WHY NOT CHANGE?
Have you ever met someone who wasn’t happy unless he or she was going through some kind of massive change? Perhaps there are a few individuals in this world who thrive on uncertainty, enjoy feeling insecure, and love to have their routines disrupted. But I think it would be safe to say that most people resist change every now and then, especially when it affects an idea, position, or practice that is near and dear to them.
Although people in leadership roles are often called upon to be agents of change, I have found that leaders resist change as much as followers do! As you might guess, that poses a big problem in this world of rapid transition and constant flux. As I said, Developing the Leader Within You, “Unchanged leaders equals unchanged organizations.”
My goal in this column is not to teach you how to enact change or tell you when you need to change. I merely want to help you understand what most people—including many leaders—think about change. Here are six key observations:
1. Most people change just enough to get away from their problems, not enough to solve them. They change just enough to escape; and as soon as they escape, they say, “I’m OK now—I don’t have to do anything else.” Unfortunately, this is like painting a rusty car. Sooner or later, the paint wears off, and the rust has only gotten worse.
2. Most people want to change their circumstances to improve their lives instead of changing themselves to improve their circumstances. Let’s say you came to me, as leaders often do, and said, give me some leadership ideas so I can change the people of my organization.” Well, I’m happy to offer leadership advice, but not so you can change someone else. If I give you advice, I’d like it to change you, because if I can change you, your organization will change, too. As I’m fond of saying, “People do what people see.”
3. Most people do the same thing the same way and expect different results. I see it happen all the time: People keep doing the same thing the same way, and yet they expect something to get better. When you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.
4. Most people are willing to change, not because they see the light, but because they feel the heat. Read this carefully. As a leader, you better change when you see the light because if you wait and change when you feel the heat, it’s too late. Leaders go first. I know—sometimes we don’t want to go first, especially when it comes to change. But we have to—that’s what it means to lead.
5. Most people are unwilling to pay the immediate price of change; therefore, they do not change and pay the ultimate price. Change is uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. Sometimes, it’s downright painful. But in the long run, the alternative is often much, much worse.
6. Most people see change as a hurtful thing that must be done, instead of a helpful thing that should be done. Not all change is good. Some changes are based on bad ideas. Others are self-serving to the people who enact them. But as Max De Prmee aid, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
Did you see yourself in any of these six observations? If so, decide today to change the way you think about change. Why is this so important? I stated the answer in Developing the Leader Within You: “When change is successful, you will look back at it and call it growth.”
“Life is an exciting business and most exciting when lived for others.”
“You may not be able to help everybody, but you can certainly help somebody.”
“I can do what you can’t do, and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do great things.”
“No one ever achieves alone what he can do when partnering with others”
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