Kristy Ellmer’s TED Talks: Humanizing Change in a World of Relentless Transformation

Kristy Ellmer during her speech at Ted Talks

In a world where the only constant is change, Kristy Ellmer, a renowned transformation leader and executive, took to the TED stage to deliver a powerful and deeply personal talk on the art—and science—of navigating change. Drawing from her own life and decades of experience guiding organizations through seismic shifts, Ellmer’s message was clear: change, even when unwelcome or unexpected, can be a force for good—if we learn to humanize it.

A Defining Moment: The Bankruptcy That Changed Everything

Ellmer began her talk by recounting a pivotal moment at age 24, when she had just started working for a historic airline that soon declared bankruptcy. The company, once a symbol of innovation and opportunity, was now facing the grim reality of layoffs and uncertainty. For many employees, the prospect of losing their jobs was devastating—not just financially, but emotionally, as it meant saying goodbye to colleagues who had become like family.

It was during this turbulent time that a facilitator, brought in to help manage the transition, posed a question that would forever alter Ellmer’s perspective: “What if, for everyone that is laid off, it is actually a good thing?” The idea seemed almost cruel at first. How could losing a job—one’s livelihood—be anything but a setback?

But the facilitator shared research that tracked the long-term outcomes of laid-off employees. Surprisingly, many went on to find new opportunities, start businesses, learn new skills, or return to school. With support—severance packages, recommendations, and the backing of their networks—these individuals often found themselves propelled out of career ruts and into more fulfilling paths.

This revelation became a guiding belief for Ellmer: “Change is always a good thing. Even if forced upon you, if you’re curious and patient enough, you will find the good in it.” It’s a philosophy she has carried with her ever since, shaping her approach to both personal and professional challenges.

Leading Through Change: Lessons from the Frontlines

Today, Ellmer is a transformation leader who has helped companies large and small—across industries and continents—navigate the complexities of change. From reskilling entire organizations to rescuing a mining company on the brink of closure, and even supporting grocery stores through the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellmer has seen firsthand that change is not only inevitable, but increasingly frequent and difficult.

“Lucky for me, I love to change. I actually seek it out,” she admitted. But she acknowledged that for most people, change is something to be feared, not embraced. “We are biologically wired to hate change,” Ellmer explained, referencing the brain’s amygdala, which triggers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline at the first sign of threat or uncertainty.

Whether it’s encountering a bear in the woods or hearing about a corporate merger, our brains react the same way: with fear and resistance. This, Ellmer noted, is a key reason why 75% of corporate transformations fail. “It doesn’t matter how good your change management strategy is if the humans you are working with are consciously or unconsciously working against you. It’s what they’re wired to do.”

The Human Element: Motivations and the Power of Story

So how can leaders—and individuals—overcome this natural resistance to change? For Ellmer, the answer lies in humanizing the process.

She offered two practical strategies. First, she encouraged everyone embarking on a change journey to write their personal change story—and to have their teams do the same. “This is the why you are motivated to change and why you’re committed to seeing it through,” she said. Revisiting this “why” can help people push past their instinctive aversion to change.

Ellmer, who founded the Behavioral Science Lab at BCG, shared insights from her research into what motivates people to embrace change. She identified five primary motivators:

1. Personal Achievement: The drive for career milestones, promotions, and recognition.

2. Customers: The desire to improve products and services for real people.

3. Teams: The importance of working with and supporting colleagues.

4. Community: The need to contribute to a greater good and make a positive impact.

5. Financial Outcomes: The pursuit of monetary rewards and security.

While everyone resonates with all five to some degree, one typically stands out. Yet, Ellmer observed, most leaders focus only on financial outcomes or personal achievement, leaving the majority of their teams uninspired. “If leaders are talking about financial outcomes and personal achievement like bonuses, they are leaving 60 people unmotivated and uninspired to change.”

To illustrate the power of a holistic approach, Ellmer recounted a story from her work with a mining company. One leader, who had grown up in poverty, was moved to tears as he explained how the company’s transformation would not only improve financial performance but also enable investments in equipment, wages, and community programs to reduce poverty. By connecting the change to all five motivators, the transformation became a shared mission—one that everyone could see themselves in.

Measuring and Managing Cognitive Load

Ellmer’s second tip addressed a common oversight in organizational change: the assumption that everyone has the same capacity for change. In reality, people’s ability to handle change varies widely, depending on both their workload and their personal circumstances.

To address this, Ellmer advocated for measuring “cognitive load,” which she defined as a combination of confidence and capacity. Capacity refers to whether someone has the time, energy, and resources to complete a task, while confidence is their belief in their ability to succeed.

She recommended simple surveys to gauge how people are feeling—excited, tired, proud, anxious—and to ask direct questions about their ability to juggle roles and their confidence in facing difficult tasks. With this information, leaders can tailor their support: offering new opportunities to those who are thriving, and reducing workloads or providing targeted interventions for those who are struggling.

Crucially, Ellmer emphasized the importance of reminding people of their personal “why” when they hit rough patches, and boosting their confidence with encouragement from trusted leaders. “It is these interventions that allow us to help people move through the change and fight that biological wiring to resist change.”

The Path Forward: Humanizing Change for Better Outcomes

Ellmer’s talk was a call to action for leaders and organizations to recognize that successful change is not just about strategies and metrics—it’s about people. “Us messy, complicated humans with our differing motivations, insecurities, and full lives,” she said with a smile.

By humanizing change—understanding what motivates people, helping them manage their cognitive load, and supporting them through the emotional journey—leaders can help their teams not only survive change, but thrive through it. “There is so much good that can come from change when done right,” Ellmer concluded. “Because there is good in every change. You just have to find it.”

Her message resonated with the audience, many of whom have faced their own moments of upheaval and uncertainty. In a world where change is accelerating, Ellmer’s insights offer a roadmap for turning disruption into opportunity—and for finding meaning and growth, even in the most challenging transitions.

Conclusion

Kristy Ellmer’s TED talk was more than a presentation—it was an invitation to reframe our relationship with change. By sharing her personal journey and the lessons she’s learned from leading transformations around the globe, Ellmer reminded us that while change may be inevitable, suffering through it is not. With empathy, self-awareness, and a commitment to humanizing the process, we can all learn to see change not as a threat, but as a chance to grow, connect, and create something better.

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