“The guys in the white hats win in the second half of the movie” – Anonymous
We have two responsibilities: to stay in the quest for change and to draw others to join us.
Stay in
Change is hard. We all get disappointed and consider bailing on change. That can be the right move when it is required for personal preservation or when we need time to create a totally new approach after a big failure.
However, the bigger need is to give change time. Our instant success culture sees many people seeking to bail when the momentum towards success is around the corner. We need to stay engaged and keep pushing for change. Finding the right path and the right experiments takes time and effort.
Cynicism is easy and ever so tempting. Cynicism doesn’t get anyone anywhere. Worse abandoning change or turning cynical sends a message to others to stay out. Bailing puts change back because others get the message that change can’t be done.
Something made you believe change is needed. If that still stands, then stay the course of change.
Bring Others in
Change succeeds when people are moving towards it, not away. We all need to help others to engage with our changes.
Global connection has made it easier to find people who share your views and to define sharply the other. We see increasing polarisation in many debates and stereotypes and generalisations to demean or denigrate opponents. A little sense of the other helps to define a movement. Too much is counterproductive.
Change does not happen from within the safe community of your supporters. Change happens when others join in and opponents finally meet you in the middle ground to move forward together. We have to find ways to bring others in. We have to find others who see the need for change.
Stay the course and when you are in your darkest times seek to find others to join you and help you sustain the change.
