Most consultants sell projects. Three months, deliverable, done. It doesn’t work.

Real change takes time. People don’t shift how they think because of one presentation. They change through repeated exposure to new ideas.

The answer isn’t projects. It’s campaigns.

How This Actually Works

Create rhythm. Send the same person a short note every Tuesday. One observation. One data point. Same time, same format. After eight weeks, they start expecting it. After twelve, they start acting on it.

Build proof. Track three things: behavior changes, time people save, and how often they use new language. Review these monthly with whoever’s paying. No fancy dashboards. Just simple measures that show thinking is shifting.

Introduce new language. Pick two phrases that capture what needs to happen. Use them in every meeting. Put them in every memo. Make templates with these phrases built in. Language spreads faster than concepts.

Map the network. Identify eight people who matter. Two champions who already get it. Two early adopters who might. Two skeptics who need winning over. Two decision-makers who control budgets. Engage each group differently.

Run small experiments. Four weeks max. One metric that matters. Clear end point. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s learning something that can be shown to others. Document what worked and what didn’t.

Translate for executives. Frontline people complain about processes. Executives care about hours and money. Take frontline frustrations and turn them into business language. “This wastes 6 hours per week per person. That’s $180k annually.”

Make wins visible. Run a 15-minute showcase every month. Same format, same time. People share what’s working. Record it. Send clips to people who weren’t there. Small wins become real when others see them.

Change the system. Good ideas die if they don’t get baked into how things work. Update onboarding slides. Suggest new language for job descriptions. Make the new way the easy way.

Track slow things. Daily metrics don’t capture this. Look at how language spreads through leadership communications. Count fewer workarounds. Notice when people stop complaining about old problems.

What This Looks Like

A company wanted better project management. Instead of building them a new system, someone ran a campaign.

Week 1: Introduced two new terms in meetings.

Week 4: Started a weekly note highlighting one small win.

Week 8: Ran the first experiment with one team.

Week 12: Updated their onboarding to include new practices.

Week 16: Executives started using the new language in board meetings.

Six months later, the new approach was just how they worked.

The Reality

This takes longer than projects. It’s harder to sell. Clients want quick fixes.

But quick fixes don’t stick. Campaigns do.

Changing how people think is the only change that matters. Everything else is just shuffling deck chairs.