A Liminal Lesson from Anthropology

That pressure you feel to change, that discontent you sense in others about your thoughts on how to do things better, the vocal naysayers who take every opportunity to extoll the virtues of how it has always been done … these are signs that your idea is worth pursuing.

Liminality is the space between the old and the new, the transitionary period where we feel uncomfortable and uncertain about what it is we're proposing to change. The very nature of being a catalyst means you will push against established boundaries and norms. In the space between what we've always done and what you propose we do, it will feel uncomfortable and resistance will mount.

The opportunity is to lead through this change, bring along the skeptic, the opposition, and the uncertain. Pair them with the curious, the supporters, and the adventurous. While you will be tearing down the established methods …

Only then can something new be crafted.