People are at the heart of any change; this results in unique challenges for the organization and the leader. When challenges occur we think the change needs to occur as a set of steps or as a straight line. When thinking of change management like this we lose sight of the unique challenges and opportunities the people within the change bring.
Instead, think of change management as a dance. When dancing with a partner you move forward, sideways, backwards, and you even spin around, but no step is negative, it is part of the dance. As someone who has led multiple large and impactful change initiatives, I can tell you the process is the same. At times we moved forward, sideways, backwards, and even spun around, but each movement was there to help the individual, team, or organization move through the steps of change. Each were positive and each created momentum of the dance.
Change is a dance. Embrace the movement as a flow of the music.