Attitude & Approach
Attitude & Approach is the invisible element that shapes every interaction we have as change agents. It’s about the mindset we bring, the tone we set, and the way we show up in uncertain spaces. When we tune into this, we move from “doing change” to truly being change.
Attitude & Approach vs traditional thinking
Two different assumptions about how change should work.
Lean Change
Lean Change prioritizes mindset, intention, and human connection, with change agents showing up as adaptive, self-aware facilitators.
Traditional Change Management
Traditional Change: Focuses on following best practices and applying structured processes, often treating change agents as neutral experts.
In change work, your mindset is your method. “Attitude & Approach” captures the essence of how you show up as a human being in the work—not just what you do, but how you do it. While traditional change often emphasizes processes, deliverables, and frameworks, Lean Change places a strong emphasis on congruence, presence, and emotional intelligence. This element represents your outlook, energy, and ethical stance—the intangible human qualities that shape the impact you have in every interaction.
Attitude is about how you view change, people, and your role within the system. Do you approach with curiosity or control? Are you seeking to enable or persuade? Approach is about the posture you take—do you lead with questions, or with solutions? In complex environments, your stance can either build trust and psychological safety or unintentionally reinforce resistance. Attitude & Approach acts as the mirror that reflects your inner world into the outer one, influencing how others respond to you and to change.
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Child Developments
Related child elements that expand this building block.
The Big Five personality test measures the five personality factors that psychologists have determined are core to our personality makeup.
A coaching stance in change management means acting as a guide rather than an expert, helping people discover insights and take ownership of change rather than simply following instructions.
Coping stances are habitual emotional responses to stress or change that can either support or hinder communication and collaboration. Recognizing these stances helps change agents facilitate healthier, more productive conversations.
Based on Carl Jung’s theories and developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs, MBTI helps change agents understand how people prefer to process information, make decisions, and interact with the world. While often used in traditional HR contexts, Lean Change applies MBTI informally—as a lens to appreciate cognitive diversity, not to label people. It’s a tool for designing better conversations, not assigning fixed roles.
To help change agents understand and anticipate how people respond to change on a social and neurological level. SCARF is a practical framework for identifying emotional triggers during change—so you can reduce perceived threats and increase engagement.
Give someone a fish, they eat for a day. Teach someone to fish, they eat for a lifetime.
There are a variety of flavours of Carl Jung's theory. For us, 'Temperaments' includes them all, and they can be useful for understanding patterns.
Connections to the broader Lean Change ecosystem.
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