The Attack of the Status Quo

Identifying the status quo and understanding its features and benefits is only the first step in dealing with it.?

(See my 4.18.2022 article.)

The next step is to know that if you threaten the status quo, it will attack. This attack may be waged in civil surroundings with polite conversations and declarations of goodwill; but an attack it will be.

The status quo has three attack-methods. ???

(1) PASSIVE RESISTENCE. Passive resistance against power is an age-old technique.?‘They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work” was the “war” cry of people in the Communist Block.?I’m convinced that the passive resistance of workers in communist countries, was a major factor in defeating the Soviet system, something the monstrous German war machine failed to do.?

The status quo achieves results.?After all, if it didn’t, it would cease to exist.?But it insists on getting results on its own terms in its customary ways.?It sees getting results in any other way as a threat to its survival.?And since self-preservation is its primary purpose, it attacks when challenged to get results in another way.?Its first attack is usually with its most potent, time-tested weapon — passive resistance.?

This is exemplified by what a mid-level manager said to me, “When management wants us to do new things we don’t want to do, we never, never confront them directly.?Instead, we agree with them.?We might even agree enthusiastically.?Then we give it the lowest priority without drawing attention to ourselves.?Later, in bits and pieces, we’ll put it aside.?Eventually, over time, it dies a natural death.?Time is always on our side.”

(2) PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE RESISTENCE. If you persist in the face of passive resistance, the status quo may try more direct responses.?For instance, it will have one of its affiliates, the COLD-WATER CLUB, go into action.?The charter of the Club is clear and simple: Throw cold water on your efforts.?“We tried that before and it didn’t work.”?“I’m too busy.”?“That’s not my job.”?“You’re the leader.?You take care of it.”?“That’s not the way we do things.”?“You’ll ruin this organization.”?“You don’t understand me.”?“You don’t understand what I’m doing.”?“You can’t get blood out of a turnip.” “You don’t understand our organization.”?“It’s more complicated than you think.”?“I’m doing the best I can.”?“Give me a break.”?“You’re not being realistic.”

(3) OPEN RESISTENCE:?This involves an outright attack by enlisting powerful champions to thwart you.?As a last resort, the status quo may even engage in brazen insurrection.???

Identify how the status quo of your organization has attacked people who threaten it.?Precisely how was the status quo threatened??Which of the three attack methods did it use??Analyze each attack as to its effectiveness and outcome.?How might you have countered those attacks??(Counters to the status quo attacks can be found in my book “Results!Results!Results!”)

Copyright ? The Filson Leadership Group, Inc.

Brent Filson is the founder of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc., which for 37-years has helped thousands of leaders of all ranks and functions in top companies worldwide achieve sustained increases in hard, measured results. He has published 23 books and many scores of articles on leadership. His mission is to have leaders replace their traditional presentations with his specially developed, motivating process call the Leadership Talk. www.brentfilson.com and theleadershiptalk.com.?

Besides having lectured about the Leadership Talk at MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia University, Wake Forest, Villanova, Williams, Middlebury, I also brought the Leadership Talk to leaders in these organizations: Abbott, Ameritech, Anheuser-Busch, Armstrong World Industries, AT&T, BancOne, BASF, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Betz Laboratories, Bose, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Campbell Sales, Canadian Government, CNA, DuPont, Eaton Corporation, Exelon, First Energy, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, GTE, Hershey Foods, Houghton Mifflin, IBM, Meals-on-Wheels, Merck, Miller Brewing Company, NASA, PaineWebber, Polaroid, Price Waterhouse, Roadway Express, Sears Roebuck, Spalding International, Southern Company, The United Nations, Unilever, UPS, Union Carbide, United Dominion Industries, U.S. Steel, Vermont State Police, Warner Lambert — and more