Summary: A senior citizen's journey as a novice BMX racer illustrates change leadership as a lived practice, blending strategic concepts with practical application. Facing health challenges, he conducted a gap analysis to align his current state with his vision of racing competitively with his grandchildren. His approach integrated key change leadership practices: leveraging intrinsic (personal growth) and extrinsic (family inspiration) motivation, crafting a structured action plan with BMX practice, strength training, and continuous learning, and embracing mentorship from elite racers. His willingness to navigate discomfort and failure fostered a growth mindset, culminating in a 3rd-place finish in the Arizona State BMX Championship (66+ Cruiser Class). His ongoing success reflects agile leadership through continuous assessment and adaptation, preventing regression. This case demonstrates how visioning, disciplined execution, psychological safety, and mentorship drive sustainable transformation. His story offers a model for applying change leadership to personal or professional gaps, inspiring adaptive, impactful growth.

Context

Brent, a seasoned educator and mentor, faced emerging health challenges as he approached retirement. Recognizing a gap between his desired future state and current trajectory, he initiated a personal change management project rooted in physical and mental renewal. His objective: to become a competitive BMX racer alongside his young grandchildren while fostering creative longevity.

Challenge

Despite being a complete novice in BMX, Brent committed to a rigorous training regimen and immersed himself in a new athletic culture. This required confronting physical limitations, emotional vulnerability, and the discomfort of public learning—all while modeling resilience and adaptive leadership.

Change leadership practices demonstrated

Brent’s journey illustrates several core principles of change leadership in action—each one offering a practical lens through which personal transformation can be understood, applied, and sustained.

🔍 1. Visioning and gap analysis

Brent began by identifying a misalignment between his long-term aspirations and present health status. This mirrors organizational gap analysis—where leaders assess current realities against future goals to define the need for change.

“I recognized a disconnect between where I wanted to be in five years and where my health was trending, so I made some adjustments.”

🧠 2. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

He leveraged both internal drive (personal health and growth) and external motivators (his grandchildren’s enthusiasm) to sustain momentum. This dual approach is critical in change leadership, where motivation must be cultivated across diverse stakeholders.

🛠️ 3. Structured action planning

Brent’s plan included:

• Weekly BMX practice and races
• Strength training at EOS
• TRX workouts and canal sprints on his BMX bike
• Ongoing learning through reading, interviews, and observation

This reflects disciplined execution—translating vision into measurable, repeatable actions.

🤝 4. Mentorship and learning culture

By surrounding himself with elite racers and embracing feedback, Brent created a high-performance learning environment. Effective change leaders seek out expertise, foster mentorship, and remain coachable.

😅 5. Embracing discomfort and failure

Brent’s willingness to fall, fail, and persist exemplifies psychological safety and growth mindset—two pillars of personal and organizational transformation.

“I’m essentially losing my way to the top.”

🏁 6. Celebrating milestones and disruptive impact

Despite being a non-sponsored novice, Brent placed 3rd in the Arizona State BMX Championship in the 66+ Cruiser Class. His unexpected success disrupted expectations and demonstrated how bold change can reshape systems.

“I was simply a disruptive force who surprised a few folks who expected to make the finals.”

🔄 7. Continuous assessment and adaptive growth

The state championship BMX race was just one milestone in an ongoing change process. Many change efforts falter because individuals and organizations reach a desired state and assume the journey is complete. In reality, change efforts are only as effective as the reinforcement. Sustainable change demands continuous assessment—ongoing gap analysis, goal-setting, and strategic action to support adaptation and growth. Without this, homeostasis often takes over, leading to regression or stagnation.

Brent exemplifies this mindset by regularly evaluating his progress, identifying new challenges, and adjusting his strategy to maintain momentum. His approach reflects agile leadership, where transformation is not a one-time event but a dynamic cycle of learning, reflection, and renewal.

“With the AZ State Championship behind me, the National Championship is coming up on soon. I’ll let you know how that goes.”

Reflection

• What personal or professional gap are you currently navigating?
• How can you apply structured change leadership practices to close that gap?
• What role do discomfort, mentorship, and motivation play in your growth?
• How might your own “disruptive force” inspire change in others?
• What systems do you have in place to assess progress and adapt over time?

Reference

This case study includes commentary and content assisted by Microsoft Copilot. (2025, October 24). Coaching case study: Racing toward change—A personal leadership journey [AI-generated content]. Microsoft. https://copilot.microsoft.com