We all go through changes. Jobs come and go, positions come and go, age creeps up on us as years go by, and the list goes on. What is so ironic to me is that change is occurring all around us, but for the most part people don't embrace change. Status quo seems to be fine for most folks. Go to your pantry and check the food items - do you have the same type of cereal today that you have been eating for the last year, or two, or three? Me too - you are not alone.
The idea of embracing change, rather than coping with it, seems to be a farfetched idea for some people. Over the years I have watched hundreds, if not thousands, of employees at all levels deal with change, and they were all different. The ones I watched grow, become educated, promote, create a following, and deliver the best cutting edge results were the ones that embraced change, and actually worked at making change happen.
I have always said "you are in one of two places in life: you are either making decisions for others to live by, or you are living by decisions other people make... I want to be in the first group"... That has been my mantra for years. I like to be in control and driving change. I embrace moving from the status quo into the unknown. Don't get me wrong, I still live by decisions other people make, I am not atonomous in my life, but I work hard at creating change for others.
Think about your work life for a moment. Each time a change comes around (a new system comes out, you are moved to a new team, your job goes away and you have to change, your leader lets you know your job description has changed, etc.)how do you handle it? Do you jump in the middle of it and work at helping others see a clear vision of what the future looks like and a path to get there, or do you automatically put up the walls of resistance and skepticism, dig in your heels, and act like a pack mule being pulled from the corral?
Embracing change is a mindset. It is a way of life. Today I am taking my daughter to ASU to start her first year of college. Her vision is wrapped around classes, books, financial aide, what will her dorm look like, who will she be rooming with, and the list goes on. For me, I am thinking about the foundation she is laying for her future. The lifelong friends she is going to make, the education that will pave the way for her career, the cutting edge concepts she will learn about her field, how she will use this as a catalyst for driving change for others to live by.
Being a leader is a tough role. You get the glory, but you also get the challenge of (as Warren Bennis put it - "herding cats"). If you accept a role as a leader then don't be a resister to change. Embrace it. Ask yourself how you can constantly change your business, what will help you become more profitable, what will help you be more efficient, where can you bring new concepts to the table, how can you get better at delivering the idea of change to your team/organization and how can you make change easier for people to swallow.
Getting stuck in the same ol' day to day routine, and thinking your job/life are secure will only bring one thing, a huge wake-up call at some point. You live amass changes all the time (i.e. you are reading my thoughts on this page and I may not even know you - 5 years ago this wasn't even possible) - technology, lifestyles, businesses, neighborhoods, relationships, careers, etc. The sands are ever shifting and while you don't have full control in life, you do have the ability to accept change, and to create little waves here and there that will make a difference in your own life and the lives of those around you.
Final thought for the day - when was the last time you read a book that caused you to think differently about the work you do, prompted you to change how you interact with others, and helped you make a difference in your workplace. If you can't remember the last time this happened then you are probably living status quo, and if you can remember the last time it happened you are probably one of those people who is on the edge of, or fully involved in, being a change leader.
Don't wait for changes and then adapt. Get out there and make things happen - shake it up a little - make your workplace a breeding ground for new ideas, concepts, technologies, and spend more time making decisions that affect other people, rather than just living by the decisions other people make.
See you on the left...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment