Arrow or Snowplough?

There’s a woman I know who has brilliant ideas for how to transform the New Zealand economy so it leads the world in societal and environmental wellbeing. She’s smart. She’s visionary. Yet she’s not getting traction.

Why not?

She’s a lone voice.

Her industry has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Her ideas are seen as dangerous, risky, and too hard by the people she’s trying to influence. As articulate as she is, and as much as she tries, her words fall upon deaf ears.

She’s exhausted, and she’s despondent.

It’s like she’s using an arrow to shift snow. It’s not that effective. The snow’s just going to swallow the arrow up whole, and carry on doing its snow thing.

To change the game, she doesn’t need to shoot arrows. She needs a snowplough. She needs people with her, doing their bit as she does her bit, together forming a powerful force that the snow ultimately yields to.

She needs people who get it, with her on the journey. Not behind her. With her.

Movements don’t happen because of one person. They happen when connected people move a powerful idea forward.

You might have a good idea. It might be a game-changer. But do you have the people with you?

Here are four steps to build your snowplough:

1. Share your ideas regularly, far, and wide
2. Listen intently for feedback: who gets excited?
3. Invite those people into conversation and help them find a way of doing their bit
4. Do steps 1-3 again, and again, and again

Want a toolkit to help you to become more ‘snowplough-like’? Download this handy template.

And here’s a bit more from me about why I wrote this post and what it got me thinking:

Like this post? When you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you further:

• Sign up to my ‘Thinking from the Edge’ newsletter to get tips, insights and early release information that I don’t share on the usual social channels. Delivered weekly to your inbox.

• Get my book, Change Makers: How to make your mark with more impact and less drama. It’s available here.

• Check out Change Makers Co-Lab – an online course + community to help you make your mark with more impact and less drama.