Speaker 1: No one will listen. Hey Martin, what's wrong? I've had enough of this. Every change I've suggested is knocked down. It's impossible to change anything around here. And maybe your suggestions are no good? That's nonsense. You know why it happens. Everybody knows.

Speaker 2: Because people resist change. You are wrong. I don't resist change and neither does the average Joe. Everyone is pushed for major changes in his or her life. Many young people leave their homes, choose to get married, prefer children, and show me somebody who resists the change of a promotion at work. Can you really fool yourself that you don't resist change? I resist only the changes that I have a good reason to resist. The others, I accept. Baloney. Try me.

Speaker 1: Okay, I'm game. Making a change is like climbing a mountain. Here's one. Climb it. Hmmm.

Speaker 2: Don't think so.

Speaker 1: Ha ha, you see? You do resist change.

Speaker 2: I don't resist change. I resist this particular change because I don't have a reason to climb the mountain. I don't see the plus in the change. What's a good reason for you? Hmm? A higher salary, better health, or an improved relationship.

Speaker 1: Okay, I'll take care of your excuse. There's a pot of gold waiting for you up there. Is that good enough? Now will you climb? Ummm. Nope. Point proven. You most certainly resist change.

Speaker 2: Of course I resist this change and with good reason. See for yourself. Too much effort, too much time, too high a risk. Whoa. Oof. Ow. Oof. Ugh. It's perfectly logical. The minus of the change outweighs the plus of the change.

Speaker 1: Another excuse. Fine. I'll reduce the required effort and the risk. Now are you willing to climb? I don't think so. Aha. I knew it. Excuse after excuse. You remove one, another one pops up. The end result is still the same. The change is definitely good for you and yet you still resist.

Speaker 2: But it's not good for me. I don't want the change because I'm comfortable in my current situation.

Speaker 1: Ugh, another excuse.

Speaker 2: Not at all. You look at it too narrowly. No wonder people reject your suggestions.

Speaker 1: What? I looked at both the plus and the minus sides of making the change.

Speaker 2: Yes, but you've ignored the pluses of not changing. I like my profession. I like the city I'm in. I like my style of living. I like my mermaid. But she cannot climb the mountain with me. You've just proved my point.

Speaker 1: Maybe you justified it logically, but at the end of the day, people will always resist change. They can simply declare that they have a mermaid and there goes any chance of causing a change

Speaker 2: out the window. I'm not looking for excuses, but unlike you, I'm not in love with your suggested change. I'm more objective.

Speaker 1: Oh, so you're Mr. Objectivity, huh? The guy who only looks at the plus side of staying the same? Aren't there minuses as well? I guess there are. Hmm, think of situations that if things stay as they are, alligators will bite your ass off. Your firm may go bankrupt. Or your spouse may ask for a divorce.

Speaker 2: Avoid the nerve.

Speaker 1: Or your health will decline drastically. Aren't you fighting alligators?

Speaker 2: Constantly.

Speaker 1: Sometimes, I feel that the people I try to convince are so busy fighting off the alligators that they should be climbing the mountain even if there is no pot of gold waiting at the top.

Speaker 2: Still, everybody resists change, including you. Not at all. Show me how the pot is large enough for me and the teeth of my alligator are sharp enough and my effort and my risk to change is not as big and that I don't have to give up on a beautiful mermaid, then I assure you, I will climb the mountain.

Speaker 1: That's what I do and it doesn't work.

Speaker 2: Really? Have you ever tried to present all four sides of your suggestion? Let me ask you a more pertinent question. Did you figure out in advance what the pot is for the person you're trying to convince? Not your pot, but his or her pot. What is his or her crutch? What are the alligators and the mermaids for the other party?

Speaker 1: I guess not.

Speaker 2: There you go. Also, when you concentrate on one aspect and the other person concentrates on another, you are bound to miscommunicate.

Speaker 1: Looking at all four factors and doing it from the other party's perspective sounds like a lot of preparation. You sure it'll pay off? Not if you believe the people are programmed to resist change or any change. I guess I'll never know unless I give it a try. I'll let you know how it went.

Speaker 3: Share your experience. Post a video on YouTube.com titled, Overcoming Resistance to Change. Isn't it obvious? The video that has the most viewers by midnight GMT, September 19th, 2010 will win a $1,000 cash prize.

Speaker 1: But Paul, I see how it might work for convincing an individual, but it won't work when trying to introduce a full-scale organizational change with the collaboration of so many people is needed.

Speaker 2: Yes, it will, as long as you recognize that for different individuals, each of the four elements might be vastly different. A lot more work, but who said that changing an organization is easy?

Speaker 3: Ellie Goldratt, the person who wrote The Goal, shares his experience on how to change a whole organization in his new book, Isn't It Obvious? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.