If only it was a simple as following the signs!

I’ve been fairly intrigued with managing, creating and fostering positive change for quite a while now. My interest stemmed from the realization that “things” aren’t working the way they are and in order to improve people need to change….

I’ve learned through experience that creating change is not easy. That good intentions, passion and dedication are not enough to encourage others to change. And that deep, meaningful change takes time. Some of my own personal crusades have been around encouraging individuals to make life-style changes to positively (or at least less negatively) impact our environment and our communities. I’ve driven organizational change as well.

I’ve run in the same circles with many other change agents for years now. And the one caveat I hear too often is that people won’t do, what appears to be, the obvious solution to a problem. I think sometimes as agents for change we mistaken good intentions and purpose driven motives with a gestapo like dedication to our own personal vision. “It’s my way or else!”

But in reality, creating change is more a game of finesse than brute force. There are many complicated moving parts like old habits, the existing culture, established systems, and the emotions of everyone involved. As a change agent, you have to balance providing direction without dictating every piece of the solution. You have to engage people on an emotional level without alienating or discouraging folks. And lastly (but really firstly), you must model changing yourself. These encompass the three elements for successfully fostering positive change:

1. Change Yourself First – This is where many efforts fall flat. If you want to encourage change in others it starts by changing yourself first. You might be thinking, “but I’m already practicing what I preach, I recycle, I compost, I bike instead of driving…” If you’re already modeling the behavior you want others to do (which is imperative) than the change you likely have to make is in how you interact with others and how you lead your efforts. I guarantee you, there’s something you’re doing or a way you think about the world that’s inhibiting your change efforts. So take stock, what skills could you develop? What relationships do you need to build? What old habits do you need to change? In Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit, he simplifies the process for changing habits. Every habit is made up of three parts, the Cue, the Routine and the Reward. You can’t eliminate a habit once it’s formed but you can change the habit by changing the routine.
2. Seeing the Future – All successful change agents have a vision of what they are working towards that is shared with their tribe. The key is to have a vision for the future that’s inspiring, hopeful and meaningful to people without being too prescriptive. What inspires you to change (think Global Warming) might not motivate the guy in the cubicle next to you. But if you dig deep enough, you’ll find some common values (like not being wasteful) on which you can build your shared vision for positive change. Duhigg shared the story of a successful organizational change in his book. The CEO inherited a fledging company and his vision to turn it around was to create a safe workplace with no accidents. Many people thought the new CEO was a dunce and some shareholders bailed out at that point. But his vision created positive change and the company became the most profitable manufacturer in their industry.
3. Encouraging Change Among Others – One of my favorite TEDxCSU talks this past weekend was by Jeni Cross about the 3 Myths of Creating Change. They are 1) Education will encourage change (education alone isn’t enough), 2) You need to change attitudes to change behavior (nope, attitudes actually follow behavior), and 3) People know what motivates them (the good old carrot or the stick…actually neither will effectively get the job done). The Heath brothers outline three steps for creating change in their book Switch, A) Directing the Rider, B) Motivating the Elephant, and C) Shaping the Path. In other words, you need to make both a rational and an emotional appeal while removing obstacles to ease the transition from the old to the new ways.  And as Jeni says, “common sense is the enemy of change.”

Suffice it to say that creating change is quite a comprehensive process that takes dedication, perseverance, and patience. For your efforts to be effective, all of these pieces must align. Your personal change efforts must help you to make progress towards accomplishing your vision, which needs to support the way you encourage change among others.

Would you like to further your own skills and knowledge as an agent of change? Join us for an EntrepreNerds book discussion on Thursday March 14th, noon-1:30pm in Fort Collins, CO. More information and RSVP online.