How to lead with your personal story
By Chared Verschuur, former IABC EMENA Board Director
When we talk about change, we often talk about speed. Agility. Efficiency. Momentum. But what we often overlook is how change actually feels to the people inside the organisation.
In our latest IABC EMENA podcast episode, we sat down with Simon Cavendish, internal communication consultant and current Chair of IABC EMENA, to talk about what it really means to lead change well. Not from a theoretical point of view, but from experience, earned in call centres, control rooms, boardrooms, and communication teams across four continents.
Simon’s perspective is simple but powerful: internal communication is change communication. Whether it’s a new system rollout or a shift in leadership, communication isn’t the thing you do after decisions are made. It’s part of the decision-making process itself.
We talked about trust. How it’s not something you can build in a hurry when things get tough. About involvement. Why do people care more about the outcomes when they’ve helped shape them? And about the IKEA effect (yes, that IKEA), and what flat-pack furniture has to teach us about engagement, ownership, and the weird psychology of change.
There’s honesty in this episode. No silver bullets. Just a human approach to a very human problem: how to bring people with you when everything is shifting.
And maybe that’s the takeaway. Change doesn’t have to feel like chaos. It can feel like something we’re doing together.
You can listen to the full episode on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. And if it resonates, share it with someone else navigating change right now.
We think they’ll thank you for it.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why internal comms is change comms (and why that matters)
- The importance of listening as a leadership skill
- How to involve people without slowing everything down
- Common misconceptions about change communication
- The IKEA effect and what it teaches us about ownership and buy-in
- How to communicate during difficult change (like layoffs or restructuring)
- What “good” change communication looks like
- The evolving role of communicators—and how to stay relevant
Resources mentioned:
- The IKEA effect (Norton, Mochon, & Ariely, 2012)
- Kanter’s Law: “Everything looks like a failure in the middle”
- Change models: ADKAR, the change curve, and more
- IABC Certifications: CMP and SCMP
About the guest:
Simon Cavendish is a senior internal and change communication consultant with nearly 20 years of experience across multiple industries and continents. He is Chair of IABC EMENA and a former President of the IABC UK & Ireland chapter. Simon brings a human-centred, strategic lens to transformation, helping organisations lead change in ways that are practical, respectful, and people-focused. Connect with Simon on LinkedIn.
Host:
Chared Verschuur is an inclusive leadership and communication consultant, and former IABC EMENA board director. Connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website at goodcomms.nl
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Listen to the full episode with Simon Cavendish on the IABC EMENA podcast
Download the transcript