is it time?
Change: To cause to be different; change the spelling of a word. To give a completely
different form or appearance to.
Improve: To raise to a more desirable or more excellent quality or condition; make
better. To increase the productivity or value of (land or property). To put to good use;
use profitably.
My considered point of view is that change is inevitable, and improvement is optional.
We live in times of change. All times are times of change. Nothing stays the same
forever. Some change is bad, some is good, but change is always happening.
I’d rather all of us be captains of change rather than victims of it. Consider this: in the
business world in this decade, more than half of all U.S. companies have restructured;
over 100,000 companies were acquired or merged; almost a million companies filed for
bankruptcy; millions of people have switched jobs; untold numbers of products have
failed or never made it to market; there are more laws and regulations now than ever,
with more to come, etc.
Good or bad, change IS inevitable.
Now, some people do pine for the good old days. Do any of these phrases sound
familiar?
I remember when it was easier… We used to be able to take a breath in August,
when clients weren’t so demanding… I used to be able to keep up with
technology… Things weren’t so complicated or expensive… Management was
friendlier and less demanding… We had more fun.
There is a lot of truth in these statements. There certainly were good old days. But
remember, “This is the past that somebody in the future is longing to go back to.” We
need to make these days good days, rather than wishing for something that won’t ever
come back.
My belief is that we can make our situation better than it has ever been. I really believe
this (or I wouldn’t come to work).
This is called improvement. So let’s live with change, accept it, welcome it,
acknowledge it and embrace it.
Let’s drive improvement.
Let’s decide to make our companies fabulous places to work. Why can’t we be the best, have
the most fun, be very productive, be creative, be loved and demanded by clients, be the
envy of the industry? What is preventing us from this?
There are many ‘‘barriers’’ preventing this. To name a few:
- Management is out of touch, out of tune, too demanding, etc.
- Everyone is burned out
- There aren’t any rewards
- I don’t have the right tools
- I don’t know what the direction is
- I know the direction, but don’t buy it
- I know what the direction is, and I buy it, but the people around me don’t
- There are too many distractions
- There’s too much administrative stuff to deal with
- There are too many meetings
- What I do doesn’t matter anyway
- Clients don’t appreciate what we do
- The group over there (point somewhere else) is uncooperative
- My circumstances are special and no one understands
- We get mixed signals (sell more, make more profits, do this…no, do that)
- I’m kept in the dark
- Our competitors are irrational (they sell below cost, they over-promise, they bribe
clients)
The list goes on. I know them all well, as I have said them myself. Here’s the thing-
these aren’t barriers, they’re just excuses. We can be victims of them and use them as
excuses, or we can overcome them and fix them and improve them.
Let’s invent our future together rather than trying to live in the past.
Ok, so, gee Jim, I get it and I want to help– how can I help?
Thanks for asking! Just follow these simple steps….
1. Have the right attitude. There is power in positive thinking…if you don’t feel it,
you won’t do it….
2. Take ownership. Fix what’s broken, make better what needs improvement and
keep doing what works.
3. Be tolerant. Not everyone is as good as you are, so help them rather than
criticize.
4. Laugh. We do and say amusing things…it’s a great business, and we should
enjoy it more.
5. Focus. …and refocus. Do what needs to be done.
6. Be supportive. Even when you aren’t fully invested, be on the team.
7. Face reality. Some stuff is hard, some stuff is ugly… don’t be in denial.
8. Be clear. Be clear about the agenda, priorities, plans. If you aren’t clear, ask for
clarification; if you don’t get clarification, offer some.
9. Make something happen. Go for tangible results.
10. Have a sense of urgency.
11. Have some discipline. Stay focused.
12. Communicate. Tell folks what you’re up to and ask others how you can help.
These are all obvious, conventional bits of wisdom. You can read them in many books
and articles. They’re obvious because they work!
Let’s move forward… together! I look forward to laughing with you and enjoying all the great work you’re doing!
And remember, “If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less!”