Newton gave us two essential lessons to apply in leading change efforts.

The First Law of Motion: The Law of Inertia

An object in motion tends to stay in motion, and an object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless acted upon by an external force.

In the world of leading change, someone has to be the external force that changes the inertia of the organization.  Without the external force, there will be no meaningful change.  And it must be exerted as a greater force than the existing inertia, and for a sufficient time frame.

The Third Law of Motion: The Law of Action and Reaction

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The change agent must anticipate what the “opposite reactions” might be, and what might cause them.  They must anticipate the optimal ways to deal with the resistance in a manner that doesn’t create even bigger negative responses.