The Dead Zone: Keep Change Alive This Summer

READ TIME - 4 MINUTES

Emma looked at her calendar and grinned. Only a week until her well-earned beach break. Three glorious weeks of sun, surf, and definitely not thinking about the transformation program.

Then her smile faded slightly as she remembered last year's post-holiday pain: returning to find momentum had completely flatlined, stakeholders had forgotten key decisions, and getting the program moving again had taken until March.

"Not this time," she murmured, pulling up her Change Canvas. "What can I set up now to keep this alive while we're all living our best beach lives?"

Here are three smart moves you can make now to keep your change program cooking while you're enjoying that poolside cocktail:

1. Create "Change Breadcrumbs"

This idea is inspired by how Disney+ keeps viewers engaged between season releases. The intent is to keep the change program top of mind for folks throughout summer by celebrating the program’s achievements so far.

As Disney's former CEO Bob Iger says: "The way to get people to embrace change is to help them see it as an important part of the story."

How to do it:

  • Schedule a series of short, engaging program updates to drop during the quiet period

  • Mix up the format: infographics, 30-second videos, short interviews with key stakeholders, quick wins stories etc

  • Use your internal comms channels' scheduling features - for example, the Intranet, newsletter and internal mailing lists - to set and forget

  • Keep each update bite-sized and visually appealing

Pro tip: Create a "Summer Series" vibe - make each update feel like a casual postcard rather than a formal comms piece. "Hey team, remember that cool thing we started? Here's a quick win we had..."

2. Set up "Back to the Future" Launchpads

For this tip, we’re taking inspiration from how Atlassian maintains project momentum across their summer shutdown.

This is about getting people excited about what’s to come.

How to do it:

  • Create a simple, visual "Previously On..." summary of the program's journey so far

  • Set up a clear, exciting "Coming Up Next" preview for February

  • Package it all in a bright, summer-themed Miro board or digital space

  • Share the link everywhere before you go: email signatures, Teams channels, Slack

  • Bonus points: Include a fun "Spot the Change Champion" photo competition or similar engagement hook

Pro tip: Make it impossible to miss. Think less corporate deck, more summer blockbuster trailer promotions.

3. Plant "Momentum Seeds"

This one’s borrowed from how Spotify keeps its product teams aligned during quiet periods.

This is an amazing way to create everything your key stakeholders will need to hit the ground running once they’re back at work (even if you’re still on holidays!).

How to do it:

  • Book key stakeholder catch-ups for early February now (while everyone's calendars are empty)

  • Create a "Quick Start 2025" pack for each stakeholder with their specific priorities and actions

  • Set up a "Welcome Back" Teams channel or Slack space with everything they need to dive back in

  • Include some fun "Where did we leave off?" quiz questions to refresh memories

Pro tip: Give each stakeholder a specific "mission" to think about (casually) over the break. Make it intriguing enough that they might actually ponder it while walking on the beach.

Look, we all need a proper break.

No one's suggesting you run workshops on Christmas Day or spam stakeholders with updates while they're camping with their kids.

But a bit of clever prep now means you won't come back to a completely cold project. Think of it as setting up a slow cooker before you head out - doing the prep work now so things can simmer nicely while you're gone.

Next Tuesday: "Preparing for a January 1st Go-Live: Last-Minute Checklist" - Don't miss it!

See you then,

Team EVER

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Kate Byrne