Be the change…

Yesterday, a client of mine asked me how do you change a team of wimps into a team of strong men and women. This was a loaded question. My client, you see, is tired of me hitting him with the truth. He was trying to tell me that his weakness is NOT his fault. He was trying to trap me. He told me that the prevailing corporate culture was playing it safe, politically correct, and not causing a “dust up.” He was attempting to rationalize his behavior. Remember, humans are not so much the rational beings we pretend to be. Humans, it turns out, are master rationalizers. Funny, huh.

I listened and took a deep breath. I asked him if he had studied history. An emphatic “YES” was his response. Do you recall when India was enslaved as a part of the British Empire. “YES” he replied. By now he was slightly red in the face and growing impatient with my ploy. How did they gain their freedom and who was the catalyst, I persisted.

Nothing.

I waited and smiled. Eventually he responded that Ghandi led them. What was his battle cry, I asked.

Nothing.

I waited and smiled mostly inside. Slowly, I reminded my client of Ghandi’s battle cry. Talk about CCD. This one is the poster child for clear, concise, and direct. Ghandi changed a country of victims into a country of strong free men and women by modeling his battle cry for them. His battle cry consisted of three words; “Be the change.”

Something.

Be the change you want to see in the world. Be the change you want to see in your marriage. Be the change you want to see in your company. Be the change you want to see in your culture. Be the change. This is how you change a team of passive/aggressive, playing it safe, and politically correct types into a team of strong individuals, teams, and leaders.

Remember, your gig wherever you work and live is to model the way, embrace pain and suffering, and embody truth in LOVE. This is real, hard, work and the only way to change your world. Over time and through adversity, however, if you stick to this recipe, you will change. And, this is the only way deep change spreads throughout a couple, a community, a company, or a country.

Be the change…