Growth is never by chance; it is the result of forces
working together. —James Cash Penney

Another principle of physics is that once in motion, a body will stay in motion unless an equal and opposite force is applied. I propose that this principle does not apply to human behavior—at least not in the realm of change leadership. How many times have you delegated a task, expecting it to be completed on schedule, as defined, only to discover later that it was not even close to being completed the way you expected? How many times have you gone on vacation and returned to find that little progress was made in your absence? It often seems that it is the energy of the salesperson that makes things happen.

As a generally applicable rule, I submit that humans are subject to an innate dampening effect, like a gravitational force, that tends to slow down motion over time. The dampening effect is similar to riding a bicycle up a hill. You continually have to add energy and keep pedaling in order to overcome the force of gravity. Otherwise, the bike eventually comes to a stop.

Change leaders must be cognizant of this “gravitational” force and be prepared to reinforce continually the change initiative. Remember, however, that you, yourself, are not a force. Your role is to keep the change initiative on track by maintaining the customer’s awareness of the forces present in that situation.

The notion of gravitation forces raises a number of interesting questions for the salesperson.

Determine if forces are increasing or decreasing over time. Identify forces that tend to add energy to the change. Keep the heat on by maintaining the customer’s awareness of the change forces.