Inertia and your team

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion, both with constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force.?

This is Newton’s first law of motion. It tells us that objects resist changes in their state of motion. The rock (object) will likely stay at rest unless I (external force) trip on it on my way to the market.

When it comes to inertia and your team, I would rewrite the law as follows:?

A person at rest stays at rest, and a person in habit stays in habit, unless acted on by an external force that makes remaining at rest or in habit sufficiently less desirable than change and motivated by sufficient internal force to gain traction.

Simply stated, people aren’t objects. They’re sentient beings with minds of their own. They’re also deeply resistant to change at an intellectual and emotional level, so much so that they will stay in unpleasant situations until the unpleasantness of change is less unpleasant than remaining where they are. This is why in so many cases the things undermining your effectiveness aren’t the bonfires, but the brush burn. It’s also why pursuing something new can induce resistance: no one knows if it will be sufficiently better than the status quo because that choice is a bet you need to make to determine if it will pay off.

As a leader, you can try to apply enough force to make that brush burn sufficiently worse or the opportunity sufficiently appealing.? But you’re setting yourself up to apply that force continuously — an exercise in pushing a boulder up the hill Sisyphus style — because without sufficient will or internal force, your team will lose momentum.?

Wanting to change is one thing. Expending the time and effort to change is another.

We routinely neglect to account for individual want and will in strategy. When it comes to your team, failing to account for the individual want and will of each team member can lead to making excellent strategic choices, but never having any of those choices come to fruition.?

Before you go to make a change, here are three questions to consider:

1. Do I have a good reason to make this change??

We often make changes out of boredom, impatience, or novelty. These aren’t good reasons to ask someone to do the work of change on top of all the other work they’re doing. Instead, think about the value of making the change. What outcomes will you achieve??

2. How do I know my reasoning is sound?

Having a good reason to make a change doesn’t guarantee want and it definitely doesn’t guarantee will. Your team will need to agree that your reasoning is sound and that whatever outcome you hope to achieve will be worth the effort to achieve it. Take time to consult those on your team with firsthand knowledge. Share your reasoning and ask them to critique it from their perspective. What did you miss?

3. Do I have an effective plan to make the change?

Devising a plan on your own and imposing it on your team is not likely to result in want or will. The more you can co-design this plan with your team, the better. Actively contributing to the plan increases their willingness to make the change because they know exactly what to expect, have confidence in the approach, and consider the investment worthwhile. A co-designed approach also helps you account for the effects the change will have on the rest of your business, reducing opposition later.

Bonus: Define how you will know if the change worked, then assess and adjust as necessary. You will put yourself in a better position to make changes in the future because your team will feel confident that change is worth their time, and is not a flavor-of-the-month, half-baked intrusion into their real work.

P.S. Do you have decisions to make that you know will result in changes for your team? Learn more about my business design process which actively engages your team in making strategic choices about your business.

Katie Burkhart founded Point:Value Labs, the only business design company for the value economy. As an essentialist thinker, strategic facilitator, and thoughtful speaker, she helps you make the most of your time by asking better questions, starting with "What's the point?" For more of her thinking, connect with her on LinkedIn and subscribe to WTP.