Front cover
Back cover"What If 'They' Aren't the Problem?"
A Practitioner's Guide to Leading Change Through the Human Element, a book by Keith Laplante
Thirty-five years of leading change, and watching others lead it, distilled into the book I wish I'd had at the start.
The problem almost never is what it looks like from the top.
This book is for every leader who has ever looked at a change initiative and wondered why their people just wouldn't get on board. It's about the human psychology that makes change genuinely hard, the difference between compliance and commitment, and the practical leadership behaviours that actually close the gap between the two.
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What you'll find inside.
Eight chapters and five practical tools, built for leaders who need to do something differently, not just think differently.
The Map Exists. Not Everyone Has a Copy.
The state of change leadership: why brilliant initiatives keep failing, and what the leaders who get it right are doing differently.
Why Change Feels Like Loss
The psychology of loss aversion, the change curve, and why the resistance you're encountering isn't irrational. It's entirely predictable if you know what to look for.
Compliance Is Not Commitment
The spectrum of employee response to change. Begrudging compliance. Blind compliance. What genuine commitment actually looks like, and why the difference shows up in every metric that matters.
By Us, Not To Us
The moment that determines whether a change initiative succeeds or fails. Why downloading a decision isn't the same as involving people in it. And what genuine involvement actually requires.
The Dual Motivation Framework
Not everyone is moved by the same message. The case for honest communication, including the uncomfortable parts, and why relentless positivity erodes the trust it's trying to build.
Shorten the Curve
The practical leadership behaviours that accelerate the path to commitment. Starting before you have all the answers. Inoculating people against the inevitable dip. Celebrating early wins in a way that makes everyone feel like a participant.
The Grassroots Proof
The story of how a frontline team grew a line of business by more than four times in twelve months, because the people closest to the customer were the ones driving the change.
The Age of AI: Change Leadership's Defining Moment
Why AI adoption is the same human challenge it's always been, and why organizations approaching it as a technology problem are going to get exactly the results they're afraid of.
Building Your Change Leadership Practice
The habits, the mindset, and the honest self-assessment that sustain change leadership over time. Not a certification. A practice.
Five Practical Tools
A one-page framework, a pre-launch checklist, a commitment diagnostic, an engagement tool, and a self-assessment. Designed to be used, not just read.
"Your people are not the problem. How you lead them through change very often is."
Keith Laplante
"Compliance is fragile. It depends on the incentive staying in place, the consequence staying credible, and the manager staying watchful. Commitment is different."
Keith Laplante
"Change done by us lands differently than change done to us."
Keith Laplante
Early Praise for "What If They Aren't The Problem?"
"You can always tell when a book has been written by someone who's spent years helping organisations navigate real change rather than simply writing about it. Keith has distilled decades of experience into practical advice that's refreshingly clear, deeply human, and immediately applicable. I suspect many leaders will find themselves thinking, 'I wish I'd read this sooner.'"
Adam BillingFounder, Treehouse Innovation
"In an environment where resistance to change was a constant challenge in my work, Keith's book stood out as a practical transformative resource. He offers clear, actionable tools that have the potential to deliver predictable, tangible results. This is a must-read for anyone ready to turn resistance into real progress."
Fran DeFilippisProfessor, Seneca College
"What If "They" Aren't the Problem? perfectly captures the essence of who Keith is as a leader: authentic, incredibly insightful, and deeply genuine. Throughout his long career transforming top-tier organizations, Keith's success has always stemmed from a simple, profound truth: change done by us lands differently than change done to us. This isn't your typical dry business book. It's a highly practical practitioner's guide packed with real-world stories (the "Desk" anecdote and his frontline banking turnaround are brilliant standouts). This book also provides actual, ready-to-use tools in the appendix. It challenges leaders to look in the mirror, ask better questions, and truly listen to those they lead. This is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to build a high-performing, deeply committed organizational culture that can manage change with a human centered lens."
Tom Merrill, PhDMaster Facilitator, ExperiencePoint
About the Author
Keith Laplante has spent more than thirty-five years helping organizations do the most difficult thing any institution can attempt: genuine, lasting change. His career spans financial services, global consulting, and enterprise learning, with executive roles at TD Waterhouse, BMO Financial Group, and HomeEquity Bank, and consulting work at Accenture's Canada Innovation Hub, ExperiencePoint, and The Refinery Leadership Partners.
He has facilitated leadership programs at Harvard, Duke, and Stanford, and delivered change and innovation workshops to more than 7,000 learners worldwide. He holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
This is his first book.
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