Change is a natural part of life. In healthcare, it is also a constant part of leadership.  So the question is not whether change will happen, it is how we move through it? Across the natural world, migration represents one of the most powerful examples of transformation. Birds cross continents, wildebeest move across landscapes, monarch butterflies complete journeys that span generations. They all move because staying where they are is no longer what survival requires. It is movement with direction, purpose, and an understanding of what the journey requires. 

For healthcare leaders, migration provides a meaningful way to think about leading through change without losing sight of where the organization is trying to go. 

Movement Is Not the Same as Progress  

Organizations are constantly moving. There are new priorities, initiatives, structures and expectations introduced regularly. Activity is everywhere and when we look at nature, it teaches us that movement alone is not enough.  

Nature reminds us that migration is not random motion. It is an intentional movement toward what is needed next. The same must be true of organizational change. The goal of change leadership in healthcare is not simply to introduce something new. It is to create meaningful movement toward a clearer and more sustainable future. Before asking teams to begin the journey, leaders must be able to answer: 

• Where are we trying to go? 

• Why does this change matter? 

• What will be different when we arrive? 

• How does the change connect to our mission and values? 

• Do our teams understand the destination? 

• What will people need along the way? 

Without clear answers, an organization can expend significant energy without making meaningful progress. Teams may complete tasks, attend meetings, learn new processes, and respond to new expectations without understanding how their efforts contribute to the larger purpose. Direction gives movement meaning.

Give Healthcare Teams a Clear Destination 

Migrating animals are guided by powerful signals, including seasons, environmental conditions, access to resources, and instinct. Healthcare teams also need signals that help them understand where they are going and why. Leaders provide these signals through a clear and consistently communicated vision. A single announcement is rarely enough. People need to hear how the change connects to patient care, workforce well-being, organizational priorities, and the everyday work they perform. They also need to understand what the change means for their specific roles. 

When communicating change, leaders should provide clarity around: 

• Why the change is necessary 

• What problem or opportunity it addresses 

• How it supports the organization’s purpose 

• What will change and what will remain consistent 

• What team members can expect during the transition 

• How employees can ask questions or provide feedback 

• What progress will look like 

During uncertainty, people naturally look for signs that leaders understand both the destination and the realities of the journey. Clear communication helps provide that steadiness. 

Helping Others Through Transition  

During migration, not every member of the group experiences the journey the same way, and change inside organizations is no different. Some will move quickly, some will need support and some will become tired along the way. Leaders often understand a change before everyone else because they have spent more time thinking about it, planning it, and preparing for it. Effective leaders recognize that announcing a change is not the same as helping people transition. People need communication. They need connection. They need time to understand where they fit in the change.  

Understand What Hesitation May Be Communicating 

When people hesitate during change, leaders may be tempted to label them as resistant. Yet hesitation can communicate many different needs. Employees may be concerned because they do not understand the reason for the change. They may have experienced previous initiatives that disappeared before producing meaningful results. They may be protecting something they believe is important, or they may lack the resources and capacity required to meet another new expectation. 

Hesitation or resistance does not always mean that people are unwilling to move. Sometimes it means they need more clarity, trust, participation, or support before they can move confidently. 

This is where the lessons of migration and perseverance intersect. As explored in When You Are in a Salmon Season: Leading Through Resistance, difficulty does not always mean the organization is moving in the wrong direction. At the same time, leaders must remain curious about what resistance is revealing. 

Instead of asking only, “Why won’t they change?” leaders can ask: 

• What are people concerned they may lose? 

• What information might they be missing? 

• What previous experiences are shaping their response? 

• What practical barriers are making the change difficult? 

• How can we involve them more meaningfully in the journey? 

Curiosity helps leaders respond to resistance with greater purpose. 

Adapt Without Losing Direction  

Nature constantly adapts through weather shifts, condition changes, altered pathways and yet successful migration occurs annually by maintaining a sense of direction even when the route changes. Leadership requires the same balance. Adapt the plan, adjust the path, respond to what you are learning and stay connected to purpose.  

A rigid plan can become ineffective when conditions change. A constantly shifting destination can leave teams confused and exhausted. Effective change leadership requires leaders to distinguish between the two. The destination should remain connected to the organization’s purpose, desired outcomes, and commitments. The route should remain flexible enough to respond to what leaders and teams are learning. Adaptability is not a lack of direction. It is the ability to protect the purpose while finding a better path forward.  

Keep People Connected During Change 

Migration is rarely an individual journey. Many species move together because connection provides protection, shared awareness, and greater strength. Healthcare organizations also depend on connection during change. When communication becomes inconsistent or teams feel excluded from decisions, people may begin filling gaps with assumptions. Trust can weaken, uncertainty can grow, and departments may move in different directions. 

Leaders can help maintain connection by creating regular opportunities for dialogue across roles and departments. These conversations should not focus only on delivering updates. They should help leaders understand how people are experiencing the change. 

Connection grows when leaders: 

• Communicate frequently and consistently 

• Remain visible and accessible 

• Invite questions and honest feedback 

• Engage the people closest to the work 

• Share what is changing based on employee input 

• Reinforce shared goals across departments 

• Recognize both effort and progress 

Nature-based leadership encourages leaders to see organizations as interconnected systems rather than isolated individuals or departments. As explored in What Nature Teaches Us About Leadership: Building Connected Healthcare Cultures, the health of the whole depends on the quality of the connections within it. Organizational change is more sustainable when people feel that they are part of the journey rather than simply being moved through it. 

Recognize Progress Along the Journey 

Long migrations require endurance. The destination may remain far away even after meaningful progress has been made. The same is true during healthcare organizational change. If leaders communicate only about the final goal, teams may struggle to recognize the progress occurring along the way. 

Effective leaders identify, acknowledge, and celebrate meaningful milestones, such as: 

• A team adopting a new process 

• An early improvement in an important outcome 

• Employees contributing solutions to an unexpected barrier 

• Greater collaboration between departments 

• Feedback that leads to a better implementation approach 

• Individuals developing new knowledge or confidence 

Recognizing progress does not mean declaring success prematurely. It helps teams see that their effort is producing movement and reinforces the behaviors needed to continue. 

Leading the Journey Forward  

The leaders who successfully guide change are not always the ones who move the fastest. They may be the ones who help others move forward together by creating clarity when the path feels uncertain, confidence when the journey feels difficult and reminding people why the destination matters. Nature has always understood that survival requires movement. But meaningful movement requires direction…and that is the role of a leader. 

Strengthen Change Leadership in Your Organization 

Leading through change requires more than managing timelines, tasks, and implementation plans. It requires leaders who can create clarity, strengthen connection, respond to uncertainty, and help people remain grounded in a shared purpose. 

Creative Health Care Management’s Lead From the Wild™ Leadership Framework helps healthcare leaders apply lessons from the natural world to the real challenges of leadership. Through nature-based learning, reflection, and practical application, leaders can develop the clarity and steadiness needed to guide teams through complexity and change. 

Explore the Lead From the Wild™ Leadership Framework or contact us today for more information. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Gen Guanci

Gen is driven by the desire to help clients create organizational excellence through measurable improvement. She thrives on helping others reach meaningful goals, including Magnet® designation.

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