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3 Strategic Tools Every Changemaker Needs In Their Toolbox
We tend to view revolutionary changes through iconic moments. We can envision Gandhi and his Salt March against the British Raj, Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial, where he told the world about his dream, or Steve Jobs’ return to Apple and inspiring us all to Think Different. Those legendary change leaders provide inspiration to us all.
Yet those moments can also be incredibly misleading, because they only tell us how the story ended, not how it began. We see the triumphs, but none of the struggles, setbacks, disappointments and doubts that they had to overcome along the way. So what we end up with is a cartoonish view, not exactly a lie, but not the truth either.
One thing that I’ve discovered in two decades studying transformational change is that what makes the difference between revolutionary leaders and those poor souls who toiled for years with nothing to show for it was what they learned along the way. One advantage we have is that we don’t have to fail to benefit from their mistakes. Here are three tools to help you.
1. Creating A Contract
At any given moment, there are myriad paths forward and people with opinions about the merits and demerits of each. Those who defend the status quo can exploit this by sowing division among people…
