Change/Change Agents

Not sure what triggered it, but went on a Twitter rampage this morning (Thursday, 11/21) on the topic of change.

Herewith, FYI:

Change agentry: Forget the word “enemies.” Focus on/obsess on … ALLIES.

Big change is not about fighting the bad guys. It’s about surrounding them with your continuously recruited allies.

Success at change: Building a stable of allies. Failure: Pissing and moaning and picking fights.

Change agent time distribution: 50% recruiting Allies. 40% tending Allies. 10% other. 0% fighting enemies.

Change: Allies do not automatically remain allies. Tend them and do NOT NOT NOT neglect them—the latter is a common sin.

Change the 4F Way: Find a Fellow Freak Faraway. (Change agents need playmates and distant playpens.)

Change you want: It’s already happening somewhere. Find it!

Change is about end runs—not smash-mouth plunge down the middle.

Allies: Recruit the quiet ones as much or more than the noisy ones.

Change: Making loud noises is usually a loser’s strategy.

Change: Recruit allies 2 or 3 levels “down” … where the real work is done and from which the system can be indirectly manipulated.

Change: “Suck down” for success.

Change: ALLIES. ALLIES. ALLIES. ALLIES. ALLIES. ALLIES. (Then more ALLIES.)

Change agents: Commit no minor sins. Don’t let the bad guys find a narrow opening and bring you down for trivial reasons.

Change agents: Keep a civil tongue at all costs.

Change agents: Speak not ill of thine enemies. Even to pals in private. All the walls have ears.

Change agents: No: Charts and graphs. Instead: Demos. Demos. Then more demos.

Change: Success is more about momentum around small wins than it is about big wins.
Change: Engage your allies in the design process—even if it introduces impurities. They must FEEL true ownership.

100% of change-that-works is NON-linear.

Change: Joyfully let/encourage your allies to take 100% credit for the small wins they’re involved in.

Serious change includes bad days, bad weeks, bad months, perhaps bad years.

Change agents: Re-read all emails 3 times before sending.

Social Media is a marvel. Do NOT shortchange face-to-face with Allies.

Change agents: Successful small wins with outsiders provide enormous street cred.

Change agents: Preaching to the choir is just fine. If the members of the choir preach to their choirs it becomes a … MOVEMENT!

[Ed. Tom has produced a PPT titled “Getting Things Done,” which includes the above, updated 20 Oct 2014.]

Tom Peters posted this on November 21, 2013, in Strategies.
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