You made big plans. You created urgency. Built a coalition. Cast a bold vision. Started engaging people and knocking down barriers.
In parts one (Practice Change Instead of Drowning in It) and two of this three-part series (From Vision to Mobilization), we looked at how Kotter’s first five steps lay the groundwork for change while applying an equity-centered lens.
Now come the hard, and often skipped, parts: generating short term wins, sustaining acceleration,and making it stick-y.
Make Change Stick: How Equity Change Work Becomes Culture, Not Just Initiative
Step 6: Generate Short-Term Wins: Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection
Change work takes time. People need to see it working along the way.
Kotter calls these “wins” the molecules of results (2018, p. 25). They give shape to momentum and renew energy when resistance creeps in.
Applying an equity lens, this can look like:
Tracking both qualitative and quantitative outcomes
Sharing visible stories of change (e.g., a more inclusive hiring practice, a repaired harm, a policy update)
Centering voices that have long been marginalized in what “success” means and who makes decisions for what changes
Short-term wins don’t mean we’re done. They mean we’re building momentum.
One of the biggest pitfalls of organizational change? Celebrating too early.
After the first few wins, energy dips. Complacency creeps back in. People say, “Didn’t we already do that training?”
Sustaining momentum requires:
Re-engaging your guiding coalition and volunteer army
Revisiting urgency, especially when fatigue sets in
Continuing to remove new barriers as they emerge
Liberatory leaders know that equity is not a phase. It’s a practice. A discipline. A way of being.
Culture change happens after behavior changes.
Kotter reminds us that people don’t shift culture with slogans—they do it by repeating new actions that lead to better outcomes. Over time, those actions become identity. Actions include the following. What would you add?
Connect new behaviors to organizational outcomes
Align systems (hiring, evaluation, strategy) with liberatory values
Name and honor the why behind the change
As Kotter puts it: “New practices must be deeply rooted and anchored to replace the old ways” (2018, p. 32).
You’ll know the change has stuck when it shows up:
In how people make decisions
In who gets to lead
In what’s normalized and what’s no longer tolerated
Too many equity initiatives are reactive, fragile, or shallow. But not yours.
Because you’re not just reacting to harm—you’re building wholeness.
You’re not just checking boxes—you’re shaping culture.
And you’re not alone.
At L3 Catalyst Group we're grateful to walk alongside leaders like you, helping create change that lasts—and liberates us individually and collectively.
Let’s stay in the work.
Let’s make it stick.
Let’s lead with love, equity, and courage.
Fellow leaders and learners, I wish you courage, rest, and Beloved Community for the journey. Together we catalyze a brave, bold, and liberatory future.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press.
Kotter, J. P. (2014). Accelerate. Harvard Business Review Press.
Kotter Inc. (2018). 8 Steps to Accelerate Change in Your Organization [eBook]. Retrieved from https://www.kotterinc.com