Chapter 12Leadership and Change
Machiavelli observed many years ago, “It must be realized that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more uncertain of success, or more dangerous to manage than the establishment of a new order of [things]; for he who introduces [change] makes enemies of all those who derived advantage from the old order and finds but lukewarm defenders among those who stand to gain from the new one.”1
His observation helps explain the durable truth in the adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Many leaders have learned the hard way that departing from the status quo is risky business. You might be a veteran of the change wars, still licking your wounds, or an eager aspirant waiting for your turn. In ...
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