happens: the same workforce accused of resistance becomes its greatest accelerator.
People align. Delivery speeds up. Risk surfaces earlier. Outcomes improve.
Momentum isn’t manufactured. It’s earned, through leadership behaviors that signal seriousness, coherence, and respect.
In today’s government environment, that kind of leadership isn’t just effective. It’s strategic.
Dr. Rhonda Farrell is a transformation advisor with decades of experience driving impactful change and strategic growth for DoD, IC, Joint, and commercial agencies and organizations. She has a robust background in digital transformation, organizational development, and process improvement, offering a unique perspective that combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of business dynamics. As a strategy and innovation leader, she aligns with CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO, and Chief of Staff initiatives to identify strategic gaps, realign missions, and re-engineer organizations. Based in Baltimore and a proud US Marine Corps veteran, she brings a disciplined, resilient, and mission-focused approach to her work, enabling organizations to pivot and innovate successfully.
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