Law 45 of 48
Preach Change, But Never Reform Too Much at Once.
Advocate for change and progress while exercising caution and moderation in implementing reforms. Gradual and incremental adjustments are often more palatable and sustainable than radical transformations, reducing resistance and increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.
Independent commentary on a principle popularised in The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the authors or their publishers.
What it actually means
People accept new arrangements far more readily when they look like a continuation of something familiar rather than a break from it. Resistance is rarely about the change itself; it is about the habits and standing lost along with it. Change the substance and keep the ritual.
Where you would have seen it
A new head of department rewrites the handbook, the tools and the meeting structure in a fortnight. Everyone complies and nothing actually changes, because the staff spend the year quietly running the old system underneath.
Try it today
Cut the change you are pushing down to the smallest version that still matters. Ship that this week and leave one familiar routine untouched.
Where this shows up
Law 45 tends to come up in these parts of life. Follow a path to read the other laws that belong with it:
Laws that go with it
If law 45 landed, these are the entries people usually read next — they cover overlapping ground: law 1, law 7, law 11.
Never Outshine the Master.
Competence is rarely the problem; displaying it in front of someone whose position rests on being the capable one is.
At WorkLeading PeopleLaw 7Get Others to Do the Work, but Always Take the Credit.
Read plainly this is theft, and it is worth understanding mainly because it will be done to you.
At WorkLeading PeopleLaw 11Learn to Keep People Dependent on You.
Being needed is not the same as being valued, and a deliberate bottleneck is the weakest security there is: the moment you are indispensable in one narrow place, you are also unpromotable.
At WorkLeading People