So…assuming you’ve read the previous post about WHAT it takes to be an “activist for change”, I hope you’re back to learn more about the HOW.

In this post we’ll dive into the success factors. Having personally spearheaded many grassroots- & top down- initiatives, these factors are based on my personal experiences & convictions. Having said that…I’d love to hear your perspectives. Do they resonate? Have you experienced them like I have?

The following are the “9 P’s” of activism I’d like to propose. Incidentally, I believe the first 5 are more about “your mindset,” while the last 4 are more about “engaging others:”

1. Passion: you’ve got to believe & act when no one else does. You’re the engine, the source of inspiration & energy for your followers….yes, even when you’re scared and disoriented. They’ll draw their sense of confidence (or lack of it) from you. Feed yours…feed theirs…constantly.
2. Persistence: repeat, repeat, repeat. Do, do, do. Grind, grind, grind. Everyone can have a burst of energy that fizzles out, but coupled with persistent action, a ripple becomes a wave. Most causes eventually succeed because of dogged action…outworking the competition…not because of brilliance. Run, walk, crawl…but keep going!
3. Patience: visionaries and activists are often the most frustrated people on the planet. Realize that anything worth doing takes time. Plant seeds, water them, connect people, build community, create a platform, invest in leaders. Adrenalin carries you only so far, building core strength takes time. Plan for a marathon, not a dash.
4. Paradox: understand and embrace that you live in two worlds. One that is a vision of your future goals & ideals, the other that is today…that doesn’t understand or appreciate you, with norms and systems that are often hostile to your cause. Rather than retreat in isolation or oppose everything, find creative ways to use the system to your advantage…tell stories, contrast messages, highlight where you can agree to gain acceptance, point out differences…
5. Pragmatic: activism is often about finding the right balance between disruption and strategic tactfulness. Not every hill is worth dying on…not every bridge is worth burning, especially when you need to build coalitions to succeed. You may need to zoom out, assess, pick your battles, re-adjust…Remember, taking a different approach doesn’t mean your quitting, it means you’re learning.
6. Platform (new!): how do people join your movement or meet other like-minded folks? where can they go to find more information, inspiration, or the latest update? – newsletter, club meeting, blog, luncheons, web-site, facebook page…As your movement grows you’ll certainly use several channels concurrently, the main thing is to have a simple & effective way to attract, communicate & network your followers.
7. Protection (new!): activists are endangered species, swimming upstream, counter to existing norms and paradigms. Taking on the status quo is precarious and must be done with caution – a bit like guerilla warfare…jumping out of the bushes to strike, blending back in to take cover. Therefore having “organizational cover” from someone higher-up is extremely important – a sponsor, senior manager, sympathetic influencer…Someone who shares the mindset, provides support, gives credibility and cover when needed.
8. Partnership (new!): while activism is often very personal and initially driven by a few individuals, it rarely grows into a significant movement without partnering with others who have overlapping interests. The term “overlap” is key as goals don’t necessarily have to be identical, just enough to work together and pool some key efforts & resources. You have a need, I have the approach? You have an audience, I have a message?…Let’s work together!
9. People: never forget that it’s about tapping into people’s passion, vision and experience. Creating a movement requires both grassroots participation, and also a select group of leaders & sponsors who “get it” and can give you a platform and protection. But remember, no matter at which level, you need to create a compelling cause for PEOPLE. What’s the “hook” that makes it relatable and attractive for THEM? Where can they find themselves in the story?…and make it THEIR STORY.

So, where are you in all of this? What’s the missing “P-vitamin” you need to take to strengthen your cause and move it forward? Take it off the shelf, commit to using it…actively!

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If you consider any profound change that has occurred in history, it can typically be traced back to a few people who took action. Yes, sometimes it accelerated into a larger movement led from the top, but it’s rarely where it began. The seed typically  was planted somewhere completely different – a few like-minded individuals who decide to act at the grassroots level.

Often we consider well-know leaders that symbolize change as originators of it (ex like Ghandi or George Washington or Galileo). But with few exceptions, these were all standing on the shoulders of unknown activists who preceded them long before. While we cannot diminish the importance of leaders to catalyze change (it’s an essential ingredient), their success would have been impossible without activists triggering it and supporting them.

So what makes up an activist? Here are two very simple, but powerful, characteristics:

1. Conviction – a deep held belief in something worth personally sacrificing for
2. Action – doing something about the conviction to effect change

While there are many success factors for impactful activism (which we may explore in future posts), the two characteristics above define it.

Using this simple definition, consider the following questions to provoke reflection on your personal level of activism:

• are you an activist? if so, for what? …is everyone an activist for something?
• how would you evaluate your level of conviction vs action (go back to the definition)? More conviction than taking real action? Just going through the motions (actions) without conviction? Does it match?
• what is the actual impact of your activism?
• what needs to be done to make it more effective?

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…now for the fourth & final step in the series on “the path to successful consulting & coaching – tools! (if you’re just jumping in here, start with the first post for context).

…tools! tools!…finally!…a consultant’s dream! Time to open your the toolbox, dazzle with frameworks, approaches, how much you know, how valuable you are, right?? WRONG!!

Nothing could be worse! After painstakingly building a relationship of trust and engaging the heart & mind, don’t blow it up here. By this point your client should be eager and energized to move forward. If you lambast them with your arsenal of tools they’ll be deflated, disillusioned and wonder why they hired you in the first place (“I knew this was going to get heavy”).

What does it look like? For a moment visualize with me a professional golfer getting ready for a shot…she eyes the next hole, paces quietly, surveys the green from different perspectives, walks quietly to her golf bag, chooses ONE club (out of many!)…then lines up the shot.

Translate the analogy to consulting…A good consultant listens intently, builds trust, takes inventory of the situation, reaches into his quiver of tools and chooses the one necessary to take the next step.

How do you do that? Here are some pointers:

1. Make it logical. A good sign that you’ve actually done steps 1-3 well is that the tools seem “natural.” Sure, there may have to be explanation on proper usage, but it doesn’t feel like a “requirement” or “checking the box”…it’s actually an enabler that helps take a step forward. If it doesn’t feel that way, you’ve either missed a step in the journey, or it’s the wrong tool.
2. Speak the client’s language. Nothing is more frustrating than being “talked down to” or feeling like we’ve made a “mountain out of a mole hill.” Wrap your “tool talk” in your clients words to make it theirs…they don’t need to know the technical lingo. Example…you can say “it’s time to do a stakeholder-force-fields-analysis” (techno-heavy), or you could simply say “why don’t we think about how others see the pros & cons of this project” (plain English).
3. Make tools invisible. Your client doesn’t need to know the technical nuts-n-bolts of your methodology…just enough to contribute and engage with it effectively. In fact, it’s your job to manage the complexity behind the scenes and keep it as invisible as possible…like the backstage of a theater. Making it look simple and organic on the front-stage is the key value you bring.

This final step of the series is the real acid test of your skill as a consultant/coach, since you’ll quickly know how well you’ve done on the previous steps (or not). However, don’t panic or think it’s abnormal when you need to circle back – you’ll have to (often)!…or feel like you have to get it right the first time – you won’t!

Think of an airliner on a long flight – when it inevitably hits turbulence, the pilot goes up or down in altitude until he finds smoother air. By the same token…you’re the pilot!…you’ll have to iterate and go back and forth between steps to get it right. That’s the joy and the art of coaching and consulting!

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