Presentation from SXSW19

1. #survivechange
@milouness
Lesson 1

2. The Smart One is
responsible!
My father never graduated from high
school, he resented my getting a
college education. In an already
turbulent household, this became
another cause for fights. When I was
an intern for the State Department, a
historian named N. Stephen Kane
told me that he had a similar family
background—his dad and he would
get into fights. Until Stephen realized
that if he was the PHD—he was the
smart one—then it fell on him to be
the adult in the room. If you’re so
smart you know how to fix things,
then it’s up to you to ensure
productive conversations.

3. Lesson 2
#survivechange
@milouness

4. Theological change is
HARD!
In the mid 1990s the internet
emerged and I became persuaded
that it would change the way all
knowledge organizations did their
work. I was surprised that people did
not immediately acknowledge my
brilliance—my ideas were roundly
dismissed. It wasn’t until years later
that I realized advocating for open
communications platforms was
heretical to the CIA, a secret
organization. So if you’re a change
agent making theological change is
really hard. Recognize which of your
ideas are truly heretical.

5. Lesson 3
#survivechange
@milouness

6. Comfortable with
being uncomfortable!
So if you’re a change agent, it won’t
be easy and you can easily dismiss
just how difficult and uncomfortable
it can be. You have to learn not only
to tolerate that feeling of discomfort
but to be comfortable with it.

7. Lesson 4
#survivechange
@milouness

8. Approach through an Adjacency
Often, the best way to approach hard
change is through an adjacency. Find
an area, if you can, that is important
to the organization—that suits their
values—that you can use to package
your own idea or some portion of
them.

9. Lesson 5
#survivechange
@milouness

10. Gain and KEEP Allies!
As a change agent it should never be
about your ego. In fact, the first
priority of a change agent is to make
their idea someone else’s idea. And
it’s not just enough to gain allies—
you have to keep them as well.
Sometimes you will have to modulate
your ideas to keep your supporters
on the change bus.

11. Lesson 6
#survivechange
@milouness

12. Befriend Bureaucratic Black Belts
Change agents tend to be dismissive
of bureaucrats. This could be a big
mistake because bureaucrats often
have information that can help their
ideas advance. Take a bureaucratic
black belt to lunch.

13. Know when to Quit
Always Speak your Truth
Develop your Emotional Intelligence
Being a change agent can be very
hard and it is easy to underestimate
the toll it can take on you.
Communicate your ideas freely. You
never know who might hear you and
be influenced.
Entrepreneurs often have keenly
developed emotional intelligence.
Successful change is not just about
the brilliance of your idea—it’s also
about the relationships you make.

14. The smartest person in the room is responsible for productive conversations
Theological change is HARD!
Change Agents must enjoy being uncomfortable
Work through an Adjacency
Make your idea Community Property
Befriend Bureaucratic Black Belts
Know when to Quit..or retreat…or just rest
Always speak your Truth
Develop your Emotional Intelligence
#survivechange
@milouness

15. The smartest person in the room is
responsible for productive conversations
Theological change is HARD!
Change Agents must enjoy being
uncomfortable
Tell Stories, Appeal to Emotions
Work through an Adjacency Avoid the Athena Complex
Make your idea Community Property Some conflict is good and productive
Befriend Bureaucratic Black Belts Spend more energy on practicalities
Know when to Quit Don’t forget organizations value
smoothness
Always Speak your Truth Remember, the Status Quo owns the
measuring stick
Develop your Emotional Intelligence
#survivechange
@milouness
carmen@REBELSATWORK.COM

16. #survivechange
@milouness
Art by John Conroy