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Change is Constructive Only When People are Comfortable

by Rick Baker
On Jul 29, 2011
Sure, given the right amount of power you can force certain changes.
 
You can play on people's fears and cause them to act the way you desire or the way you command.
 
So, change is possible even if people are not comfortable.
 
The fact is: if you cause people to perform change when they are not comfortable then sooner or later you will find the result is destructive.
 
You can play upon people's weaknesses and fears...causing them to act to remove the pain they are feeling. You can cause that sort of change to happen. But, as you do it, recognize that type of change cannot be mutually constructive.
 
To twist on an old cliché, that’s short term gain for long term pain.
 
If your goal is to construct, to build, to sustain, then you cannot lay out uncomfortable-change paths for your followers.
 
To be extra clear: it doesn’t matter if you feel comfortable on those change paths. What matters is – Do your followers feel comfortable? Will your followers feel comfortable?
 
If you want to generate constructive change then the paths of change need to be pre-paved. They need to be pre-paved with material and surrounding that will be comfortable when your followers travel on it.
 
To do this pre-paving you must take the time to analyse your people, to understand your people, and to anticipate situations.
 
Only then can you have the knowledge you need to pre-pave comfortable paths of change.
 
Then, and only then, will change be constructive.
 
Use comfortable materials and surroundings as you pre-pave the paths of change.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change

Comments (13) -

Rick
12/23/2011 11:32:28 PM #

"We go into change rehearsing the history that brought us to this point."

Parker Palmer

Rick
2/25/2012 3:37:49 PM #

"Your change for the better must be gradual and can only be accomplished by bringing the thought current of an all-round symmetrical strength to bear on it..."

Ralph Waldo Trine
'In Tune with the Infinite', (1942, 45th Anniversary Edition)

rick baker
3/28/2012 9:18:02 PM #

"As the rate of change climbs, it becomes harder for individuals to create the personal stability zones they need."

Alvin Toffler
'Future Shock', (1970)

rick baker
3/28/2012 9:24:07 PM #

"For the acceleration of change does not merely buffet industries or nations. It is a concrete force that reaches deep into our personal lives, compels us to act out new roles, and confronts us with the danger of a new and powerfully upsetting psychological disease. This new disease can be called "future shock", and knowledge of its sources and symptoms helps explain many things that otherwise defy rational analysis.

""As the rate of change climbs, it becomes harder for individuals to create the personal stability zones they need."

Alvin Toffler
'Future Shock', (1970)

rick baker
4/20/2012 10:31:06 PM #

"Tell no man an uncomfortable truth, if this can with honesty be avoided, and make sure that you disclose the motive of a well-wisher if you must utter the facts."

Frank C. Haddock
'Power of Will', (1907)

rick baker
4/20/2012 11:17:27 PM #

“The art of arts is learning how to clear the mind of its enemies – enemies of our comfort, happiness, and success.”

Orison Swett Marden
‘Pushing to the Front’, (1911)

rick baker
4/23/2012 9:45:35 PM #

"Traders know they're operating in a world filled with erratic highs and lows, swings between making and losing money that often occur within the same day. The best ones have learned to be comfortable in that uncomfortable reality."

Dr. Doug Hirschhorn
'8 Ways to Great', (2010)

rick baker
6/22/2013 9:45:21 PM #

“Engage Six Sources of Influence

Personal Motivation
Influencers help people change how they feel about vital behaviors by connecting them with human consequences both through direct experience and through potent stories.

Personal Ability
New behavior requires new skills. Overinvest in helping people learn how to master skills and emotions.

Social Motivation
Harness the power of social influence by engaging leaders and opinion leaders in encouraging vital behaviors.

Social Ability
People need more than just encouragement; they often need help in order to change how they act during crucial moments.

Structural Motivation
Modestly and intelligently reward early successes. Punish only when necessary. Be sure to use incentives third, not first.

Structural Ability
Change people's physical surroundings to make good behavior easier and bad behavior harder.”


Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan & Switzler
'Influencer - The Power To Change Anything', (2013)

rick baker
8/12/2013 11:55:52 PM #

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people."

Theodore Roosevelt

rick baker
1/12/2014 4:43:15 PM #

An interesting perspective on Change...

Change = Threat

Here's how that can play out:

1. The Change arrives - freeze
2. The Change does not go away - flight
3. The Change is under way - fight
4. The Change is under way with force, and resistance has proven futile - faint

"...leaders typically have very little understanding of just how threatened our reptilian brains are by change, of whatever sort it is."

Mark Bowden
'Tame The Primitive Brain', (2013)

rick baker
11/10/2014 8:29:57 PM #

"The key to long-term success is a willingness to disrupt your own comfort for the sake of continued growth."

Todd Henry
'Die Empty', (2013)

rick baker
8/18/2015 8:10:27 AM #

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

Albert Einstein

rick baker
12/12/2015 4:51:37 PM #

"I have a resistance to change in things that I feel comfortable with and that I'm used to."

Dennis Quaid

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