I have been managing change for the last twenty five years and over those years these are the biggest mistakes I've made in managing change -- and the lessons I've learned on the way...

Mistake Number 1 : I didn't understand the critical importance of people.

Lesson learnt: Organizations don't change. People do -- or they don't.

Mistake Number 2: I didn't appreciate that people throughout any organisation have different reactions to change

Lesson learnt: Some people are more "ready for change" We need encourage the early adaptors and champions.

Mistake Number 3: I treated transformational change as an event, rather than a mental, physical and emotional process.

Lesson learnt: Large-scale organizational change usually triggers emotional reactions -- denial, negativity, choice, tentative acceptance, commitment.

Mistake Number 4: I wasn't totally honest with colleagues.

Lesson learnt: Communicate openly and honestly.

Mistake Number 5: I didn't carefully "set the context" for change.

Lesson learnt: Colleagues need to know the vision, goals, and strategy for any new arrangements.

Mistake Number 6: I tried to manage transformational change with the same strategies used for incremental change.

Lesson learnt: Continuous improvement is linear, predictable, logical, and based on a progressive acceleration of past performance. Transformational change is none of these things.

Mistake Number 7: I forget to negotiate the new "agreement" between the boss and his colleagues.

Lesson learnt: A new relationship needs to develop, based on mutual trust and respect.

Mistake Number 8: I used to believe that simple communication engages colleagues.

Lesson learnt: We must learn the importance of behaviour-based communication as a requirement for leading change.

Mistake Number 9: I underestimated the potential of my colleagues.

Lesson learnt: Trust in the innate intelligence, capability, and creativity of your colleagues and people will simply amaze you.

These lessons have helped me build something extra-ordinary at Education Leeds; a unique, award winning company that has transformed education and learning.

Chris