Some might see the notion of belief as the non-strategic, softer side of business. That couldn’t be more wrong. Belief is the essential ingredient for winning. Look at these three common scenarios. See how belief made the difference.

1. The small-to-medium size organization with high growth potential
2. The large size organization that has lost its way
3. The start-up challenging conventional notions

The Small-to-Medium Size Organization with High Growth Potential  

This type of organization has enlisted early adopters. But getting to a scalable customer base is the next challenge. One proven way to achieve scale is to elevate your value proposition to a category level by creating a new category or market space. What underpins category creation is belief – belief in a new, more valuable way. Belief starts inside an organization then spreads to influencers like analysts and the media, before reaching a broad customer base.

Red Hat, the open source company, is a classic example. Red Hat built an early loyal following of zealots who believed in the open source way. While their passion and belief were powerful, the company was a long way from being seen as a legitimate alternative to traditional proprietary software as represented by Microsoft and Sun. Once Red Hat built the compelling case for why open source technologies were more effective, less expensive, and easier to manage it created a powerful belief system inside the IT departments that used to see open source as risky. That’s when Red Hat began to scale.

The Large Size Organization that Has Lost Its Way

This type of organization already has a large customer base, but newer entrants are rapidly chipping away at its position with smarter, easier, and less painful solutions. How does this organization overturn its slippery slide to irrelevance? It rises above the fray by articulating a compelling point of view about new ways for the industry to create and capture higher levels of value. It backs up its POV with substance only achievable from an organization with a deep history and understanding of the industry.

PTC, the product development company, is the poster child for achieving transformation in the face of a steep challenge. PTC had a deep but dissatisfied customer base when its offerings became a bit cumbersome, dated, and expensive relative to newer, cheaper and friendlier alternatives. PTC successfully revitalized itself by positioning the entire product development industry to one that mattered more than other IT investments in ERP, SCM and CRM. In so doing PTC assumed the industry thought leadership role by creating the rallying cry for the industry – Product First – then delineating The Way to Product First, a roadmap to creating and capturing value. PTC also committed itself to improving customer service while remodeling its offerings off the very value creation framework it espoused to the industry.

The Start-Up Challenging Conventional Notions

This type of organization usually has a breakthrough idea and the passion to prove it. The new idea challenges conventional methods and established players. It’s a compelling alternative with lots of potential, but it has yet to build a loyal following. How does this start-up attract early adopters so they will believe enough to spread the word? It does so by tapping into the frustrations and desires that people feel, then delivering a solution that people can emotionally get excited about.

Smigin is a start-up in an industry – language learning – that has long frustrated people. Being able to have a simple conversation in a café or bar in a foreign country is something most everyone aspires to. Yet most are frustrated by their ability to do so. It’s not for lack of trying. Most people have either studied a language in school or invested in at least one of the many self-taught, language-learning products out there. Smigin believes learning a language doesn’t have to be that hard. It has developed an alternative solution that is fun, engaging, and effective. Its beta product has made believers out of the hundreds who’ve tested it. Why? The pass along rate was far greater than the size of the original test panel. Smigin launches in October.

Ya gotta believe if you want to break through.

What exactly is inertia? Simply put inertia is everything that makes up what your organization stands for at the moment you embark on an accelerated path forward. Inertia can include any or all of the following:

* Fear of change

* Fear of the unknown

* Your organization’s culture

* Your organization’s processes

* Prior experience

* Comfort in how things were done before

* Your brand’s reputation in the marketplace

* The perception of the company within the company

I’m sure you’ve experienced what it’s like when a change program suddenly slows or stalls. For many it feels as if something grabs hold of the forward progress and pulls it backward. Some say it’s similar to running headfirst into a strong wind.

Think about it. Inertia is all about how it was. Yet, there you are trying to move away from how it was to how it needs to be. You’re committed to transcend beyond something with a lot of history and mass, and determined to morph it into something that’s relatively unknown. No wonder inertia disrupts forward progress. The laws of nature are fiercely at work.

What to do?

First, never forgot how powerful inertia can be. Recognize upfront that it will rear itself – right out of the gate and whenever cracks appear in your change program due to uncertainty, soft results, or a weak effort.

Second, be prepared. Anticipate the power of inertia by arming your change coalition as forcefully and deeply as possible. Give it the chance to succeed. Let everyone know that resistance will happen so they don’t panic. Evangelize how the future can be better than how it is. Continuously demonstrate how the competitiveness – even the vitality – of the enterprise is at stake. If you do all of this, the natural blocking force of inertia will ease enough to give you the time you need to move forward.

• There must be a culture of risk-taking and openness to doing things differently
• There must be healthy respect for other points-of-view
• There must be a sense of urgency and a commitment to velocity
• There must be a relentless focus on the endstate. Any distraction will cause confusion and inefficiency.
• There must be a structure that enables alignment between product, sales and marketing. Most often, everybody operates in their own little world and, some times, at cross purposes with one another. This kind of integration isn’t easy. Getting it done requires focus, discipline, and a game plan that demands real-time collaboration.

As you look to undertake your internal change initiative, start inside first. Then beware of the three forces that will always test your mettle. One, the dynamics of change often stress even the strongest of cultures. Two, inertia is very, very powerful. Three, there is an ever-present tendency to blur the lines, compromise and soften the edges of bold thinking.

The organization that is organized for — and committed to — change, both mentally, and structurally, is the organization that has the best chance of remaining focused, moving quickly, and, ultimately, winning.

Share the change dynamics that work for your organization — and those that get in the way.