Why the Desire Phase Breaks Most Change Initiatives: Rethinking Motivation in Organisational Change

Desire is fragile, emotional, exposed, and easily bruised. And yet, it’s the beginning of everything.

Why the Desire Phase Determines Whether Change Holds

Desire is the quiet engine of change.

It is emotional, exposed, and easily bruised.

And yet, it is the point at which most change initiatives quietly fail.

In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho introduces Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who nudges the shepherd Santiago towards his Personal Legend. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

It is a seductive idea. But even in the novel, desire alone is not enough.

Santiago does not move forward because he wants something. He moves because someone outside his familiar world helps him see clearly, speak honestly, and act deliberately.

In organisational change, the same principle applies.

Desire is the beginning of transformation, but it is also its most fragile stage. It relies on emotional honesty, personal alignment, and a willingness to take risks inside systems that rarely reward vulnerability.

This is where many change programmes falter. Not at strategy. Not at communication. But at the point where people must decide, privately, whether this change is something they can stand behind.

Why Desire is so fragile at work

Desire asks uncomfortable questions:

Do I still belong in what is being built?

Will I be good enough in the new system?

What might I lose if I commit fully?

What part of myself will I have to silence?

These questions are rarely voiced in team meetings or town halls. They surface, if at all, in quiet moments, often one-to-one, and only when the perceived risk is low.

That is why Desire cannot be “rolled out” or mandated. It emerges, or collapses, in private.

1. Desire begins with values, not alignment decks

A common early fracture in the Desire phase appears when personal values collide with organisational direction.

An employee may intellectually understand the restructuring, the new operating model, or the strategic rationale. Yet internally, something does not sit right. Integrity, autonomy, contribution, fairness. These values do not disappear just because a slide deck says they should.

Inside the organisation, voicing that misalignment can feel dangerous. People fear being labelled resistant, negative, or disloyal.

A neutral external coach changes that dynamic. Free from hierarchy and performance judgement, they create a space where misalignment can be named without consequence. Once named, it can be worked with. When left unspoken, it rarely disappears. It turns into quiet withdrawal.

Desire erodes long before behaviour changes.

2. Fear is personal, not procedural

Change initiatives tend to talk about risk in operational terms.

Employees experience risk in personal ones.

“I’m afraid I won’t be good enough.”

“I’m scared my experience won’t matter anymore.”

“I don’t know how to succeed in what’s coming.”

These fears are rarely visible. They are masked by compliance, silence, or over-performance.

External coaches act as confidential containers for these fears.

Because they are not embedded in the system, people trust that what they say will not follow them into performance reviews or succession discussions.

Crucially, experienced coaches can also translate patterns without exposing individuals. They can surface emotional undercurrents to leadership in a way that is credible, contextual, and protective. This is fundamentally different from anonymous surveys, which strip nuance and often invite defensive interpretation.

Desire collapses when fear has nowhere safe to land.

3. Change champions are rarely the loudest voices

Many change initiatives fail not because they lack supporters, but because they elevate the wrong ones.

Influence inside teams does not always correlate with visibility.

Informal leaders are often quieter, trusted for their realism rather than enthusiasm. Their endorsement carries weight precisely because it is not automatic.

External coaches are well placed to identify these figures. Unconstrained by politics or visibility bias, they notice who people listen to, not who speaks most.

Importantly, they can support these individuals discreetly. Public endorsement by management too early can distort team dynamics, trigger resistance, or create unwanted hierarchies.

Desire spreads sideways through trust, not top-down through nomination.

4. Desire requires personalised pathways, not generic futures

Change often implies growth, but growth is rarely linear or uniform.

A technically strong employee may be curious about a more relational role, yet uncertain about letting go of expertise. A high-performing specialist may hesitate to step into ambiguity after years of being rewarded for certainty.

These are not issues to resolve in career reviews or talent calibration meetings. The vulnerability required is too high.

External coaching allows people to explore potential futures without commitment or exposure. This supports self-determination rather than compliance.

When people feel they are choosing their path rather than being assigned one, desire strengthens instead of hardening into resistance.

5. Recognition sustains desire when momentum is fragile

Early progress in change is often incremental and effortful. Small improvements require disproportionate emotional energy.

Internal recognition, even when sincere, can feel diluted by politics, expectations, or perceived obligation. Recognition from an external, neutral source often lands differently. It feels noticed rather than managed.

That distinction matters. Desire is reinforced when effort is seen, not just outcomes measured.

6. Co-creation fails when psychological safety is breached once

Many organisations invite co-creation, yet underestimate how easily it collapses.

A single dismissive comment, a poorly handled idea, or an unacknowledged contribution can shut down participation for months. People rarely announce this withdrawal. They simply stop offering.

External facilitators help protect the co-creation space. Because they are not bound by hierarchy, they can slow conversations down, surface overlooked contributions, and challenge dominant voices without threatening authority.

They also help repair micro-ruptures before they calcify into disengagement.

Desire does not fade dramatically. It erodes quietly after moments that feel unsafe.

Internal and external roles are complementary, not competing

The Desire phase sits at the intersection of motivation, vulnerability, and trust.

These are precisely the conditions where external support adds distinct value.

Internal leaders are essential for continuity, reinforcement, and long-term embedding. External coaches offer psychological distance, neutrality, and a different quality of listening.

When combined well, they close the gap between knowing and acting. Internal leaders provide structure. External coaches protect the inner space where people decide whether they will step into that structure willingly.

Desire must be maintained, not assumed

Desire is not a one-off moment. It fades under routine, pressure, and ambiguity.

New hires lose it as early enthusiasm collides with reality. Experienced professionals lose it when survival replaces meaning. Salespeople lose it when targets rise and recognition thins out.

The capacity to reconnect with purpose, to reassess direction, and to re-engage is learnable. Reflection, value reconnection, and meaningful goal-setting are not soft add-ons.

They are the emotional infrastructure of sustainable change.

This is where external coaches often become long-term partners rather than one-off interventions. They act as strategic mirrors, emotional anchors, and safe return points when motivation thins or the next wave of change hits.

Desire is not managed. It is held.

Desire cannot be enforced, incentivised, or cascaded. It must be listened to, protected, and allowed to take shape.

External coaches offer something rare in organisational life: psychological distance combined with relational depth. They do not replace leadership. They make it possible for leadership messages to land without fear.

Like Melchizedek, they may appear briefly. But what they leave behind matters.

A question named. A fear spoken. A choice reclaimed.

When desire is nurtured with care, change stops feeling like a demand.

It becomes a choice.

And that is when it finally works.