Page 86 - The Power to Change Anything

Make Change Inevitable

Who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being?

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

et’s say that you’ve discovered the vital behaviors that
need to be enacted to help resolve a profound and per-
L sistent problem you’re facing. You’ve also helped every-
one involved see the need for change. Now how do you actually
go about making that change happen?
To answer this question, let’s return to Guinea worm dis-
ease eradication efforts in North Africa—this time to a town in
Nigeria. Imagine that you’re following General Gowon. He has
been to this village to help dislodge the flawed beliefs that have
kept villagers from changing their behavior. Minds have been
changed. Certainly changing behavior will be a snap. So what’s
the next step?
Most of us have our favorite influence methods—just pass
a law, just threaten a consequence, or just offer a training pro-
gram. The problem with sticking to our favorite methods is not
that the methods are flawed per se; it’s that they’re far too sim-
plistic. It’s akin to hiking the Himalayas with only a fanny pack.
There’s nothing wrong with Gatorade and a granola bar, but
you’ll probably need a lot more. Bringing a simple solution to
a complex and resistant problem almost never works.
Nevertheless, people bet on single-source influence strate-
gies all the time. For instance, ask leaders how they’re planning
to change their employees from being clock-punchers to qual-
ity zealots, and they’ll point to their new training program—
the same one that they’re convinced drove General Electric’s

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