Change requires loss—this is an old truth in our line of work.

Organizational transformation can’t happen without grief.

Before teams and leaders can step into what’s next, they must let go of what was.

And that letting go is a form of loss that deserves to be acknowledged, felt, and processed—and indeed must be communally processed in order for system-level change to occure.

We culturally treat change as pure forward motion, but the truth is that real change requires us to release the patterns, beliefs, and ways of working that once served us but no longer fit.

This is especially true during the holiday season, when endings and transitions are already heightened—the end of the year, the winter solstice, the cultural pressure to celebrate while many are quietly struggling with loss.

A few client examples:

I've been working with a founder who built something remarkable—and now needs to hand it off. He’s appointed new owners, but he’s still holding tight to how it all worked for him: the specific skills, ways, and so on that get them where they are today.

But what got you here will not get you there.

The problem isn’t that he’s a bad person or that he failed; it’s that his way, which was right for the founding stage, won’t work for what comes next.

The new leaders need a different approach. For this transformation to happen, the founder has to grieve what he built and let it evolve beyond him.

I told him in a call recently: “This isn’t your fault. You’re not a bad character for being in this situation.”

But he does need help—and part of that help is permission to mourn the version of the organization that’s ending.

Separately, a senior leader who I've worked with—across three different roles/organizations now—keeps hitting the same wall across three different jobs.

She feels restrained, constrained, held back from doing the work she believes she was hired to do.

But the pattern follows her—which means the common denominator is her.

Specifically, what she needs to let go of is the belief that her way is the only way, that leadership means supreme authority rather than influence through stakeholders. The grief here is subtler but just as real: she has to release her vision of what power looks like in order to step into the kind of leadership her role actually requires.

Both stories circle the same truth: transformation asks us to release our grip on what worked before so something new can emerge.

Talking about "loss," "grief," and other so-called "unpleasant" emotions/processes requires specific sensitivity and skill to remain work-relevant.

When you're ready for this kind of work, reach out. We can help you find traction where you need it and direction when you're lost.

Moe & The Moementum Team

P.S. One final opportunity to join me live, in-person this Friday, Dec. 19. Let's confront the change you're facing before you go home for holiday break. Register today​