The latter occurrence can lead to great things happening in your organization; for when you convince not-yets to choose to be your cause leaders, you've not only gained cause leaders but you've also helped persuade fence-sitters to become cause leaders themselves. Here is a process to deal with not-yets.

(1) Define what constitutes each of three groups in 20/60/20 classification. For instance, "cause leadership" can be a determining factor. You will determine which group you think people belong in by ascertaining whether or not they are willing to be your cause leader.

(2) Identify what specific individuals go into each group as defined by determinants: i.e., in this case whether or not they'll be your cause leaders.

For instance, you have 20 percent who are already your cause leaders. 40 percent fence-sitters who haven't made up their minds to be your cause leaders. And 20 percent who are "not-yets" -- who may be trying to stop others from being your cause leaders.

(3) Describe dynamic situation, where these people are tending to move at this point in time.

(4) Institute rewards for positive moments between groups and penalties for negative movements. You may want to reward fence-sitters for becoming cause leaders. And you may want to penalize fence-sitters who start moving toward not-yet group.

(Make sure you differentiate fence-sitters from not-yets. Fence sitters have not made up their minds about whether they should be cause leaders. The not-yets, at least for now, categorically refuse to be cause leaders.)

(5) Isolate not-yets. Leaving not-yets alone may encourage them in their ways. So, you must make sure not-yets pay a price for their choice. If you find you are expending an excess of time and resources trying to persuade them to join your cause, then isolate them. Recognize, however, there is a delicate art to isolating them. Attempting to isolate them too quickly or harshly can harden their attitudes against you and may rally other people to their side.

You can isolate them in three ways: (A) Through penalties -- making sure penalties are fair and, equally important, are seen to be fair by others. (B) Through recognition -- making sure that they are known to others as being not-yets. (C) Through "a rising tide"-- making sure you celebrate your successes and use those successes to draw in more cause leaders, which will create a rising tide that can carry along even not-yets.

(6) Measure and monitor your progress and theirs.

This process is not linear but a circle, more accurately a spiral. Keep working it.

Every leader is afflicted with bad actors. Make sure you avoid using label and then use this process to neutralize their destructive influence and even turn them on to your cause. Who knows? You may turn bad actors into great performers.

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

"The best leaders make use of simplest of ideas."

"If you are always right, you are usually wrong."

"The best way for a leader to communicate an idea is to bundle it in a human being."

"The most persuasive art of leadership is to hide your leadership."

"Refraining from action is sometimes best action."

"It's not so much what you say as a leader that's important; it's action people take after you have had your say."

"In leadership, value of every need is in its use."

"Leadership is not about living a easy life for ourselves but a hard life for others."

"We ourselves are our own biggest obstacles to becoming better leaders."

"Leadership is showing people not that they must take a certain action but that they GET TO take that action."

"Half art of listening is waiting."

"To get best out of people, embrace best in them."

"People are often unaware of best that's in them. When you show it to them, you are half way down road to motivating them to be your cause leaders."

"Achievement needs three things, leader, cause leader, and moment."

"In long run, most important results of leadership are not what we achieve but what we become in that achieving."

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.