After years of working in change and innovation, there’s a particular kind of tired that settles in.

I’m not going to call it burnout. It’s more the cumulative weight of being the one who keeps backing the idea, championing innovation, holding the energy, translating the vision, and encouraging others to stay with it when things get uncomfortable or slow.

We call these people change champions. Innovation enthusiasts. The ones who keep saying, “Let’s try again.” If you haven’t worked with me closely, you need to know, I’m one of them. I sit in the tension of loving change while also knowing that structure and consistency matter, and I can acknowledge that carrying change takes a toll.

I felt that weight again this week in Geelong, spending the day as part of the Give Where You Live (GWYL) Social Innovation Lab, sitting in a room with Geelong community leaders genuinely trying to tackle homelessness in the Barwon region.

This wasn’t a theory or strategy deck conversation. It was an honest conversation about the complex realities of homelessness. This conversation was with people who care deeply. People who have seen what doesn’t work but still show up anyway. In many ways, they are the change champions too.

We talked a lot about system blockages, especially what happens when services become fragmented, and responsibility gets diluted across layers. Everyone is doing their part, yet somehow the gaps keep widening.

The tension in the room was familiar. Good intent everywhere, but impact still frustratingly uneven.

The Cost of Being the Change Champion

Change and innovation have been a thread through my whole career. That constant pull to ask why, and then ask it again (and again and again!). I’ve been part of major reforms and big sector shifts, and while sitting in those discussions this week, I could feel the accumulation of sector reforms over time. How much change workplaces carry to constantly shift gears. How much managers carry during these changes, and how much individuals impacted by reform are expected to absorb.

So, I found myself reflecting on leadership in those moments when you are trying to generate momentum inside systems that feel stuck. I then started to remember something from earlier roles.

When you walk into a room to lead a change conversation, you can often feel the energy shift. It’s subtle, but it’s there. That unspoken moment when people sense what’s coming.

I’ve seen the look countless times. The polite nods. The encouraging faces. People genuinely want to be supportive, but underneath it, a quieter thought sits there. Here we go again; another thing to fit in alongside everything else.

Why Managers Feel the Strain

Most managers aren’t resistant to change; they are already managing a full load. Output pressure, workforce challenges and systems that don’t quite work. Holding together what’s already fragile while being asked to absorb something new.

So even well-intentioned change lands on stretched shoulders, and this is where leadership strain quietly builds.

Managers become the translators of change, the buffer, the steady presence. They are expected to stay positive, make sense of ambiguity, and keep others engaged, even when they themselves are unsure how it will fit.

They carry the emotional weight of change long before anyone sees the outcome. That is the part we rarely talk about.

Small Shifts Over Sweeping Reform

The discussion this week at the GWYL office was a reminder that meaningful innovation is essential. Complex social issues demand it. Standing still is not an option.

What I appreciated about the session and the framework David Spear shared is that it didn’t overcomplicate the work. It gave us a clear place to start.

• Spot a real pain point.

• Frame it carefully.

• Test something safe enough to try.

• Learn without blame.

• Share what actually works.

The cycle was simple and practical. Spot. Frame. Test. Learn. Share. It’s a strong foundation and it’s necessary.

What it also reminded me, though, is that underneath every innovation process are people. Leaders, managers, frontline staff, and most importantly, the clients and communities impacted by the system we are trying to improve.

The structure might be clear, but the practice of it requires emotional labour. Patience, persistence and a willingness to stay engaged when progress feels incremental and slow.

Real change is often quieter than we expect and far more gradual than we would prefer.

Supporting the People Who Carry Change

For leaders and managers, the strain rarely sits in the idea of change itself. It sits in carrying it. Holding hope, translating uncertainty and absorbing frustration. Supporting teams while managing your own fatigue.

Innovation does not just ask for creativity. It asks for steadiness, grit, connection and care.

There is something grounding in remembering that change does not always need more pressure. Sometimes it needs thoughtful pacing, smaller experiments, clearer ownership and space to learn without having to perform certainty, and always, a steady focus on the people and clients impacted by the change.

If you are wondering whether I am done with change and innovation, absolutely not!

But I am carrying it differently now.

Brooke