You Can’t Out-Manage Physics: Change Management and Leadership Lessons from Classical Physics¹
Organizations often discuss change as if it were primarily a matter of intent: decide you want something to be different, communicate the change, and then execute it. Simple! The laws of classical physics say otherwise. Long before we understood neuroscience or organizational psychology, we understood something more basic: systems tend to behave predictably, and not always the way we wish.
So, let's have some fun (my version of fun, anyway) by bringing change management, leadership, and physics together! The 8 laws below describe constraints that apply whether the system is made of atoms or people.
Newton’s First Law of Motion (Law of Inertia)
Newton’s First Law states that an object will remain at rest, or continue moving in a straight line at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.a. What the science means
Systems naturally preserve their current state. Motion does not begin—or change direction—without an outside force acting on it. Stability, once established, tends to persist even when it is no longer optimal.b. How this relates to Leadership
In an organization, existing behavior has remarkable staying power. Past practices become embedded in culture, processes, incentives, and expectations, and people generally prefer the familiar to the uncertain. Leaders often assume that naming a new priority or expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo will be enough to change culture, behavior, and outcomes. But it's not. Meaningful change requires intentional, sustained pressure—applied clearly, consistently, and longer than you think it “should.”Newton’s Second Law of Motion (Acceleration)
This law explains how motion changes when you apply a force. Expressed as F = ma, it shows that acceleration depends on both the force applied and the mass of the object.a. What the science means
The same amount of force produces different results depending on the mass of what you are trying to move. Larger or heavier systems require proportionally greater force to achieve the same acceleration.b. How this relates to Leadership
When progress is not to an ambitious leader’s liking, they often conclude that someone is not trying hard enough to get things done (not enough force) rather than concluding that the real obstacle to the desired outcome is the magnitude of the challenge in front of their team (large mass). A coach will reframe the issue by shifting attention to what leaders are pushing against—organizational complexity, fear, misaligned incentives, or legacy processes and what they are doing to change that sizable mass. Sustainable progress often comes not from pushing harder, but from reducing the mass that makes movement challenging. Reducing mass can be a one-time cost, but pushing harder requires constant input. How do you do this? Reducing the mass includes things like making the workplace more psychologically safe, making priorities crystal clear (and maybe saying “no” to something), and aligning outcomes based on what matters most for the company as a whole, not any one department.Newton’s Third Law of Motion (Law of Action and Reaction)
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.a. What the science means
When one object exerts a force (action) on a second object, the second object simultaneously exerts a force (reaction) of equal magnitude but in the opposite direction on the first object. For example, a rocket expelling gas backward (action) produces forward thrust (reaction).b. How this relates to Leadership
Resistance is a predictable response to change, not necessarily a leadership failure. People typically don’t love change. So when change comes along, many employees will simply push back reflexively. Adept leaders don't treat pushback as defiance; they treat it as information—about fear, loss, or misalignment. Without that shift, leaders often escalate the use of force and unintentionally strengthen the resistance they are trying to overcome. Because this resistance is predictable, plan early and with other senior leaders how you will share the news of change and how you will influence key skeptics to join in the change.Law of Universal Gravitation
Every mass attracts every other mass, with the strength of attraction increasing with mass and decreasing with distance.a. What the science means
Influence is a function of both scale and proximity. Distance weakens force, even when mass remains constant.b. How this relates to Leadership
A leader’s influence does not travel evenly across an organization, and disparate time zones and remote teams make leading harder. Leaders overestimate the pull of their role and underestimate the importance of proximity—presence, accessibility, and repeated interaction—in shaping behavior and culture. Research shows that employees want to hear the strategic message from senior leaders and the personal impacts from their direct manager. Proximity matters in personal messaging and impacts.The opposite is also true: when the leader enters any virtual or physical room, their mere presence changes the gravitational pull of that meeting like the Sun's pull on the planets. Whether your intent and your impact line up is not predetermined. Knowing your presence impacts every meeting you attend, be intentional about the impact you want on that system, and design with others (senior team members, influencers) whether each meeting needs less or more of you, or something altogether different.
First Law of Thermodynamics (Conservation of Energy)
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred.a. What the science means
When energy disappears in one form, it reappears in another. For example, a car in motion has kinetic energy; when you press the brakes, that kinetic energy is converted into heat by friction.b. How this relates to Leadership
Disengagement, frustration, and conflict do not vanish when ignored; they resurface elsewhere. Today’s grievance about the latest change in priorities shows up as next quarter’s unwanted attrition. Curious leaders look for where energy has gone when it stops showing up as focus or performance, and they make deliberate choices about how to redirect negative or unconstructive energy rather than trying in vain to suppress it. And when you redirect it, remember the third law.Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy)
In isolated systems, entropy tends to increase over time.a. What the science means
Entropy is roughly equivalent to disorder. Without continual input of energy, systems drift toward disorder. Order is temporary unless actively maintained. Think of your kitchen when you entertain or your room as a kid.b. How this relates to Leadership
Alignment, clarity, and trust decay without constant attention. You might think your messaging was clear and widespread, but employees take vacations, key employees leave, and new ones join without the same historical context. Repetition and clarity are the keys to success here. A useful reframe is that leadership is an act of ongoing maintenance rather than one-time intervention, helping leaders accept entropy as a natural condition rather than a personal or organizational failure. Also, try to be really clear.The Observer Effect
The act of observing or measuring a system can alter its behavior.a. What the science means
Measurement is not neutral. Attention itself influences outcomes, a phenomenon closely related to—but distinct from—the uncertainty limits described in quantum mechanics. For example, measuring the pressure of a tire lets out a tiny bit of air.b. How this relates to Leadership
What leaders pay attention to changes behavior. Especially when money is involved, because compensation drives behavior. Everyone wants to achieve their goals, so the focus shifts to whatever outcome is most rewarded. Additionally, whatever leadership focuses on in something like a Quarterly Business Review is the item most likely to be acted upon. Strong leaders are curious and intentional observers, aware that interest, metrics, and presence are not passive tools but active forces shaping priorities, performance, and culture. Coupling knowledge of this law with the law of universal gravitation helps leaders understand better just how impactful what they focus on can be.The Principle of Least Action
Physical systems tend to follow the path that gets them from one state to another with the least overall resistance, given the forces and constraints around them.a. What the science means
Nature tends to follow the easiest available path, but “easiest” does not always mean shortest. If you are walking toward a door, the shortest route might be a straight line—but if there is a couch in the way, you walk around it rather than climb over it. The obstacles and conditions around you shape the path you take.b. How this relates to Leadership
People behave similarly. What looks like avoidance, resistance, or a workaround may simply be the easiest path the system around them created. Reframe that judgment with curiosity: What is making this unwanted behavior easier than the behavior we want? Leaders can then change incentives, remove obstacles, clarify expectations, or explain the “why” so the desired behavior becomes easier to adopt and sustain.
Leaders sometimes come to coaches seeking better answers when what they really need is a better understanding of how systems naturally function. Human systems aren’t as chaotic as we think; once we place them in the context of physics, they’re predictable. Behavior follows rules, energy goes somewhere, and attention changes outcomes whether we like it or not. Coaching doesn’t eliminate resistance, entropy, or momentum—it helps leaders recognize them earlier and work with them more effectively.
And when your children tell you that entropy is responsible for their messy room, be sure to praise them for their understanding of science!
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¹ Many of the principles referenced here originate in classical physics, which got its start with Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. At the quantum scale—roughly the level of subatomic particles, where phenomena behave in discrete and probabilistic ways—some of these assumptions break down. Humans and organizations do not operate at the subatomic level; we are not both particles and waves. In the classical regime, in which human systems operate, these laws remain not just relevant but also reliably descriptive.