Migration to a LO LO14355

GDBurch@aol.com
Tue, 15 Jul 1997 08:52:31 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO14339 --

Vana

Referencing Ed Brenegar's response to you about "pre-evangelizing":

I think Ed is right on track with where you need to focus.

I use a very, very simple model for driving change. IMHO, people are looking
to their leadership to help them find the answers to 3 fundamental questions
(and...I must cmment that the order in which they find the answers critical
as well). The 3 questions are:
1 - WHY?
2 - WHAT?
3 - HOW?

People need to understand WHY change is necessary to give it their full
support. They don't need all the details, but they do need enough to
personalize the need for change and accept that the individual's risk in
changing is outweighed by the potential benefits of making the change. You
can force people to change through more autocratic measures, but you can't
win their hearts and minds without answering the very personal question of
WHY?. (NOTE PLEASE - the answer to WHY must be personalized! You can help
them find the answers, but your answer to WHY may have little relationship
at all to what will eventually be their answer)

Once they have accepted on their own terms that change is necessary and
the benfits are worth the investment, then you can begin seeking and
teaching WHAT the desired change looks like and HOW they can migrate
toward that desired state.

Speaking as an experienced practitioner, I have attempted in many
situations to answer these 3 basic questions in every conceivable order
and in many different manners. I have generally failed or at the least
encountered great resistance when we did not adequately address WHY with a
significant portion of the population first. My success has come when WHY
was obvious to all (the smoke in the elephant tent story) or when a
sufficient portion of the population could answer WHY for themselves and
commit to the change process.

One other comment - if they can't answer WHY? for themselves and you can't
find a way to help, maybe you should listen to their case for not changing
a little more closely. They may have some valid concerns. 

-- 


GDBurch@aol.com


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