I’ve been an operational leader myself, so I understand what truly matters when you’re shoulder-deep in day-to-day demands while still needing to drive continual change.
Through experience, I learned that successful change doesn’t happen through instructions, tick-box outputs, or overly complicated models.
Real change happens at the speed of trust — when it’s authentic, simple to understand, carries momentum, and puts people at the centre. By working alongside leaders, building strong relationships, removing barriers, and defining what success really looks like, we can create change that feels meaningful and lasts.
I founded ChangeWave Consulting to share this experience and to help business leaders deliver change that sticks — change you can genuinely be proud of.
Why the name ChangeWave?
Just like waves, change is always in motion – both are natural and inevitable. We can’t stop them, but we can learn to ride them well.
Constant movement
Waves build from forces (wind, currents and tide) and change is driven from strategic, technology and cultural forces which are driven by leaders who create the energy and the momentum.
Energy & momentum
Resistance
Both waves and change face resistance; waves from the shore, rocks and seabed and change from habits, history, beliefs and the environment. The shape of the outcome depends on how resistance is anticipated and managed.
Whereas surfers adapt their stance to the wave; leaders and employees need to adapt their behaviours to the pace and shape of the change. People need a safe space to enable knowledge, behaviours, belonging and practice.
Adaptability
Reading what lies beneath to predict how best to ride the wave; for change it’s the undercurrents of trust, fear, and readiness that shape what happens next.
Hidden depths
Like waves, change can be gentle ripples or powerful breakers. We need to forecast and plan for the size of the change and shape our approach to ensure people are ready for the change. We need to understand the size of the impact as we can’t expect people to surf a big wave, when they haven't mastered how to balance on the board yet.
Impact
What can we learn from waves?
Waves and change can surprise —by understanding timing, size, behaviours and impact, we can shift our approach and mitigate surprise.
Unpredictability
Preparation matters
Surfers train and choose the right board; we can plan and work with leaders and listen to our people’s concerns to help adopt and sustain change.
Stages
A wave has a rise, crest, and fall; change has initiation, transition, and embedding. Each change stage needs carefully managing.
Neither exists in isolation — waves are shaped by tides and wind; change by forces like technology, innovation, markets, continuous improvement.
External forces
Both inspire excitement for some, fear for others. Change needs us to use our senses to understand emotions and what sits behind behaviours.
Emotional impact
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