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.]