Policies, procedures, and best-laid plans can be introduced through top-down power structures of formal authority. But if you’re expecting your shiny new practices to be embraced by independent thinkers, you had better understand how credibility and trust move through informal peer networks.

Let me give you an example.

I was scheduled to meet with the directors of a commercial fishing industry association to discuss the possibility of a project management contract. My travel arrangements had already been booked when the association president called to cancel. When pressed for a reason, he said, “I’m afraid my directors will eat you up and spit you out.” I told him I was willing to take that risk.

At the meeting it was clear that although the president held the membership’s respect, Larry, a director, was a key influencer. Larry wielded enormous power and influence among the membership. He possessed informal authority, something that doesn’t show up on an organizational chart. He had serious concerns about my ability to help at all. He gruffly asked, “What does a woman from the mainland know about getting out of a skiff at Roller Bay?”

The question was irrelevant. Getting out of a skiff had nothing to do with the topic at hand. He posed it to demonstrate in front of the other directors that I knew nothing about salmon fishing. To that point, Larry was right. I’d never caught a salmon in my life.

As much to Larry’s surprise as my own, I replied, “Roller Bay is located on Hope Island in Queen Charlotte Strait. It’s in Fishing Area 11. The rollers are huge. The waves toss your boat leeward as your feet give way under shifting pea gravel.”

Larry looked stunned.

I tried to play it cool. I felt like I’d just won the jackpot. I can name and describe only a handful of beaches on the Pacific coast. That Larry would pinpoint Roller Bay, my most treasured spot in the world, was outrageously serendipitous.

In that moment I earned credibility in the eyes of the association directors. I sensed, from the body language in the room, that it was because I had stood my ground with Larry.

That’s when I realized how risky it had been for the president to invite me. Had I stammered and back-peddled in response to Larry’s question, the meeting would have been a failure, probably followed by backroom ridicule of the president for inviting me. I passed the test by demonstrating operational knowledge that could only be learned in the field.

Larry had me jump through an intangible hoop. Intangibles are the root of upsets, withheld communication, and unfulfilled expectations in the workplace. They are also the root of trust and credibility, the preliminary sniff test people use to determine if they are going to open up to you. Which way the needle points depends on how well you understand intangibles and account for them in your way of being and systems design.

Months later, when we began collecting field data, the numbers being reported via satellite transponders weren’t adding up to counts provided by onboard observers.

Grand ideas tend to fall apart during implementation. Efforts generate friction instead of momentum. You won’t see it. No one will tell you what happened or what’s going on. Resistance is intangible; it runs through informal networks.

A process had been put into place that bypassed the association members. I recognized the disconnect in numbers to be human resistance, not equipment failure or technical issues. But with the future of the association’s fishery at stake, we needed to get everyone on board. Fast.

I went straight to Larry because I know that people listen to people they trust. If I could get Larry on board, he would be a lever to get the membership on board. I explained to him the problem and what the ramifications would be if our field data weren’t accurate. This conversation was about the “why.”

“Leave it with me,” he said.

Minutes later, Larry’s booming voice echoed across the fishing grounds over marine radio. By the next test set, and for the next three years, the timing, accuracy, and scientific credibility of our field data mirrored the data collected by independent, onboard observers.  Accurate data gave the industry association members credibility. No longer rebels resisting change, they were now industry leaders in fishery management.

Displacement involves movement; the water must go somewhere. People can feel when things are flowing well (or poorly) but often can’t pinpoint what is happening because they don’t understand intangibles.

Function alone doesn’t bring out the best in people. Using power and authority to introduce a new procedure can backfire on you. Only trust has the power to neutralize negativity, expand the group’s capacity for being uncomfortable, and bring out the positive aspects of collaboration.

Draw a line in the sand and invite those who are ready and willing to change to practice working in the Possibility Zone of your skunkworks project. Use the Code of Honour to clarify what it takes to be a part of your high-performance team. Participation in your ground-breaking initiative is a privilege and a responsibility, not a right.

Human connection is not achieved through manipulation, strategy, or striving for a desired outcome. Communication must be straightforward and open. Until you’ve made an authentic connection with someone, you can’t be certain that person is on board.

Authenticity, a technical term used in psychology, is the degree to which you are perceived to be true to your own personality, spirit, or character—despite external pressures. People can sense the difference between someone making a genuine connection from passion or purpose and someone reaching out to connect because of an ulterior motive. Don’t invite people into your displacement project who will passively or aggressively undermine performance. Start small, with one specific project, and invite your A-team to practice using the new tools and demonstrate how it’s done.

Possibility is everywhere. Lucrative opportunities abound. Money is flowing through your industry in the billions. If automatic, reflexive responses and reactions are clamping down on your business growth, lay the groundwork to displace negativity.

People want to be part of a winning team. Most are willing to change their ways to get in the game. Start something small and workable, and allow positive momentum among the pioneering team to grow. The Code of Honour makes the ground rules of participation crystal clear. People become internally motivated to bring their A-game.

In the next chapter, you’ll discover how this intrinsic motivation spreads.