Change Fatigue Isn’t the Problem — It’s Lack of Progress
3 Min. Read
If people seem tired, it’s not because you’re changing too much—it’s because nothing’s changing at all.
Executives love to blame “change fatigue.”
But let’s challenge that narrative.
People aren’t tired of change.
They’re tired of wasted effort. Of leadership spin. Of seeing nothing stick.
They’ve been through launch after launch, watched priorities shift overnight, and sat through transformation after transformation that didn’t transform anything.
It’s not fatigue.
It’s disillusionment.
The Real Problem Isn’t Too Much Change—It’s Too Little Progress
Look at your last few initiatives. Be honest:
- Did they deliver visible wins?
- Did leaders show up consistently beyond kickoff?
- Did people understand why it mattered?
- Could teams feel any difference—on the ground?
If not, what you’re seeing isn’t burnout.
It’s the organizational version of eye-rolling.
ZRG calls this cultural debt—the cynicism that accrues every time an initiative fizzles. Eventually, belief collapses.
And when belief collapses, performance isn’t far behind.
People Don’t Resist Change. They Resist Ambiguity.
Neuroscience makes this clear:
It’s not change that triggers resistance. It’s uncertainty.
What people fear is:
- Mixed signals
- Invisible progress
- Vague objectives
- Leadership that disappears after the kickoff
But when they see change as real, well-led, and worth the effort?
They lean in.
That’s why ZRG’s Leading Through Change work focuses not just on comms—but on evidence of momentum.
Because belief doesn’t come from slogans.
It comes from progress you can see.
Three Fast Questions to Diagnose the Real Problem
If your people are “fatigued,” try this checklist:
- Where is progress unclear?
Are we showing what’s moving—or just moving on? - Where is leadership absent?
Are sponsors still in the trenches—or just on the kickoff slide? - Where is context missing?
Do people know how their daily work connects to real results?
If any answer is “I’m not sure,”
you’re not facing fatigue.
You’re facing a credibility gap.
What to Do Instead: Build the Belief Loop
People don’t burn out from hard work.
They burn out from working hard and seeing nothing change.
To rebuild belief, leaders must:
Celebrate visible wins
Even small ones. Especially small ones.
Link work to enterprise outcomes
Don’t say “strategic”—show how their effort moves the needle.
Create progress rituals
Weekly momentum boards. Skip-level updates. “What moved” meetings.
Embed storytelling
Make forward movement part of how the culture communicates.
ZRG weaves these practices into our Future of Work and Change Leadership strategies. Not as add-ons. As infrastructure.
Case Snapshot: When Fatigue Was Just Frustration
A national insurance provider told us their people were exhausted.
Engagement scores dropped. Momentum stalled.
But the deeper issue?
- 17 overlapping transformation programs
- No defined KPIs
- No public wins
- Senior leaders nowhere past kickoff
We paused all but three initiatives.
Launched a weekly “momentum dashboard.”
Redesigned leader check-ins.
Started broadcasting visible wins company-wide.
Six weeks later: morale began to climb.
Nine weeks in: a major delivery landed—and belief followed.
People weren’t tired of change.
They were tired of noise without motion.
HR and Coaching: Fix the System, Not Just the Symptoms
When “change fatigue” shows up, HR often gets asked to fix it with:
- Wellness programs
- Resilience workshops
- Engagement surveys
But what really needs fixing is:
- Leadership follow-through
- Execution discipline
- Feedback loops that prove traction
Partnering with ZRG’s Executive Coaching and Culture Diagnostic can re-center change around behavior, not buzzwords.
Because until leaders lead visibly, belief won’t return.
Final Thought: If It’s Not Moving, People Will Stop Caring
Fatigue is what people call it when they’ve stopped believing change is worth the effort.
So ask:
- What have we delivered in the last 60 days?
- What are we doing to prove it matters?
- Who’s showing up to reinforce it?
Because when people see progress, they commit.
And when they don’t—they opt out.
