seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but pr

There is a general belief that getting people to change their behaviour is difficult and takes a long time. I can understand this belief when there are so many examples of change taking a long time. Yet I am aware that we like to defend our beliefs and look for evidence to support them. We know that whatever we believe we will seek to make true. TV debating programmes are based upon this principle and it’s what causes so many arguments between people and groups.

So what stops people from changing quickly and easily? Is it their deep in-grained habits, or is it their beliefs? Or is it a mix of the two?

"What you become directly influences what you get."

Jim Rohn

It is clear that habits are very easy to repeat because the programme responsible for them is located in the unconscious part of the mind over which we seem to have little control. Yet over the years I have experienced rapid change in many individuals, and in myself. I recall how I would get frustrated sometimes when my children were at their most demanding, and how a simple and quick technique helped me to reframe and change my response. I learned to stay relaxed whilst also dealing with the onslaught of ‘Dad, I need you to ….’ There are also many examples of people who have changed in positive and quite dramatic ways as a result of attending our workshops.

Change can also be swift when faced with a significant life event like a serious illness, the death of someone close, a redundancy, or a newborn child coming into the family. In these cases we respond to changing demands upon us, or as a result of inner reflection about our sense of self, our behaviour towards others, and how we feel about ourselves. Sometimes we may witness an extraordinary feat by a disadvantaged individual that causes us to enter a state of reflection about the significance of our own lives.

Evidence of rapid change So what about change in large organisations? The public sector in the UK is a classic example of change taking a long time, as is the UK’s recently privatised transport system and congestion on the British roads is famous around the world. Sometimes we seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but pre

grained habits, or is it their beliefs? Or is it a mix of the two?

"What you become directly influences what you get."

Jim Rohn

It is clear that habits are very easy to repeat because the programme responsible for them is located in the unconscious part of the mind over which we seem to have little control. Yet over the years I have experienced rapid change in many individuals, and in myself. I recall how I would get frustrated sometimes when my children were at their most demanding, and how a simple and quick technique helped me to reframe and change my response. I learned to stay relaxed whilst also dealing with the onslaught of ‘Dad, I need you to ….’ There are also many examples of people who have changed in positive and quite dramatic ways as a result of attending our workshops.

Change can also be swift when faced with a significant life event like a serious illness, the death of someone close, a redundancy, or a newborn child coming into the family. In these cases we respond to changing demands upon us, or as a result of inner reflection about our sense of self, our behaviour towards others, and how we feel about ourselves. Sometimes we may witness an extraordinary feat by a disadvantaged individual that causes us to enter a state of reflection about the significance of our own lives.

Evidence of rapid change So what about change in large organisations? The public sector in the UK is a classic example of change taking a long time, as is the UK’s recently privatised transport system and congestion on the British roads is famous around the world. Sometimes we seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but pr

and quick technique helped me to reframe and change my response. I learned to stay relaxed whilst also dealing with the onslaught of ‘Dad, I need you to ….’ There are also many examples of people who have changed in positive and quite dramatic ways as a result of attending our workshops.

Change can also be swift when faced with a significant life event like a serious illness, the death of someone close, a redundancy, or a newborn child coming into the family. In these cases we respond to changing demands upon us, or as a result of inner reflection about our sense of self, our behaviour towards others, and how we feel about ourselves. Sometimes we may witness an extraordinary feat by a disadvantaged individual that causes us to enter a state of reflection about the significance of our own lives.

Evidence of rapid change So what about change in large organisations? The public sector in the UK is a classic example of change taking a long time, as is the UK’s recently privatised transport system and congestion on the British roads is famous around the world. Sometimes we seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but pr

r reflection about our sense of self, our behaviour towards others, and how we feel about ourselves. Sometimes we may witness an extraordinary feat by a disadvantaged individual that causes us to enter a state of reflection about the significance of our own lives.

Evidence of rapid change So what about change in large organisations? The public sector in the UK is a classic example of change taking a long time, as is the UK’s recently privatised transport system and congestion on the British roads is famous around the world. Sometimes we seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but pr

seem to be putting up with things, as inadequate as they are, for almost a lifetime without any change. But in contrast to these examples consider the change former president Lee Kuan Yew has brought about in Singapore, from a third-world British staging post in 1959 to a first-world economy within 30 years, and by 2000 having the world’s fourth highest per capita income.

Dr Henry Kissinger said of Lee Kuan Yew “Every great achievement is a dream before it becomes reality, and his vision was a state that would not simply survive but prevail by excelling”. When you look at China today you see another example of change happening visibly at the speed of light particularly in the modern metropolis of Shanghai. There are over 1.3 billion people in China desperately seeking change and we have only just begun to see the effect of Chinese entrepreneurial activity on world economies.

Adjust your focus So there is plenty of evidence of rapid change. But what do we tend to focus on when we know that change would be a good thing? I am certain that when we are feeling stuck or stagnant in an aspect of our work or life, or when we seek to change others, what we focus on will determine the speed at which a change will take place. One of the key reasons why some African countries have been unable to deal with poverty in the long term is that unlike Lee Kuan Yew the governments have chosen to focus on their own wealth and power.

So many people focus on the negative aspects of their mundane workaday lives, or the few benefits that they are privileged with, and hence they are unable to break out of their monotony. To change it helps if you have a belief that ‘you can and will’ and to have a vision of what’s possible. So it’s useful to be able to adjust your focus if what you are focusing on is limiting your vision of the possible.

When you listen to people who have a successful track record of creating positive change you find some common qualities. Rudy Giuliani emphasises the importance of being an optimist, having courage and getting your ideas into the hearts and minds of others, “If you want to be a leader you’ve got to be an optimist, so that when you are going through a difficult time you can visualise success and see the things you have to do to get there”. Bill Sweetenham, the British Olympic swimming coach talks about having to “sell your vision” and the need for “meticulous planning, sweat, belief and ambition”.

Whatever the change we want to bring about, either in ourselves, or in others, it certainly helps to have a positive, optimistic picture of what it is we want to see happen. So focus, vision, courage and ultimately belief lie at the beginning of change. When you