How to create change that actually happens.
The biggest threat to change isn’t apathy.
It’s the assumptions we make about how change actually happens.
Most people understand that to get ahead, they need to change.
But often that’s where the alignment ends.
Because, to paraphrase Marshall Ganz in “People, Power and Change,” some people think making the problem more visible will change things, while others think it takes inventing a better solution, or getting the right people in a room to talk it out.
We’ve learned the hard way with past projects and clients, that simply wanting things to change isn’t enough!
Desire isn’t a strategy.
Here are 3 things that do help though:
Unpack assumptions upfront. This is the lay of the land that will form part of your context for change.
Figure out if change is “doable” in that context. Even the best idea can fail if it’s born into the wrong environment.
Keep the strategy alive. Strategy doesn’t stop when action starts. (That line may be one of Marshall’s too.) It’s not a baton pass—it’s a connective thread.
What would you add? What’s worked for you when strategizing for change?
Love to hear anything that surprised you, or outlier ideas you experimented with.