What Finally Drives Change? Hint: It’s Not Always Vision.

Change is hard.

Deep-seated patterns are tough to break.

I see it every week with my clients, and I’ve lived it myself.

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About half the time, my clients are driven by a compelling vision of what could be.

The other half?

They’ve simply had enough. 

There are dissatisfied with the status quo.

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That was true when I left my CEO role to become a coach.

And it was true again when I finally stopped ignoring the impact McDonald’s Coke was having on my body.

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Sometimes change comes from inspiration.

Sometimes it comes from being done with tolerating the intolerable.

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In our work, we often use a simple but powerful tool called the Change Formula.

It was originally developed by Richard Beckhard and David Gleicher, later refined by Kathie Dannemiller:

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(V × D) + F.S. > R = C

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Vision × Dissatisfaction + First Steps > Resistance = Change

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If the pain or pull isn’t strong enough, change won’t happen.

We tolerate. We rationalize. We delay.

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I once had a client say, “If I’m still running this business at 50, shoot me.”

He was 60 when we started coaching together.

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Here’s the thing: we all have a threshold. 

A line we cross where resistance is no longer stronger than our desire to shift.

When that happens, when clarity, pain, and a small next step align, change finally takes root.          

We then believe we are capable of ANYTHING.

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So ask yourself: What have you been tolerating that’s quietly eroding your energy or integrity?

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Is your vision strong enough, or does your dissatisfaction need a louder voice?

What’s one first step you could take this week?

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If you're standing at a threshold and know something needs to shift, reach out.

I help leaders get clear on the real drivers of change and make it stick.