How do you get the group “all in”?
The illustration of the CORE PRIME included a small triangle at the bottom titled STAKE, which fuels any effort to solve a problem, effect a change, or transform a system. Success literally rests on the STAKE, as it serves as the fulcrum of possibility. Organizations often call me in when change efforts are lagging or failing—and the very first thing I assess is whether the STAKE is clear to everybody. Frankly, I usually do not even have to look; I know immediately that the STAKE is not clear in a lagging change effort. If it were, the system would be changing. It is that simple.
People love to talk about radical changes in their lifestyles and how they're going to achieve those changes. They might claim that they're going to give up cigarettes and start an exercise routine, for example. Usually, you'll find them still talking and smoking the next day. We humans don't change very easily unless something we cherish is at stake. For the STAKE to be powerful enough to shatter the status quo, we have to believe that to remain in our current state is more dangerous than to embark on a risky journey that leads to an unknown future. As powerful as it may be, vision alone isn't enough.
After you've enlisted others in your transformation effort, some perfectly reasonable questions and doubts will arise among the same people who heeded your call ...
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