The Best Change Leaders Are Connectors

The real power of change leadership isn’t just in what you say—it’s in who you connect. The best change leaders are connectors, striving to make connections between people, teams, and ideas who may never naturally align on their own.

Connection is how work gets done

When leaders operate as connectors, they:

✔️ Build Cross-Functional Buy-In – Change leaders bring together different perspectives and ensure that change is designed with people, not just for them.

✔️ Surface Hidden Resistance Early – By staying tapped into different networks across the organization, they catch friction points before they escalate

✔️ Build Shared Ownership – Connection fosters involvement, and involvement fosters adoption. When people feel like they’re part of the change rather than passive recipients, they are far more likely to support and sustain it.

Change leaders are Connectors - Here's How they do it

If you want to move from communicating change to connecting people through change, focus on these three strategies:

Learning how to connect people and teams | The Change Maven

Map the Network of Influence: Formal structures don’t tell the full story of influence. Who do people turn to for advice? Who has informal sway over decision-making? Identify these key players and bring them into the conversation early.

Make Collaboration Unavoidable: Create forums where cross-functional teams have to interact. Run working sessions, build task forces, and encourage joint problem-solving instead of siloed decision-making. When teams co-create, they co-own.

Be the Thread That Ties It All Together: You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is introduce the right people, at the right time, for the right conversation. Be the person who brings clarity, context, and connection when it’s needed most.

Great change leaders actively break down barriers, facilitate collaboration, and create the trust needed for change to stick. If you want to drive lasting impact, don’t just talk about the change. Connect the people who will make it real.