The Change Question: Who’s the evil genius sabotaging your plans?
I came across this the other day:
The simplest way to explain the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.
~ Robert Conquest’s Third Law of Politics
It made me laugh. It’s both absurd and exactly right.
There probably isn’t really an evil genius, in a lair, with flying monkeys, and/or a table with an industrial laser beam. (“I don’t expect you to lead a change program, Mr. Bungay Stanier. I expect you to die.”)
But it reminds me that it’s useful to “red team” your change plans. That’s when you have an adversary try to find vulnerabilities and weaknesses in your setup and plans.
I’ve been using AI to help me with that. For instance, as I’ve worked on developing the Change Signal promise (currently “for transformational leaders seeking modern change mastery”), I’ve given Claude the prompt:
Play the role of a senior, experienced, skeptical change leader. What would they roll their eyes at or be suspicious of? Don’t pull your punches. Give it to me straight.
In some ways, that’s like a pre-“small experiment” (this week’s pod episode’s theme): running tests and getting data.
In any case. I’m pretty sure you’re a hero. I’m cheering you on in your battle for Justice and keeping organizations human. I’m glad you’re here and doing this work.
