Change Happens. What You Do Next Is What Matters.
By James Fleming, MD of The Power Within Training
Change is one of those things we all talk about like we’re ready for it, until it actually shows up.
It doesn’t wait for the right time, doesn’t check your diary, and doesn’t ask permission. It just… happens.
That was the theme of one of our recent Monday morning team meetings. I asked everyone to reflect on a time in their life when everything felt like it was falling apart, when they thought, “This might be it. The end of the road.”
Then I asked them to reframe it.
What if that moment wasn’t the end?
What if it was the turning point?
And the stories that came out of that conversation were sobering.
The Reality of Change
Change isn’t something we get to opt out of. It happens in business, in leadership, in life; sometimes all at once.
The reality is, change can be brutal. It shakes the ground under your feet and forces you to look at everything differently. But more often than not, it’s also the thing that shapes who we become.
Our team shared stories that were raw and deeply human. One person talked about fleeing war in Ukraine, leaving everything behind to start again in Scotland. Another shared how redundancy turned into the push they needed to pursue a completely different path. Someone else opened up about loneliness, about how hard it can be to keep going when life feels like it’s moving without you.
Each story was different, but the thread was the same: change didn’t break them; it built them.
Finding Magic in the Mess
I’ve had plenty of my own moments of change; some I chose, some that chose me.
A few years before The Power Within Training existed, I was all set to start a new role with a global oil and gas company. I’d worked my way up, travelled the world, and was now being offered a senior leadership position, the kind that felt like everything had finally come together.
I’d wanted to start my own leadership company for a while, to help people learn what I’d learned over the years, but I didn’t yet know how. This job seemed like the next step in the journey.
So, we packed up our lives, shipped everything we owned, and prepared to move to Switzerland. I was days away from getting on the plane when the call came in.
“Hi James, there’s been a slight change of plan. We need you to go to Aberdeen temporarily, just to help set things up here. Only for a few months.”
You can probably guess what happened next.
A few weeks later, the company restructured, the oil market collapsed, and my entire department, including my role, was made redundant. Just like that.
It was 21 December. Merry Christmas, James.
I remember sitting there, stunned. I had no job, no home (everything was still floating somewhere in the North Sea), and no plan. It was one of those proper “what now?” moments.
But looking back, it was the best thing that could’ve happened.
Because that was the day I stopped waiting for the perfect opportunity and decided to create my own. That was the day The Power Within Training was born.
The Turning Point
I won’t lie, at first, the redundancy felt scary. But with a bit of space (and maybe a few too many coffees), I realised something: change is never comfortable, but it’s nearly always necessary.
I could’ve stayed bitter. I could’ve blamed circumstances. But instead, I used that time to build something that meant something.
Over the next few months, my wife Enas and I worked tirelessly, planning, building, dreaming. We didn’t have a roadmap, but we had belief. And that’s what kept us going.
It’s easy to romanticise it now, but at the time, it was messy. Scary. Exhausting.
But it taught me one of the biggest leadership lessons I’ve ever learned: change doesn’t wait for you to be ready. It waits for you to decide.
The Lesson for Leaders
In business, we talk a lot about strategy and systems, but we don’t talk enough about mindset.
Because when everything shifts, what keeps your team moving isn’t the plan, it’s the perspective.
That’s why I always say leadership isn’t about managing change, it’s about leading through it.
It’s about helping your people see possibility where others see panic.
It’s about staying calm when things go sideways.
And it’s about creating a culture that doesn’t crumble under pressure, it adapts, learns, and grows stronger.
That’s the foundation of everything we do at The Power Within Training. We call it Motivational Intelligence.
Leading with Change
Our Leading with Change programme was built on lessons like these, the ones life teaches you the hard way.
It’s for leaders, managers, and organisations who are right in the middle of transformation (or about to be). Whether that’s adapting to new technology, restructuring, or simply dealing with the everyday uncertainty of running a business in 2026.
We teach you the mindset and practical tools to help you lead through disruption, not just survive it.
You’ll learn how to:
- Reframe resistance into opportunity
- Build resilience and adaptability in your teams
- Lead confidently when the path isn’t clear
- Turn challenge into momentum
Because the truth is, change is coming whether you’re ready or not. But with the right mindset, it doesn’t have to derail you, it can redefine you.
Change made me build my business. Maybe it’s about to help you build yours.
Find out more about our Leading with Change programme
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
James Fleming
The Power Within Training
The Motivational Intelligence Company
james@tpwtd.com
