And so we continue our discussion on the challenges involved in launching and driving a compelling vision. While Puzzler# 1 dealt with the ethics of doing the right thing and Puzzler #2 dealt with introducing a radical idea to a conservative audience, Puzzler#3 had a bit of a different spin. This one involved how to get people on board with a major initiative that’s about to be implemented, especially those that are questioning the need for it.

Certainly, as Trudy R illustrated in her comments, passion must play a big role. There is nothing that makes a vision more com­pelling and a team more cohesive than passion. But while the common view of Napoleon (thanks in no small part to British propaganda of the time) was that of a dictator, in reality he was quite the diplomat and politician, especially throughout the heyday of his career.

If he had simply forced his agenda on an unsuspecting public, he would not have been elected to permanent First Consul status by an overwhelming majority of the people of France, nor would his reforms have been passionately embraced by much of Western Europe. So we must walk the fine balance between communicating passion and sensing the needs of the people.

Napoleon knew that a vision that is based on some passionate need or drive, or that is meant to ease a deep-seated fear (a real fear and not a fabricated one), is automatically compelling. Of course, he knew all too well what the French people were feeling after the Revolution. He had been raised in an environment of war and oppression in Corsica, so he was able to play to the people’s feelings, promising equality above all. He believed passionately in the mission, and since he understood the people's perspective he could communicate that passion effectively.

It is no surprise that Napoleon, who practically grew up fighting oppression, was passionate about the mission of fighting monarchy, or that he was able to inspire others to this mission. But what of us in business? And what if the need isn’t quite as obvious or as shared?

Even in those cases, we can still apply the same general principles. When undertaking a project, we need to determine if there is some passionate need or fear that the project addresses. Can one be identified—and not fabricated? If so, it can be a powerful tool for making a vision compelling. As Napoleon once said, “There are two levers for moving men 3/4 interest and fear.”

If you can show people an example that clearly illustrates the need, all the better. Put another way, emotions motivate people more than statistics or even logic. One way to help trigger emotions is through stories. People tend to remember stories. They are moved by stories, which is why Jesus spoke in parables. This is also illustrated in an example given by Harry Beckwith, the service marketing guru. Beckwith pointed out that someone once attempted to define the word "love" as "unconditional positive regard."

In our case of an ERP systems, can you tell a true story about another organization that made this transformation and improved their ability to do business, with specific examples? Can you tell a true story about something that your organization was not able to do because of the limitations of the current system, and the negative results that it caused? The more stories you can tell, and the more passion you can generate, the better people will buy into the mission.

Well, we’re getting close to our Bastille Day finale, and our final puzzler will continue the theme with yet another twist, this one dealing with the challenges of implementing a PMO. In particular, this one goes a little deeper into understanding drivers and motives.