I remember being part of the Dolphin Show and I was at the Karsaz venue the day the beluga whale arrived following no objection certificate (NOC) being issued in addition to those from the Department of Climate Change. At first, I thought this was a made-up entity, but it turned out to be a real department, now elevated to a ministry.

Speaking of the Dolphin Show, working at the company that brought it to Pakistan – seeing the preparations, the public reactions to the build-up, and the frenzy when the show began – was eye-opening. We talk a lot about climate change; some people are passionate about this critical issue which threatens our world. According to them, the end of the world won’t come from regenerated dinosaurs or aliens but because humans meddled with nature. On the opposite side, some deny climate change altogether. And somewhere in between are people like you and me, as well as companies and organisations.

If climate change can sometimes be a toxic debate, ‘change’ is a word that has reached the stratosphere of clichés. It’s used everywhere: in meetings, conversations, plans, press releases and in our minds.

But how do we bring about change? How do we implement it, and how do we deal with its consequences? To answer these questions, we need to create the ideal climate for change.

Greg Satell, a thought leader on transformation, has dedicated much of his life to writing and speaking about change. He authored two books, Cascades and Mapping Innovation, and hosts the Changemakers podcast. Satell has broken down the complexities of change, exposing myths and fallacies, showing the evolution of change management. For instance, he highlights that change isn’t a ‘eureka’ moment but rather the result of a series of efforts by different people over time.

To keep things simple, I’ll focus on five key points:

Have you ever read something that instantly annoyed you? This happened to me when I joined MullenLowe Rauf in March 2005. On the wall outside the MD’s office were seven principles we were expected to follow. I loved one of them: “Be radical but be relevant.” Another one was, “The good is the enemy of the great,” which I grudgingly agreed with. But the one that irritated me was, “Great solutions require great problems.”

I couldn’t understand this logic – until years later when I came across Satell’s blogs on digitaltonto.com. He emphasised that great ideas aren’t as important as great problems. Over the years, I’ve also heard people like Ali Rez champion the importance of advertising and marketing solving meaningful problems to be memorable and effective. As Satell writes, “Change doesn’t begin with an idea. It starts with identifying a meaningful problem.”

There are myths about change, and one of them is consensus. My late human psychology and organisational behaviour teacher, Haider Rizvi, taught me that achieving consensus or majority support is not always necessary. While convincing everyone isn’t required, resistance is inevitable – and should ideally be anticipated.

Satell explains this well: every action causes an equal reaction. The status quo, with its inertia, doesn’t surrender easily. Even when people understand the need for change, they may still resist it. He advises us to develop empathy for detractors, understand their grievances, and prepare for possible actions.

When I was a kid, my only association with the term “keystone” was with Keystone Cops. Later, in advertising, we’d adjust the keystone of a projector for presentations. For Satell, “keystone” refers to a crucial milestone or step in achieving transformation.

In architecture, the keystone is the stone at the centre of an arch that holds everything together. Similarly, Satell warns against tackling everything at once when implementing ambitious visions. Instead, identify one key issue you can solve to win over stakeholders. As he puts it, “When you do that, you shift from selling an idea to selling a success.”

A great example is from the movie Remember the Titans. Coach Boone, a black head coach of an integrated football team, faced hostility and death threats. However, detractors became supporters when the team started winning, and the sentiment in the town shifted.

This principle is being applied today in Pakistan, where the boycott movement has emerged in response to Gaza. As a resistance strategy, the BDS movement mobilises individuals to financially pressure corporations and thus governments to change their policies.

Satell’s interest in change began during his time in Ukraine, where he witnessed the Orange Revolution. Similarly, the demonstrations in eastern Europe during the nineties toppled communist regimes. Ordinary people, armed with determination, brought down the Iron Curtain.

Satell introduces us to the “change-maker mindset,” which contrasts with the “manager mindset.” Changemakers thrive in uncertainty and embrace opportunities. Surprisingly, Satell points out that you don’t need a majority on board to drive change – just 10-25% of an organisation’s support is often enough to create momentum.

What makes this difficult is balancing the push for change with maintaining business-as-usual tasks, requiring us to wear both hats.

Satell offers a refreshing perspective: change doesn’t have to come from the top down or bottom up – it can also happen side to side. He likens organisations to living systems, behaving more like organisms than machines.

To him, change is not something to be manufactured but nurtured, like a gardener tending to their crops. Armed with these five tips, we can all sow the seeds of change more effectively.

Tyrone Tellis is Senior Manager, Corporate Sales and PR, Bogo. tyrone.tellis@gmail.com