Managing a project that will have far-reaching effects is an opportunity to make your mark, yet just a quarter of employees believe their managers see enacting major change as a positive career defining moment. Melanie Franklin, Chief Executive Officer at Capability for Change, explores why and offers her insight into how the ability to implement positive, business-shaping change can supercharge a project manager’s career.
The impact of internal and external change on project managers in 2026
Our recent research as part of the Capability for Change Report 2025 demonstrates businesses across all sectors are undergoing unprecedented levels of change.
This change is taking many forms, but recent technological advances, including the rise of AI, mean increasing digitisation and driving operational efficiencies is at the very top of this list.
As a project manager, it’s likely that you will be heavily involved in the roll-out of programmes relating to these major shifts. This means not only will you be under pressure to deliver results that are visible to the rest of the company, but you will be responsible for guiding teams who are currently experiencing huge amounts of change.
So, it’s your job to maintain these employees’ faith in change as a positive concept. This is a particular challenge if these individuals have experienced a previous period of change that only resulted in an increased workload and no tangible benefits. Understandably, this leads to cynicism and mistrust, which will mean that you have to spend more time rebuilding their faith in you and change as a concept.
Using change as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd
Our study found that many business leaders are nervous to get involved in change. And this is understandable, given that just half of change management projects succeed on average. However, this reluctance from other departments creates a real opportunity for project managers to stand out from their peers in the eyes of both more junior teams and the board.
For instance, an overarching theme in feedback I receive from those I have trained in change management is the increase in support and loyalty shown to project managers when they are able to explain not only what the changes are, but the reason behind them too. The ability to communicate change in a way that makes sense to wider teams will not only help make programmes run smoother, but will also lead to other employees looking up to you as a trusted source of wisdom. This can have a huge impact on your internal reputation.
Leading change successfully can also set you apart in the eyes of senior stakeholders in the business. And the good news is, you already have the skills required to do this. As a project manager, you are used to creating the tangible changes that trigger new ways of working in the business. As a result, the ability to understand the strategic impact of a project, as well as explain the commercial importance of how the work is changing in order to fully exploit the potential benefits, is already part of your core skill set. Harnessing this ability to champion the advantages of your work and the impact it’s having on shaping the future of the business will inevitably help set you apart in the eyes of the board.
What about the risks?
Change is inarguably risky. There will always be the possibility that things do not go smoothly – especially in situations where the transformation itself is liable to reshaping. But these high stakes aren’t new to project managers, and ambitious professionals have the opportunity to establish themselves as part of an extremely valuable minority: individuals who are not only appropriately equipped to, but also adept at, leading change initiatives.
In fact, I would argue that there is a greater risk to not getting involved in major, transformative initiatives. After all, those who proactively choose to involve themselves in change – in what is essentially the shaping of the future of the organisation – are proving that they should be a key player in the strategy of the company moving forward. From a career perspective, this can only be a good thing.
Parting advice
My parting advice for project managers who are looking to use their change management expertise and experience to aid their career progression would be to cement your status as a principle figure in the future of your company. Achieving this buy-in from both junior and senior colleagues will not only enhance your reputation and accelerate your progression, but, chances are, it will also increase the success levels of future programmes.
And, if you are feeling overwhelmed with these new and shifting responsibilities, know that there are external change training resources and tools you can draw on during a transformation – and that you may well need them. No one has all of the answers, all of the time, and that’s OK.
Find out more about how ChangeabilityPro can support you in developing your change management skills.
