But the problem is either not seen by others or is being treated as if it were of minor importance. It's as if you are living on an iceberg that is melting.

You see the dangerous erosion, but the rest of your fellow penguins, especially those on the leadership council, are all saying, "Problem? What problem?"

So what do you do?

A. Tell your boss. Immediately.

B.Start talking it up . . . not quite going to the public square and standing on a soapbox, but close.

C.Try to get an appointment with the CEO.

D.First, prepare an in-depth Powerpoint presentation with all the data conceivably available.

E.Do nothing. Leading change is not your job, and they don't pay you enough for the aggravation.

You may have another idea that you like better, but let's start with these choices, because one of them is what most people choose to do most of the time.

If your boss is a reasonable person, sharing your important insight with him or her can seem the obvious step.

But he probably has 45 problems already and isn't looking for 46. He may have heard enough people over the years say the sky is falling that he will be wary.

If your boss is an exceptional leader, he'll grab the ball, thank you, figure out what to do next and provide the needed leadership. Is your boss an exceptional leader?

The impulse to blurt out your insight to anyone who will listen can be very strong. You see a problem. It's important. Come on, people, let's deal with it. And some people will listen.

Unfortunately, some will think you worry too much.

Some are so busy that the last thing they want to hear about is more problems. Some will feel that they are powerless and your news is depressing (and who wants to hang around a depressing person? ) In trying to go to the big boss, you'll probably run into the executive assistant, or the equivalent. That person organises the CEO's 14-hour days and is in the difficult position of saying no all the time. That assistant probably finds little joy in telling the big boss that some unknown employee wants to add one more problem to a problem-filled agenda.

As for the thorough, lengthy, 82-slide Powerpoint presentation, doing it well will take time. Are you underworked? Finding solid data on the iceberg's melting is usually difficult, and there will always be gaps.

And try to remember your reaction to the last thorough, lengthy Powerpoint presentation you were forced to sit through. Were you inspired to jump up and go to work on the project? Or did you perhaps catch yourself thinking, "Please, lord of meetings, let there be an end to this"?

If you have seen options A to D fail, that often leads to E. It's easy to find yourself saying, "What can I do?", "I don't have the power", "It's not my job", "This could be hazardous, and I have to keep bread in the mouths of my family".

So. . . is there another option, one that actually can help with the difficult problem of getting an important change started, that helps your organisation and even helps your own career? Well, yes.

You do act, but not by relying on telling bosses, big bosses or anyone, not by offering what will look like an opinion or by dumping data on anyone. You show others the problem, in as attention-grabbing a way as possible, with one and only one goal: to create a sense of urgency around the issue of importance.

One mid-level manager I know, concerned about the company's procurement system, demonstrated the problem with the help of an ally who was in a more powerful position. They dumped all 423 different work gloves that were ordered independently by the company's plants, bought at different prices by different people with different systems, all at great waste, in a huge pile on the boardroom table just before an executive committee meeting.

Top management was shocked by what they saw.

Since they were looking for ways to keep costs down, the display grabbed their attention. The small first step, all initiated by a person buried in the hierarchy, eventually led, over the next year, to a new procurement system that saved the firm millions of dollars.

The successful formula: Show them, don't just tell them; create a sense of urgency, don't just point to a problem, both of which can be done with careful thought by nearly anyone.

Leading change? Yes, you.

John Kotter is Harvard Business School's leadership and change guru and the author of the best-selling book 'Leading Change' and the upcoming book 'Our Iceberg Is Melting', on working and living in an ever-changing world.