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Ive been watching this one since I first walked in the room. Moses was how he introduced himself--a prophetic name, an ironic name in this instance, that I could not have made up on my own (I also had employees introduce themselves today as Elijah and Capt. Kirk, but Im not sure, yet, how they will fit in to this scenario). His cap was on backwards. He hadnt shaved in two days and his ponytail hung limply down the middle of his back.

This one is going to be a trouble, I begrudgingly thought to myself rather than thinking about the subject of the upcoming seminar. I can most always spot the malcontent, the one in the room who never wants to go along, always giving his buddy next to him a poke in the ribs, asking inane questions that dont pertain to the topic of the day such as, When are we taking a break? and Can I step out for a smoke? They always have to go to the bathroom, cough the loudest and give more smirks and whispers than a second grade reading room.

Moses was no different. Buckle your seatbelt. Here we go. He began with:

Youre just wasting your breath.
Weve been through all this before.
Nothing is ever going to change around here.

Most every company I work with, teaching or giving a seminar, has several employees who will approach me, like spies in some dark secluded parking garage, their eyes twitching furtively from side-to-side, desperate not to get caught, and in varying forms and phrasing voice these same sentiments.

Management will never change

They never let us give our opinion on anything.

I hear the same version from the managers point of view, only it goes like this:

Employees dont care. They just want a paycheck.

I wish my people would support my decisions. Its for their own good.

Employees today just dont care. Why cant they be more committed to doing a better job? Thats how theyll get a raise.


Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt like what youre doing doesnt really matter? No one wants to pitch in, take a stand, do something to make a difference?

We all have. You are not alone.

The principles outlined in this book will give you the tools and skills necessary to start a revolution. By reading them, you are also giving the first sign you have the desire, the heart and passion to make it happen.

You can start a revolution of positive change by cultivating a winner from within, beginning with yourself and extending outward through your circle of influence at work, family and neighborhood. Negative circumstances dont have to stop you. We could say, I cant afford it. I dont have time. No one will listen to me. Or we can adhere to the words of Maya Angelou:

I can be changed by what happens to me.
I refuse to be reduced by it.

Step 1: Set Your Foundation. Assemble the seven preparations necessary to optimize your potential success. Prepare your values, your strengths, your weaknesses, your modeling behaviors, your game plan and your design for personal renewal. Prepare how you will accept input from others in order to have the truest, most complete information possible to formulate the clearest path to your ideals.

Step 2: Establish Your Goal. What is it you wish to accomplish? You must start with the goal as a precursor to making daily decisions and clarifying objectives. Make your goals big and inspiring, and youll see resources open before you. Conduct a dream session to expand your vision and marshal collective enthusiasm into single, critical force.

Step 3: Build A Coalition. When you choose the first person to join your revolution, be sure they support and desire to contribute to its success. You will learn the necessity of getting all points of view before making a decision and the benefits of scheduling regular time for information exchange. With your mantra firmly established, you will have a single thought to guide your teams direction and course.

Step 4: Manage the Change. Some will help your revolution; others will attempt to assuage your hopes of change. Learn to use the River Method of managing change while continuously SCANing your teams position. Address the issues if WIIFM by attending to the needs of others first; then apply the benefits of self-observation and correction to stay on track.

Step 5: Increase Commitment. Ownership never comes naturally; it is a cultivated asset. Commitment/ownership is created through a five-stage cycle that moves a prospect from being unaware of your activities and intentions to asking how they can be involved. You will learn how to gain greater cooperation by applying the four-step technique of how to get anyone to do anything.

Step 6: Stay Focused and Organized. Time is your most valuable asset, and you certainly dont want to waste it with meaningless rhetoric when dealing with internal conflict. From now on, you will apply the Five Rules to Resolution to gain greater interdepartmental cooperation. You will take charge of the three most common traps that steal your precious asset of time: procrastination, perfectionism and carelessness in setting priorities.


Step 7: Pass the Baton. This will never be a solitary revolution. It will involve others who will take it to an even higher level than you can achieve yourself. Accomplishing this will require you to demonstrate attributes of the most successful leaders, presented in Step 7 as leadership quick keys. The techniques you will read about will help you analyze the process of adult learning and make your teaching time the most effective possible.

Step 8: Celebrate and Unite. Your revolution isnt complete without creating Positive Emotional Memories to motivate your team to greater heights. Then, generously apply the secret word, the most powerful word to change the experience of those who have made your revolution possible.