Chapter 12What Is It Really Like to Create Change?

Keep calm and carry on.

—1939 poster, by British Ministry of Information

Implementing a major change initiative is somewhat like pregnancy. When you or your partner first takes the pregnancy test, let’s assume you are both elated at the good news. You can’t wait to tell your closest friends and relatives. For the next three months, you begin to adjust to the fact that things will never be the same. While you’re still excited, nausea and stress begin to cloud the mother’s excitement. She becomes apprehensive but is soothed by knowing you still have time to adjust.

By the second trimester, the pregnancy is getting uncomfortable. As the bump grows, so does the inability to sleep. More energy is ...

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