This article is about Law 45: Preach The Need For Change But Never Reform Too Much At Once from the 48 Laws of Power book. We all agree that making things better means making some changes. But here’s the thing: it can be really messy if you try to change a lot of stuff all at once. People like doing things as they’re used to and might struggle to handle sudden, significant changes.
Have you ever seen what happens when you try to make everyone change everything all at once? It’s like a big storm of complaints, resistance, and everyone’s work falling apart. It’s an absolute nightmare!
In this helpful guide, we’ll show you how to find the right balance between moving forward and keeping the good stuff from the past. Whether you’re a group leader or someone trying to make a difference, our tips will help you improve things without shaking everything up too much.
Get ready to bring about positive changes that respect what came before while looking ahead to a bright future. It’s all about inspiring change without making a big mess!
Law 45: Preach The Need For Change But Never Reform Too Much At Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but people are creatures of habit on a day-to-day basis. Too much innovation is traumatic and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
Robert Greene
Key Insights
We’re All Afraid of Change (Even Though We Know It’s Good)
People are strange sometimes. We know changing things can be good, like adding flavor to life, but we also get scared. Imagine a wrestling match in your head. On one side, your brain says, “Change is exciting!” On the other, it says, “But staying comfy is nice, too.”
We understand that change can be fun, like trying something new or going on an adventure. It’s like a breeze on a hot day. When change gets close, it feels like a giant, unknown monster. Even if we know it’s needed, we still get nervous.
The Art of Reform: Balance Old Forms and New Ideas
Imagine you want to shake up the way a company or organization works. You have big ideas, but you know you can’t flip everything upside down. You must keep things somewhat the same on the surface, even if you’re making significant changes behind the scenes.
Why? Because most people are happy when things look familiar, even if what’s happening behind the scenes is different. It’s like giving your favorite old jacket a new lining – it may look the same on the outside, but a whole new world on the inside.
So, you must put on a play when trying to reform or change an organization. You must use old costumes and set pieces, even if the script is entirely new. People like the comfort of the familiar. To most folks, what they see is what they believe. It’s like a magic trick – they’re happy if it looks right, even if the reality is different.
How Small Acts Keep History Alive
Sometimes, even a tiny thing like keeping an old title or sticking with a familiar number can connect you to the past and give you a strong sense of history.
As Machiavelli, a wise thinker, pointed out, the Romans did this trick when they changed from a monarchy to a republic. They replaced the king with two leaders called consuls but kept the same number of helpers, called lictors because the king had twelve.
The king used to do a big yearly ceremony that got everyone excited. When the republic took over, they didn’t stop the ceremony; they just had someone else do it, called the “King of the Sacrifice.”
These little acts and others like them made the people happy and stopped them from wanting the monarchy to return. So, remember, even small traditions can significantly impact keeping history alive and making people feel connected to their past.
How to Embrace Tradition While Changing Everything
Sometimes, when you want to make changes without anyone noticing, you put on a big show of loving old stuff. You act like you’re the biggest fan of tradition, and people won’t see the changes coming.
Imagine Renaissance Florence, a place with a super old way of doing things. Everyone there loved their traditions. Then along came Cosimo de’ Medici. He acted like the biggest supporter of the old ways, but secretly, he wanted his wealthy family to be in charge.
The Medici family made it look like the old way was still in charge, but behind the scenes, they were calling the shots. They talked a lot about tradition but made changes where it mattered.
So, when you want to change things without causing a fuss, remember what the Medicis did. Talk a big game about tradition while making your changes quietly. It’s like having your cake and eating it too!
Mao’s Smart Move: Mixing Old Stories with New Ideas
Back in the 1920s, Mao Tse-tung had a tough job. He wanted to get people in China excited about Communism, but China was a very traditional place. The Communists didn’t have a lot of resources, they didn’t know much about fighting wars, and most people in China liked the old ways.
Mao had a brilliant idea: he mixed the new ideas of Communism with the stories and culture that Chinese people loved from their past. He got inspiration from stories like “The Water Margin,” where brave bandits fought against an evil emperor. He made his group seem like these legendary heroes, making the fight feel like a timeless battle between poor farmers and a mean ruler.
Even after Mao became an influential leader, he didn’t act like a foreigner. Instead, he said he was like famous people from China’s past, like Chuko Liang, an intelligent thinker. People liked having a leader they could admire, like a father.
Mao was good at using China’s old stories and ways of thinking. When he had a fight for power with Lin Piao, he said Lin liked traditional stuff like Confucianism. Still, he was all about Legalism, which believed in using force to make necessary changes. This got young people on his side, making him look modern and robust.
So, here’s the lesson: When you want to make significant changes, don’t fight against the past – use it. People really care about their history and traditions. Connecting your ideas with the past can make the changes more convincing.
Timing Your Moves Right: Making Change by Going with the Flow
Influential people pay attention to what’s happening in the world around them. If they try to change things too much too soon, it can confuse people and cause problems. So, sometimes, you’ve got to make your changes seem less new and exciting.
Watch what’s going on in the world. If things are crazy and changing a lot, talk about going back to the old ways – the things that make people feel comfortable and safe. Talk about making big changes when things are slow and not changing much. But be careful; sometimes, starting change can lead to unexpected results.
Starting a radical change is one thing, but finishing it is another. It’s like a relay race – the ones who begin it often aren’t the ones who end it. To play this tricky game, you’ve got to use appearances and build on what’s been done before to keep things under control.
So, remember, timing is everything when making changes. Go with the flow of what’s happening, but be ready to handle what comes next wisely.
Lessons from the Cat
Let’s talk about cats – they love their routines and cozy spots. If you mess with their habits or space, they might get upset. To keep your cat content, stick to their routines. If you need to make changes, do it cleverly by fooling your cat’s senses by putting their favorite toys or blankets in the right places to make them feel at home.
Embrace the Freedom to Reinterpret Your Past
Your past is like a treasure chest of stories, and guess what? You’re the curator. You can retell it in a way that suits you best.
Sometimes, it’s alright to tweak a few details to make sense of your journey. Think of it as giving your story a makeover – it’s still your story, just with a fresh perspective.
When you reshape your past, you’re not erasing it; you’re giving it new layers and colors. It’s like a classic painting getting a modern twist – it becomes uniquely yours.
Remember that your past is like clay in your hands, waiting for your sculpting touch. You’re the artist; you can reshape, reimagine, and turn it into a masterpiece.
Using the Past Wisely: A Lesson in Shaping Your Image
Think of the past as a tool you can use as you see fit. If recent history was brutal and painful, don’t connect yourself too closely to it. When Napoleon took charge, everyone remembered the French Revolution, and copying the fancy style of the previous rulers would’ve made his followers worry about their safety.
So, instead, Napoleon made his court simple and not flashy. It matched his image as someone who valued hard work and military skills. People found this new style comforting and reassuring.
In simple words, pay attention to what’s going on around you. But remember, if you make significant changes from the past, don’t leave an empty space – that’s scary. Even if recent history was not great, it’s better than nothing. So, fill that space with new traditions and ways of doing things. People will find them familiar and comforting, and it will help you stay popular.
The Secret to Enduring Power: Balancing Innovation and Tradition
Regarding things like art, fashion, and technology, you might think that the best way to succeed is to be super modern and leave the past behind. It can work for a while, but it’s risky. Why? Because someone else will always come up with newer ideas, and your cool stuff will become old news.
You’ll always be trying to catch up, and your success won’t last long. What you really want is to build your success on something solid. You can make your work last longer by using the past, changing old traditions, and playing with how things used to be done.
Even when everything is changing fast, people start missing the old ways. So, trying to eliminate the past entirely is a losing game. Instead, using the past smartly will give you more success than trying to ignore it – which doesn’t work and can even harm you.