The early days of a transformation initiative can feel like pushing a boulder uphill.
You believe in your idea. You want to get started. But nothing’s moving.
No one’s showing up.
So how do you kickstart the transformation?
The answer is not to work harder. It’s to apply leverage.
What Is Leverage?
Leverage is a small, well-placed move that produces outsized impact. It’s how you shift systems when buy-in is low and belief is still fragile. In physics, leverage lets you lift heavy loads with little effort, if you apply it at the right angle and the right point.
In organizations, it’s the same. Leverage is about knowing where and how to act to unlock momentum.
In my momentum framework, I borrowed from physics where:
Momentum = Mass × Velocity
- Mass = the weight behind the idea (credibility, legitimacy, resources).
- Velocity = the actions driving the idea (execution, advocacy, engagement).
At the start, you will have neither mass nor velocity. Leverage helps you get to the first turn of the flywheel, when mass and velocity are both near zero.
Three Forms of Leverage That Can Kickstart Momentum
So how can we use leverage to get started? Below are three forms of leverage that I’ve seen work in real transformation efforts:
- Find Your Tribe: Forget trying to convince everyone. Find your tribe and invite them to join you. Everett Rodgers’ work on the Diffusion of Innovation shows that change starts with a small group of people (i.e. innovators and early adopters). These are the people who embrace new ideas without needing proof. Find these people and start working with them to create visible success.
- The Credible Champion: A single respected figure can bring more people to your initiative than any presentation you can make. You don’t have to build credibility from scratch, you’re borrowing it from the respected leader. Their decision to join your initiative and apply it to real pipeline projects gives your initiative instant legitimacy.
- The Visible Win: Work with your tribe and champions to deliver a concrete win, something that addresses a real pain point for the company. Find something low risk that can generate quick wins. For example, you can start by solving a small but painful issue for a senior manager. This creates social proof. People are more likely to adopt a change when they see others benefiting from it. So to be effective, the win should be visible, valuable, and verifiable. Once you have your early win, celebrate like crazy. In public!
Final Thought
You don’t need to convince everyone. That’s the beauty of leverage. You don’t need to start with scale. You don’t need buy-in from the whole organization.
You just need the right action, in the right place, with the right support.
This is what will get you started.