Björn Bierhaalder
@bjornbierhaalder.bsky.social
www.makechangehappen.eu
I am a thought leader, speaker, researcher, and advisor about change leadership for mid-market service providers
I am a thought leader, speaker, researcher, and advisor about change leadership for mid-market service providers
Asked an executive team last week: “What are you going to do differently than last year?”
Silence.
New plan. Same approach. Same risk of same results.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause before you act.
Wrote about it here:
Silence.
New plan. Same approach. Same risk of same results.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause before you act.
Wrote about it here:
Understand first, then move
Many organisations invest energy in the ‘what’ of change but skip the ‘how’. Sensemaking helps leaders understand what’s really going on before jumping into action.
www.makechangehappen.eu
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Asked an executive team last week: “What are you going to do differently than last year?”
Silence.
New plan. Same approach. Same risk of same results.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause before you act.
Wrote about it here:
Silence.
New plan. Same approach. Same risk of same results.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause before you act.
Wrote about it here:
You can't let go of operational excellence. Clients count on it.
And yet—those AI challenges, those partnerships clients propose—they don't fit the same logic.
You need both. Simultaneously.
We wrote about dual operating capability
#ChangeLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
And yet—those AI challenges, those partnerships clients propose—they don't fit the same logic.
You need both. Simultaneously.
We wrote about dual operating capability
#ChangeLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
When You Need Both at Once
Many service providers experience the tension between what you do now and what's becoming possible, between the operational excellence clients count on and the strategic evolution the future demands.
www.makechangehappen.eu
November 9, 2025 at 9:52 PM
You can't let go of operational excellence. Clients count on it.
And yet—those AI challenges, those partnerships clients propose—they don't fit the same logic.
You need both. Simultaneously.
We wrote about dual operating capability
#ChangeLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
And yet—those AI challenges, those partnerships clients propose—they don't fit the same logic.
You need both. Simultaneously.
We wrote about dual operating capability
#ChangeLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
You train people in partnership skills. Build propositions. Six months later: relationships hardly seem to progress.
Why?
Service evolution needs 2 movements:
External → deeper client relationships
Internal → professionals + systems that create space
Most focus on 1. Both need to move together.
Why?
Service evolution needs 2 movements:
External → deeper client relationships
Internal → professionals + systems that create space
Most focus on 1. Both need to move together.
When Partnership Requires Two Movements
You're sitting with your leadership team. You want to be true partners with clients—co-creating solutions, navigating complexity together, creating meaningful impact. Six months later, you notice…
www.makechangehappen.eu
November 5, 2025 at 5:33 AM
You train people in partnership skills. Build propositions. Six months later: relationships hardly seem to progress.
Why?
Service evolution needs 2 movements:
External → deeper client relationships
Internal → professionals + systems that create space
Most focus on 1. Both need to move together.
Why?
Service evolution needs 2 movements:
External → deeper client relationships
Internal → professionals + systems that create space
Most focus on 1. Both need to move together.
Interesting pattern: organizations don't shift by changing what they do, but by changing how they see what they do
picnic = logistics company (that delivers groceries)
bunq = tech company (that does banking)
Same with service orgs moving from efficiency to impact
I wrote about it here.
picnic = logistics company (that delivers groceries)
bunq = tech company (that does banking)
Same with service orgs moving from efficiency to impact
I wrote about it here.
What Your Organization Believes It Is
How does your organization see itself? As a support function delivering tasks efficiently? Or as a partner creating meaningful impact? That perception shapes everything. What you notice. What you…
www.makechangehappen.eu
October 5, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Interesting pattern: organizations don't shift by changing what they do, but by changing how they see what they do
picnic = logistics company (that delivers groceries)
bunq = tech company (that does banking)
Same with service orgs moving from efficiency to impact
I wrote about it here.
picnic = logistics company (that delivers groceries)
bunq = tech company (that does banking)
Same with service orgs moving from efficiency to impact
I wrote about it here.
Why LEGO, Gatorade and GoPro achieved breakthroughs without changing their core product
The 3rd Way of Innovation: innovate around your 'crown jewel', not within it.
Perfect for expertise-driven service providers who want to grow without losing their biggest asset.
#innovation #expertise #services
The 3rd Way of Innovation: innovate around your 'crown jewel', not within it.
Perfect for expertise-driven service providers who want to grow without losing their biggest asset.
#innovation #expertise #services
Beyond incremental and disruptive: Discovering the 3rd way of innovation
Most organisations know two main innovation strategies: incremental innovation that gradually improves existing offerings, and disruptive innovation that fundamentally changes markets. But there's a…
www.makechangehappen.eu
August 20, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Why LEGO, Gatorade and GoPro achieved breakthroughs without changing their core product
The 3rd Way of Innovation: innovate around your 'crown jewel', not within it.
Perfect for expertise-driven service providers who want to grow without losing their biggest asset.
#innovation #expertise #services
The 3rd Way of Innovation: innovate around your 'crown jewel', not within it.
Perfect for expertise-driven service providers who want to grow without losing their biggest asset.
#innovation #expertise #services
Sometimes the biggest limits in our work aren’t external—they’re how we’ve learned to see.
What shifts when we pause the usual response and get genuinely curious?
Wrote about this. It’s but about creating space to see things differently.
For anyone who’s ever thought: There has to be another way
What shifts when we pause the usual response and get genuinely curious?
Wrote about this. It’s but about creating space to see things differently.
For anyone who’s ever thought: There has to be another way
What if the biggest constraint in your organization... is your own assumptions?
We notice a pattern in our work with mid-sized service providers. Teams that feel genuinely limited by market conditions, client expectations, or resource constraints discover something unexpected…
www.makechangehappen.eu
August 6, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Sometimes the biggest limits in our work aren’t external—they’re how we’ve learned to see.
What shifts when we pause the usual response and get genuinely curious?
Wrote about this. It’s but about creating space to see things differently.
For anyone who’s ever thought: There has to be another way
What shifts when we pause the usual response and get genuinely curious?
Wrote about this. It’s but about creating space to see things differently.
For anyone who’s ever thought: There has to be another way
What if growth is about learning to dance with transformation?
Research shows midsize firms flow through distinct stages, each requiring different patterns of connection and capability.
The key insight: what enables growth at one stage often constrains emergence at the next.
Research shows midsize firms flow through distinct stages, each requiring different patterns of connection and capability.
The key insight: what enables growth at one stage often constrains emergence at the next.
What Drives Growth in Midsize Firms?
How does growth transpire in the underrecognized midsize firm? In the authors’ research, they found that the owners, CEOs, and top managers of midsize companies tend to describe their competitive…
hbr.org
August 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM
What if growth is about learning to dance with transformation?
Research shows midsize firms flow through distinct stages, each requiring different patterns of connection and capability.
The key insight: what enables growth at one stage often constrains emergence at the next.
Research shows midsize firms flow through distinct stages, each requiring different patterns of connection and capability.
The key insight: what enables growth at one stage often constrains emergence at the next.
July 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Uncertainty doesn’t demand all the answers—just better leadership.
🎯 Focus on what you can control
🧠 Stay curious
🤝 Lead with clarity & care
Great read!
#LeadingChange #VUCA #ExecutiveLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
🎯 Focus on what you can control
🧠 Stay curious
🤝 Lead with clarity & care
Great read!
#LeadingChange #VUCA #ExecutiveLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
6 Strategies for Leading Through Uncertainty
It seems that any given week provides ample reminders that leaders cannot control the degree of change, uncertainty, and complexity we face. The authors offer six strategies to improve a leader’s…
hbr.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Uncertainty doesn’t demand all the answers—just better leadership.
🎯 Focus on what you can control
🧠 Stay curious
🤝 Lead with clarity & care
Great read!
#LeadingChange #VUCA #ExecutiveLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
🎯 Focus on what you can control
🧠 Stay curious
🤝 Lead with clarity & care
Great read!
#LeadingChange #VUCA #ExecutiveLeadership #MakeChangeHappen
We’ve scaled for efficiency. But what did we lose along the way?
In our latest piece:
→ why growth ≠ well-being
→ how sensemaking helps
→ what leadership looks like now
No big answers. Just better questions.
#changeleadership #sensemaking #serviceinnovation
In our latest piece:
→ why growth ≠ well-being
→ how sensemaking helps
→ what leadership looks like now
No big answers. Just better questions.
#changeleadership #sensemaking #serviceinnovation
Rethink. Reframe. Rebuild.
I’ve had countless conversations with leaders of mid-sized service organizations. And underneath all the strategic discussions and market challenges, one essential question keeps coming up: How do we…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
We’ve scaled for efficiency. But what did we lose along the way?
In our latest piece:
→ why growth ≠ well-being
→ how sensemaking helps
→ what leadership looks like now
No big answers. Just better questions.
#changeleadership #sensemaking #serviceinnovation
In our latest piece:
→ why growth ≠ well-being
→ how sensemaking helps
→ what leadership looks like now
No big answers. Just better questions.
#changeleadership #sensemaking #serviceinnovation
Change doesn’t just disrupt processes—it disrupts people. When informal roles shift, so does identity.
Smart leaders support not just skill shifts, but sensemaking.
A must-read!
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange #OrgChange #PersonalLeadership
Smart leaders support not just skill shifts, but sensemaking.
A must-read!
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange #OrgChange #PersonalLeadership
How Organizational Change Disrupts Our Sense of Self
Leaders can manage large-scale change by helping employees adapt to new identities, not new tasks.
sloanreview.mit.edu
July 22, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Change doesn’t just disrupt processes—it disrupts people. When informal roles shift, so does identity.
Smart leaders support not just skill shifts, but sensemaking.
A must-read!
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange #OrgChange #PersonalLeadership
Smart leaders support not just skill shifts, but sensemaking.
A must-read!
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange #OrgChange #PersonalLeadership
🌀 Operational excellence is no longer enough.
Mid-sized services growth stalls—not from lack of efficiency, but from a missing sense of connection with clients when it matters most.
What’s already emerging in the space between process and people?
#servicedesign #Leadership #Growth
Mid-sized services growth stalls—not from lack of efficiency, but from a missing sense of connection with clients when it matters most.
What’s already emerging in the space between process and people?
#servicedesign #Leadership #Growth
The Connection Paradox: Why growth stalls when efficiency isn’t enough
Operations run smoothly, processes are efficient, and digital transformation delivers results. Yet, customer relationships increasingly feel transactional. What if the next phase of sustainable…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 18, 2025 at 8:36 AM
🌀 Operational excellence is no longer enough.
Mid-sized services growth stalls—not from lack of efficiency, but from a missing sense of connection with clients when it matters most.
What’s already emerging in the space between process and people?
#servicedesign #Leadership #Growth
Mid-sized services growth stalls—not from lack of efficiency, but from a missing sense of connection with clients when it matters most.
What’s already emerging in the space between process and people?
#servicedesign #Leadership #Growth
I confess 😇
How do consultants learn about their clients’ challenges while also showing they have the expertise to solve them?
How Consultants Project Expertise and Learn at the Same Time
For consultants, work is largely a performance. Like skillful actors, they use a combination of “backstage” preparation and “front stage” performance to make clients believe the story they want to…
buff.ly
July 17, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I confess 😇
What if the real work isn’t solving complexity, but staying with it?
We’re seeing a shift: less demand for quick fixes, more need for trust, reflection, and sensemaking.
Not knowing isn’t a weakness—it might be the doorway to real change.
What are you noticing?
#sensemaking #leadingchange
We’re seeing a shift: less demand for quick fixes, more need for trust, reflection, and sensemaking.
Not knowing isn’t a weakness—it might be the doorway to real change.
What are you noticing?
#sensemaking #leadingchange
The Crucial Role of Professional Service Providers in a Transforming World
Many complex issues surround us in today's fast-paced and intricate world. These significant challenges, from sustainability and technology to inclusiveness, healthcare, and economic uncertainty,…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 17, 2025 at 1:23 PM
What if the real work isn’t solving complexity, but staying with it?
We’re seeing a shift: less demand for quick fixes, more need for trust, reflection, and sensemaking.
Not knowing isn’t a weakness—it might be the doorway to real change.
What are you noticing?
#sensemaking #leadingchange
We’re seeing a shift: less demand for quick fixes, more need for trust, reflection, and sensemaking.
Not knowing isn’t a weakness—it might be the doorway to real change.
What are you noticing?
#sensemaking #leadingchange
Feeling the pressure to "transform"?
What if digital transformation isn’t about chasing trends—but reconnecting with your core?
Just like LEGO did.
Pause. Reflect. Lead with purpose.
That’s how tech becomes truly transformative.
#ChangeLeadership #Sensemaking
What if digital transformation isn’t about chasing trends—but reconnecting with your core?
Just like LEGO did.
Pause. Reflect. Lead with purpose.
That’s how tech becomes truly transformative.
#ChangeLeadership #Sensemaking
How digital transformation can deepen the essence of your services
The impact of technological and social developments on professional service providers is undeniable. The question is how to respond to these developments and take advantage of the opportunities it…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Feeling the pressure to "transform"?
What if digital transformation isn’t about chasing trends—but reconnecting with your core?
Just like LEGO did.
Pause. Reflect. Lead with purpose.
That’s how tech becomes truly transformative.
#ChangeLeadership #Sensemaking
What if digital transformation isn’t about chasing trends—but reconnecting with your core?
Just like LEGO did.
Pause. Reflect. Lead with purpose.
That’s how tech becomes truly transformative.
#ChangeLeadership #Sensemaking
I’ve joined Kotter’s Change Leadership Program.
8 insights stuck with me. Here’s one:
👉 The opposite of trust isn’t resistance. It’s control.
Micromanagement kills engagement. Empowerment builds momentum.
Want change? Start creating alignment.
More coming soon.
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange
8 insights stuck with me. Here’s one:
👉 The opposite of trust isn’t resistance. It’s control.
Micromanagement kills engagement. Empowerment builds momentum.
Want change? Start creating alignment.
More coming soon.
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange
Leading change in an era of uncertainty – My insights from Kotter’s Advanced Change Leadership program
Change is no longer a linear process—it’s dynamic, complex, and requires leaders to foster agility, trust, and behavioral leadership at all levels. Here are my key takeaways from the program.
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 13, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I’ve joined Kotter’s Change Leadership Program.
8 insights stuck with me. Here’s one:
👉 The opposite of trust isn’t resistance. It’s control.
Micromanagement kills engagement. Empowerment builds momentum.
Want change? Start creating alignment.
More coming soon.
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange
8 insights stuck with me. Here’s one:
👉 The opposite of trust isn’t resistance. It’s control.
Micromanagement kills engagement. Empowerment builds momentum.
Want change? Start creating alignment.
More coming soon.
#ChangeLeadership #LeadingChange
July 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM
What if growth isn’t the whole story?
We’re rethinking what progress means for service organisations.
Slow growth, green growth, post-growth, degrowth—each offers a new lens for value, resilience & impact.
Curious? Read more & join the conversation.
#leadership #change #makechangehappen
We’re rethinking what progress means for service organisations.
Slow growth, green growth, post-growth, degrowth—each offers a new lens for value, resilience & impact.
Curious? Read more & join the conversation.
#leadership #change #makechangehappen
What If Growth Isn’t the Whole Story?
More and more leaders I work with are sensing something important: As we’ve always defined it, growth no longer tells the whole story. Not because growth isn’t significant. But it no longer captures…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 10, 2025 at 6:37 AM
What if growth isn’t the whole story?
We’re rethinking what progress means for service organisations.
Slow growth, green growth, post-growth, degrowth—each offers a new lens for value, resilience & impact.
Curious? Read more & join the conversation.
#leadership #change #makechangehappen
We’re rethinking what progress means for service organisations.
Slow growth, green growth, post-growth, degrowth—each offers a new lens for value, resilience & impact.
Curious? Read more & join the conversation.
#leadership #change #makechangehappen
The world’s growing more complex.
Old plans don’t fit.
So we start with better questions:
What really matters now?
What impact do we want to make?
Change starts with curiosity, not control.
Let’s explore it.
#sensemaking #change #leadership #complexity
Old plans don’t fit.
So we start with better questions:
What really matters now?
What impact do we want to make?
Change starts with curiosity, not control.
Let’s explore it.
#sensemaking #change #leadership #complexity
Making meaningful impact: How to reorient around what truly matters?
Mid-sized service providers are experiencing a quiet yet profound shift from just delivering services as products to making a meaningful impact on people’s lives and our communities. This shift…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 7, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The world’s growing more complex.
Old plans don’t fit.
So we start with better questions:
What really matters now?
What impact do we want to make?
Change starts with curiosity, not control.
Let’s explore it.
#sensemaking #change #leadership #complexity
Old plans don’t fit.
So we start with better questions:
What really matters now?
What impact do we want to make?
Change starts with curiosity, not control.
Let’s explore it.
#sensemaking #change #leadership #complexity
July 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM
July 4, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Mid-sized service providers navigating complexity, have fundamental questions worth exploring: How do meaning and impact take shape in our work? Is it something that happens, or can we intentionally cultivate them through simple, guiding principles that help us understand where we’re headed?
Designing meaningful excellence: An invitation to reflect
Being meaningful as a professional service provider is not accidental. It results from conscious design, implementation of simple guiding principles, and a well-defined positioning and purpose.
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 4, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Mid-sized service providers navigating complexity, have fundamental questions worth exploring: How do meaning and impact take shape in our work? Is it something that happens, or can we intentionally cultivate them through simple, guiding principles that help us understand where we’re headed?
Many mid-corporate service providers share a powerful vision: to grow in ways that create a meaningful impact for their customers, communities, and employees. How do they take this success to the next level without losing what makes them unique?
Growing from medium to large: Keep the wheels on the bus
If you lead a midsized service company, you probably already know the magic that happens when your team is engaged, your customers feel valued, and your culture feels like a family. You’ve built…
www.makechangehappen.eu
July 2, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Many mid-corporate service providers share a powerful vision: to grow in ways that create a meaningful impact for their customers, communities, and employees. How do they take this success to the next level without losing what makes them unique?
Complexity and uncertainty aren’t exceptions—they are the new normal.
Old leadership models are cracking under today’s pace of change.
This isn’t about quick fixes.
It’s about a deeper shift in how we think, lead, and live our work.
Not just a new strategy—
A new way of being.
#ChangeLeadership
Old leadership models are cracking under today’s pace of change.
This isn’t about quick fixes.
It’s about a deeper shift in how we think, lead, and live our work.
Not just a new strategy—
A new way of being.
#ChangeLeadership
Shifting Mental Legacies for Profound Change
The mental models and leadership approaches that served us well for decades increasingly show their limits. Economic growth no longer serves as the sole compass for success, and the familiar ways we…
www.makechangehappen.eu
June 30, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Complexity and uncertainty aren’t exceptions—they are the new normal.
Old leadership models are cracking under today’s pace of change.
This isn’t about quick fixes.
It’s about a deeper shift in how we think, lead, and live our work.
Not just a new strategy—
A new way of being.
#ChangeLeadership
Old leadership models are cracking under today’s pace of change.
This isn’t about quick fixes.
It’s about a deeper shift in how we think, lead, and live our work.
Not just a new strategy—
A new way of being.
#ChangeLeadership
Imagine stepping into a dense forest—paths are unclear, the terrain shifts beneath your feet, and the canopy above blurs the light. This is much like the world our clients navigate today: complex, uncertain, and full of surprises.
What if the Future of Services isn't About Solutions?
Whether it's navigating growth, digital transformation, reorganizations, or market shifts, uncertainty feels like the new normal. As service providers, how do we show up in these moments?
www.makechangehappen.eu
June 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Imagine stepping into a dense forest—paths are unclear, the terrain shifts beneath your feet, and the canopy above blurs the light. This is much like the world our clients navigate today: complex, uncertain, and full of surprises.