RESISTANCE.

Systems are resistant to change, and they become violent when threatened. At times, this violence can be tangible, physical, overwhelming force. Great leaders throughout history (Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Malcom X, Mahatma Ghandi, and, more recently [very likely] Alexei Navalny, to name a few) have been tragically martyred when the change they sought to introduce within a system was rejected by the status quo. However, a majority of leaders will not face physical violence. Most frequently, system resistance is implicit and indirect. Leaders seeking to transform systems should be aware of some crucial change principles: (1) Change will take longer than we think or hope - Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before his election as South Africa’s first Black president; (2) Change may be inspired by an individual but it is a collective endeavor - the March on Washington is indelibly marked by Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, but Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin provided the organizational infrastructure to plan and execute the historic event; (3) Unmerited suffering is redemptive by nature - in work and life, ultimately, win/win character, integrity and processes provide the essential foundation ensuring that a organization is ‘built to last,’ moving from ‘good to great.’