Having the right tools for the job can make the job go so much smoother and faster. That certainly applies to the arduous job of change. But what are the tools needed for smoother and faster change? Most people have more than one tool in their toolbox but there is usually a favorite that gets used the most and hopefully, with the task of creating meaningful change, that tool is not a hammer! Unfortunately, when we have pressing deadlines and too much on our plate to even think, we tend to use our favorite which is our default tool.
If we are the boss we tend to use our position of “the Boss” as our default tool and just bark a few orders like we are in the military and expect compliance. That tool is called “position power” and it is not very effective on its own. Even in the military it is usually coupled with other tools in order to make it effective. “Position power” is only a good tool if you have a long history of credibility and trust and even then it is only enough to get attention and a start, the rest of the work of how to change and why to change has to come from other tools.
Another common default tool is threats of punishment, this tool is called “coercion power.” “If you don’t do this I’ll cut your pay or fire you or, or,” and sometimes this tool is enough to get some initial attention and compliance but again it doesn’t do much to help people know how to change and the why to change is pretty weak and will get weaker over time. Now days it can backfire because a disgruntled worker can look for ways to sabotage the change effort and create dissention behind the scene. At most this tool will only engage the body and bring compliance, it will never engage the spirit or recruit believers that will help improve the change effort.
The best tools for change engage the mind and the spirit and involve emotion. All change must start in the mind, you must see it mentally before you can build it physically. So, it is not just information (which is powerful in itself) but it is information that is packaged in a way that creates a vision that can be shared. A vision that remains in one mind or is unable to be communicated is weak or even useless. The power of a vision comes when it can be shared without confusion, a vision so clear that it cannot be misinterpreted. The more the vision can be seen and felt (as in excites the emotion) the more it will be shared with others and ignite the energy and action needed for lasting change.
In our current “Information Age” we are inundated with information. There has never been a time in history where information was so available or accessible but giving access to information or providing information is not enough to inspire change. Whatever the information is that we are providing it is competing with all the other readily available information out there, so to win the battle for people’s attention it must engage more than just the mind and be packaged in a way that includes emotion and the soul. If your shared vision can appeal to a sense that the change will contribute to the greater good as well as to personal good, it will be even more powerful and compelling. Creating a compelling vision for change is like creating a magnet that attracts and pulls people in rather than pushing your agenda out with command and control! There is so much less energy and cost needed to be a magnet that attracts the energy and creativity of others than to be the one power source that provides all the energy and creativity needed for truly meaningful change!
Information is by far the most powerful and effective tool for change if it is packaged correctly and the good news is that the power is renewable unlike the other tools that loose power the more they are used. However, the information tool is the most difficult tool to master and requires the most upfront work but the results will eclipse the results of any other tool!
If we are the boss we tend to use our position of “the Boss” as our default tool and just bark a few orders like we are in the military and expect compliance. That tool is called “position power” and it is not very effective on its own. Even in the military it is usually coupled with other tools in order to make it effective. “Position power” is only a good tool if you have a long history of credibility and trust and even then it is only enough to get attention and a start, the rest of the work of how to change and why to change has to come from other tools.
Another common default tool is threats of punishment, this tool is called “coercion power.” “If you don’t do this I’ll cut your pay or fire you or, or,” and sometimes this tool is enough to get some initial attention and compliance but again it doesn’t do much to help people know how to change and the why to change is pretty weak and will get weaker over time. Now days it can backfire because a disgruntled worker can look for ways to sabotage the change effort and create dissention behind the scene. At most this tool will only engage the body and bring compliance, it will never engage the spirit or recruit believers that will help improve the change effort.
The best tools for change engage the mind and the spirit and involve emotion. All change must start in the mind, you must see it mentally before you can build it physically. So, it is not just information (which is powerful in itself) but it is information that is packaged in a way that creates a vision that can be shared. A vision that remains in one mind or is unable to be communicated is weak or even useless. The power of a vision comes when it can be shared without confusion, a vision so clear that it cannot be misinterpreted. The more the vision can be seen and felt (as in excites the emotion) the more it will be shared with others and ignite the energy and action needed for lasting change.
In our current “Information Age” we are inundated with information. There has never been a time in history where information was so available or accessible but giving access to information or providing information is not enough to inspire change. Whatever the information is that we are providing it is competing with all the other readily available information out there, so to win the battle for people’s attention it must engage more than just the mind and be packaged in a way that includes emotion and the soul. If your shared vision can appeal to a sense that the change will contribute to the greater good as well as to personal good, it will be even more powerful and compelling. Creating a compelling vision for change is like creating a magnet that attracts and pulls people in rather than pushing your agenda out with command and control! There is so much less energy and cost needed to be a magnet that attracts the energy and creativity of others than to be the one power source that provides all the energy and creativity needed for truly meaningful change!
Information is by far the most powerful and effective tool for change if it is packaged correctly and the good news is that the power is renewable unlike the other tools that loose power the more they are used. However, the information tool is the most difficult tool to master and requires the most upfront work but the results will eclipse the results of any other tool!
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