An In Good Company podcast with Dagmara Ptasinska, global HR leader and change architect for global transformations ranging from digital transformation to culture change
How many leaders have the capability to make sense of change for their teams, and how many are comfortable living that change with them?
Change isn’t about systems - it's about people. This is the view of Dagmara Ptasinska, who argues that the real challenge for organisations emerges when leaders - often selected for their technical ability - struggle to deal with the ambiguity and emotions that emerge through change.
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What does it really take to lead people through constant transformation? How can you lead change when change never stops? HR leader and change specialist Dagmara Ptasinska joins Dan for a conversation exploring change fatigue, sustainable transformation, and why leadership with a human presense is more important than ever. In this episode of In Good Company they discuss:
- Why today’s leaders must focus on sense‑making, not control
- the strategic role of HR in sustainable transformation
- The hidden risks of poor digitalisation and misaligned systems
- Dagmara’s top advice for leaders in an AI-accelerated world
Watch the full episode here:
Why is leading through change such a critical topic right now?
Change is no longer an episode. Change is the permanent operating mode of almost all organisations and in our lives. In the past, change followed a cycle - design, implementation, stabilisation - but today many organisations are implementing one transformation while preparing for the next or doing them in parallel. And that creates constant pressure not just operationally, but emotionally. Now the biggest risk in my experience isn’t resistance to change; it’s change fatigue. People stop believing that what they’re doing has a clear purpose. Leading through change today is less about control and much more about sense-making, helping people understand why the change matters, what it means for them, and how they can stay grounded in uncertainty. Leaders who can do that build trust and resilience.
What role does HR play in making change sustainable?
HR plays a critical role, if it steps beyond being an implementation partner and becomes a strategic architect of change. HR has a unique perspective - it can assess organisational readiness, identify cultural risks, and highlight where change looks good on paper but clashes with existing behaviours or values. Sustainability comes from alignment. If we want people to behave differently, systems must support that - performance management, rewards, leadership expectations, learning. HR is often the only function that can connect all that. When HR digitalisation is done well, it reinforces new behaviours instead of fighting them. When it’s done poorly, it becomes silent resistance built into the system. H.R. People can really change decisions, design. They can advocate for employee experience. They can ensure the technology supports how people are expected to work. HR is also key in developing leaders. And no transformation survives without leadership capability. Leaders today are no longer just managing performance, they are managing uncertainty, anxiety, and constant disruption. Leadership development isn’t a nice-to-have - it’s a prerequisite for lasting change in the world.
What advice would you give to leaders under pressure who are trying to deliver change?
Don’t try to be a hero. Be a guide. You don’t need to have all the answers, and you don’t need to protect people from reality. What you do need is presence - listening, explaining, staying connected when things get uncomfortable. Change doesn’t fail because of a lack of plans. We have a lot of good planners and project managers. Too often it fails because leaders disappear emotionally when pressure increases. Staying visible and human is often the most impactful leadership behaviour we can demonstrate.
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