In a recent blog, I wrote about The Three “P’s” of Transformational Change: passion, pono, and perseverance. All three are integral in pursuing sustainable positive change in our communities and in facing the social challenges of poverty, social dysfunction, and institutional inertia. In response to the three P’s, I’ve had a lot of questions about how one practically implements transformational change within these concepts. Passion, pono, and perseverance are recognized elements, but what are the practical steps we need to take in order to turn these concepts into measurable, “kick the tires,” positive results in our community’s changed reality? Allow me to suggest three “F’s” to help us along the transformational change path.

The three disciplines of FOCUS, FOLLOW THROUGH, and FINISH are applicable to all of our activities. They become particularly important, however, as we approach the challenge of implementing significant and substantive change that shakes the status quo. If we intend to introduce transformational change, we need to make sure we clearly understand what the first step of focus means in the process.

To focus on change, we must be sure we understand and precisely outline our goal. When will we know we have reached our goal? We will only know this if we have fully defined and focused our attention on what we propose to change and what the characteristics of this changed reality are. We often cannot control all of the variables of change, but we need to begin the process by defining our objective as much as possible in the process. We need the crucial element of focus. If our initial focus is clear, we can use it along the journey as a benchmark for any changes that need to be added to the goal.

The second element of success in implementing change is the simple, yet often very difficult, phase of follow through. Once we have done the job of defining and understanding the measures of our focus, we are confronted with the challenge of putting into place the actions necessary to move towards our goal.

We are often lulled into thinking that a clear and compelling definition of our focus is sufficient. We often shy away from the nuts and bolts of putting into place the pieces that make transformational change actually happen.

Inertia and the intrusion of other urgencies conspire to blur this phase of engineered change and we are left wondering what happened when our focus is lost. All of this calls us to a heightened awareness of the implementation phase of change, the follow through. We may find that as our plans are implemented and put to the test of reality that our goals may need to be modified. As mentioned above, a clear initial focus can be used as a benchmark when modifying these goals. In other words, although focus and follow through are often separated in our minds, they are in fact very much tied together in practice.

There is a lot more that can be said of follow through but the third element of change, the finish, should always be kept in the forefront of our implementation activities. We need to press on towards our focal point and make sure we achieve the goals we have set. So often we are tempted to leave the battlefield of transformational change with the change half done or done in such a manner that our original focus is lost or marred. This is the point at which we may need others to help keep us accountable to the goals we have set. They need to press us into completing what we began in the focus phase and implemented (and perhaps modified) in the follow through phase by finishing the process.

Lots of relatively simple concepts to this process, but at heart it is a complex web of activities and attitudes that can have great power in driving change in our relationships and our communities. I’ve also found this three step mantra to be a powerful challenge for the youth of our community or for all of those who are committed to moving the personal, professional, or public agendas of their lives. Try it. You’ll like it and blossom using it.