“Don’t throw away your old shoes before you have new ones”

What Sales Director Wesley van de Pol’s sneaker collection teaches us about learning and change

Change often sounds exciting in theory. New systems, fresh strategies, better tools. Yet in practice, it can feel messy, uncertain, and uncomfortable. At Connected Movement, we know that lasting transformation begins with people, not processes. Which is why we love exploring unexpected ways to look at learning and change.

When we sat down with Wesley van de Pol, Sales Director at Connected Movement, we didn’t expect to talk about sneakers. But his Air Jordan collection turned out to hold a surprisingly powerful lesson about how people and organisations deal with transformation.

From passion to perspective

“Step into my house and you’ll notice it immediately,” Wesley says with a smile. “I have a lot of Air Jordans.”

For him, collecting sneakers is more than a hobby. Each pair tells a story: the design, the history, the chase to find the right size, and the ongoing challenge to make room for just one more. Somewhere between the shelves and shoeboxes, Wesley realised something simple yet profound.

“The way I treat my Jordans,” he says, “is the way many people and organisations handle change.”

The collector’s rule

Every sneaker collector knows an unwritten rule: you don’t throw away your old pair until the new one has truly arrived and fits your life.

Old shoes feel comfortable. They’re familiar. They might even carry memories you’re not ready to let go of. And even when the new ones arrive, you need time to wear them in, test them, and see if they really fit.

“It’s the same in organisations,” Wesley explains. “Leaders introduce new processes, systems, or ways of working, almost like buying twenty new pairs of sneakers and expecting everyone to wear them the next day. But people are still walking in their old shoes. Old habits, old mindsets, old routines that have supported them for years. If you take those away too soon, you don’t create progress. You create discomfort.”

Learning as movement

At Connected Movement, this mindset is at the heart of how we view learning. Change doesn’t happen through a single event or training session. It’s something living, evolving and deeply human.

“Learning is movement,” Wesley says. “And to move well, people need confidence under their feet. You can’t build that by forcing people to sprint in shoes that don’t fit yet.”

The art is in finding balance: respecting where people are now, while helping them step into what’s next.

For individuals, that means recognising that your old skills and experiences brought you this far. They matter. Reflection helps you see what still supports you and what you’re ready to replace.

For teams, it’s about direction, not uniformity. “Not everyone needs to wear the same shoes,” Wesley explains. “What matters is moving in the same direction, with trust and purpose.”

And for organisations, transformation works best when people co-create it. “Real change doesn’t happen because someone declares that from tomorrow everyone will wear this new pair. It happens when people try it on together, talk about what works and what doesn’t, and shape the solution together.”

Holding on and moving forward

Every time Wesley adds a new pair to his collection, he must make space for it. “That’s when I’m reminded that change is not about throwing things away,” he says. “It’s about thoughtful transition. You respect what has value, let go with intention, and step into the new with confidence.”

Transformation, he believes, should feel expansive, not reductive. “We don’t learn and transform to have less. We do it to grow, to enrich what’s already there.”

The journey forward

Asked what advice he would give to leaders guiding change, Wesley doesn’t hesitate.

“Don’t rush to discard the old. Understand it. Don’t introduce the new without reflection. Test it. And above all, don’t move alone. Move together.”

Because when learning is designed with intention, collaboration and curiosity, people don’t just walk forward — they accelerate.

“So, whether we’re talking about sneakers or skills,” he says, smiling, “keep what fits, upgrade what doesn’t, and create space for what helps you go further.”

That, in essence, is what Connected Movement stands for. Helping individuals, teams and organisations find the right shoes for their journey and walking alongside them as they grow into them.

Get in touch with Wesley and see how he can fit you the right shoe: Click here.