Dr. Yulee Lee didn’t start off with fancy change models or thick leadership manuals. Her journey began with a simple, heartfelt truth she learned: effecting real change requires connecting with people’s hearts, not just executing a change plan. Her instincts taught her that successful change leadership means loving people more than the change itself. After all, “What good is change if people are wounded along the way?” says Dr. Lee.
As Dr. Lee’s change leadership career progressed, she noticed a troubling trend. Too often, leaders drive change in service of their own egos and agendas, with little regard for the human impact. To these leaders, the change itself takes precedence over people. No wonder research by Isern and Pung (2007) and others as early as 2005 shows change failure rates ranging from 40% to as high as 70%.
After over 15 years leading successful change initiatives in various contexts, Dr. Lee remains committed to a people-centered approach. Her doctoral research on change leadership reinforced her belief that we must lead change for and with people, not to them. And we must tap into people’s full potential to be partners in shaping the future, not merely implementers of some predetermined plan.
The Change Leadership Institute was born from Dr. Lee’s passion for empowering positive change, her commitment to mitigating change trauma, and her belief that, together, we can shift the change narrative from failure to success. She firmly believes that with thoughtful, people-focused change methods, organizations can transform themselves to meet evolving challenges - without leaving their people behind. Dr. Lee hopes the Change Leadership Institute helps make this vision a reality for many. Our collective success depends on it.
Tailored Support for Female Leaders
The Change Leadership Institute offers more than customized coaching—it is a think tank for change leaders seeking research-based strategies and innovative solutions for organizational transformation. “We believe that designing change with people is what makes transformation healthy, sustainable, and even fun,” explains Dr. Lee. This people-centric philosophy drives all of the Institute’s offerings.
In line with its vision to “help you lead change while loving people through it,” the Institute approaches change by identifying and activating positive levers so that stakeholders adapt to change and thrive in the process.
The Institute manifests its core values of community, collaboration, co-creation, and communication through various programs. Female leaders can access tailored support and case studies based on real-life experiences. Appreciative Inquiry engagements convene diverse cross-sections of stakeholders to tap into organizational strengths, opportunities, and aspirations.
Dr. Lee also facilitates immersive “Change Communities”—group coaching that equips like-minded leaders to drive transformation back in their organizations. By participating in an experiential learning lab with research-based curriculum, leaders can activate change while connecting with peers for support.
In addition to coaching, the Institute provides organizational change assessments paired with personalized consultation. The goal is increasing self-awareness to inform change strategy. No matter the offering, The Change Leadership Institute empowers leaders with the mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets for leading sustainable change that unleashes human potential.
Empowering Leaders with Compassion
In Dr. Lee’s view, effective change leadership requires discernment, wisdom, adaptability, compassion, and humility. Yet female leaders often battle others’ unconscious bias, which can shift credit to men or dismiss women as less credible. Additional roadblocks include the loneliness of leadership, workplace trauma like toxic bosses, and general fatigue since women tend to juggle many responsibilities.
To sustain themselves in the face of these hurdles, Dr. Lee urges female leaders to prioritize self-care. “Sustaining change over time requires us to pay attention to our sustainability as leaders and human beings,” she says. Her advice? “Get the healing you need, invest in your wellbeing, spend time with loved ones...We don’t need to bear the responsibility to change the world on our shoulders.”
This ethic of self-compassion aligns with Dr. Lee’s broader leadership philosophy. In her transformative book, “Leading Change While Loving People,” she advocates for leading with care and collaboration rather than command-and-control. Recognizing the unpredictability of change, Dr. Lee calls for “life-giving measures” that honor human dignity.
At its core, Dr. Lee’s philosophy underscores the profound truth that “to love change is meaningless if we don’t love people.” Her book guides leaders to navigate change by putting people first.
With care-centered leaders like Dr. Yulee Lee paving the way, the future looks bright for organizational change. Perhaps someday, the approach that now seems revolutionary will become standard practice. All it takes is love.
Connect with Dr. Yulee Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulee-lee-ph-d-60824410/
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