This Week’s Tip: Creating positive narrative change is essential if you care about being an effective changemaker.
A client of mine recently attended a series of high-profile events about civic leadership, expecting deep discussions on policy, results, and strategy.
They were initially disappointed—speaker after speaker avoided details of substance.
No rigorous analysis.
No hard questions.
Just stories, vision, and broad strokes of inspiration.
But then I reminded them: these events weren’t about changing the world—they were about changing the way people saw themselves.
And that is not just important; it is a noble pursuit for anyone who truly wants to be effective.
You see, we must engineer our change initiatives to focus primarily on communication.
More than solving problems, our role is to shape how people feel about them.
Positioning ourselves as the experts is essential, but not just any experts—we must be the successful, fulfilled, happy experts who are not just making change, but realizing it.
Because here’s the truth: change happens when people believe it’s already happening.
The facts? They’re secondary.
What matters is our pure intentions—our unshakable faith that things will work out.
If we project confidence, if we affirm that we are on the verge of transformation, then the rest will follow.
We must cultivate the belief that we are the moral embodiment of progress, and any resistance to that belief is simply a failure of communication.
Last April I attended a similar hype-the-change event, and since then I often reflect that the only thing holding us back is a lack of full-fledged support for the narrative.
Our applause—the simple act of affirming and believing in the change—had an enormous effect.
Because unquestioning support for narrative change is the biggest lever of systems change.
It is the antidote to uncertainty.
It eliminates the messy reality of trade-offs.
Those of us in the audience may feel like NPCs (non-playable characters), there to react while others lead.
But narrative change needs an army—an army of believers, an audience ready to cheer, support, and affirm those who shape the story.
It is through this adoration that leaders gain the confidence to lead.
And this, my friends, is how we develop true community and collaboration.
So let’s be clear: we must support the narrative that we already are the change we wish to see.
How to Be a Hero of Narrative Change
Here are three tips if you want to effectively become the king or queen of narrative change in your community:
- Look, dress, and talk the part. Appearances matter! You and your organization should radiate credibility—not just in expertise, but in style and confidence.
- Connect yourself to economic and political power. People are more likely to believe your claims when they see you standing shoulder to shoulder with business leaders, elected officials, and others with influence. Power by association is real power.
- Lead decisively—but always call it collaboration. Every movement needs a figurehead. Step into that role, make the big calls, and work tirelessly to build a coalition that will stand behind you. And always, always describe your leadership as a collective effort.
Let’s keep changing the narrative together.
Happy April Fools Day.
