"If you don't like change you'll like irrelevance even less"
... US Army Gen Eric Shinseki June 2002
When it comes to business, today's marketplace is like the ocean: It is deep and it keeps its mistakes. It is absolutely vital to the survival of any organization that it stay abreast of the changing tides in the market to be able to position itself to both survive, and thrive in the new environment. This same necessity holds true for individuals as well. The recent Great Recession brought new meaning to the concept of "Who Moved my Cheese?" Peoples' dreams of a comfortable retirement were wiped out along with their retirement savings as investment values plummeted and the mass market contracted like a starving belly. Some people thrived during this time because they were prepared. Others simply overcame the obstacles, changed to take advantage of new opportunities, and adapted their outlook to the new environment.
They sensed that the proverbial cheese was moving, went hunting for it, and found it. If you lay tile for a living, and the flooring market dries up, your skills have just become irrelevant. You have to overcome, change and adapt in order to survive. This may mean simply moving to another area where the skills are more in demand. It may mean learning another closely related skill that capitalizes on your existing relationships. It does not mean sitting at home, lamenting your situation and looking for tiling jobs.
Change is ever present
I am consistently caught off guard by the fear that people exhibit when their environment changes. I have learned that it is an absolute fact that most people fear change. A friend of mine told me once that "Even a wet baby hates change!" I thought that was a good one. It does not matter what organization you are in or where you live. Change IS coming to you and you need to be ready to embrace it. You cannot be hampered by fear, doubt, and disbelief in yourself. As Zig Ziglar used to say, "Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness." You have to accept the fact that it is not going away. You have to overcome, change, and adapt.
Some lessons from the field
If you find yourself in a job or work situation that is changing and you don't know how to deal with it, here are a few general things that you may want to think about before you take the next big step.
These are just three key areas that I believe increase your chances at successfully navigating change in the workplace. Being the type of person that exhibits these behaviors regularly will increase your odds of growing a successful career and weathering downturns.
Do you have a situation at work that requires you to change? Has someone moved your cheese? I am very interested in hearing about how you are dealing with it and if you can think of the other ways people can overcome, change, and adapt in the workplace. Post a comment and lets here what you think.
... US Army Gen Eric Shinseki June 2002
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| We must face our fears and stand for what we believe. |
They sensed that the proverbial cheese was moving, went hunting for it, and found it. If you lay tile for a living, and the flooring market dries up, your skills have just become irrelevant. You have to overcome, change and adapt in order to survive. This may mean simply moving to another area where the skills are more in demand. It may mean learning another closely related skill that capitalizes on your existing relationships. It does not mean sitting at home, lamenting your situation and looking for tiling jobs.
Change is ever present
I am consistently caught off guard by the fear that people exhibit when their environment changes. I have learned that it is an absolute fact that most people fear change. A friend of mine told me once that "Even a wet baby hates change!" I thought that was a good one. It does not matter what organization you are in or where you live. Change IS coming to you and you need to be ready to embrace it. You cannot be hampered by fear, doubt, and disbelief in yourself. As Zig Ziglar used to say, "Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness." You have to accept the fact that it is not going away. You have to overcome, change, and adapt.
Some lessons from the field
If you find yourself in a job or work situation that is changing and you don't know how to deal with it, here are a few general things that you may want to think about before you take the next big step.
- Err on the side of action - If you are going to make a mistake, make it one of commission rather than omission. Do something. If you are out of work get a job that gets cash flow going rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity. Err on the side of action.
- Drive for results - Don't be satisfied waiting for something to happen. Make it happen. A friend of mine's daughter was trying to line up a summer job. I told her that I knew the GM of a local grocery store and reached out to him for her. When he told me that he didn't have anything for her, she asked me to call him back and request him to inquire of all of his peers to see what they had available. She was 16 at the time and her drive is what is making her a success today.
- Be solution oriented - There are two types of people when it comes to facing challenges presented by everyday life and work: Solutions oriented people and Problem oriented people. The difference lies in where they place their mental focus and emotional energy. Solutions oriented people are trying to find the shortest path to the top of the mountain. Problem oriented people only see how big the mountain is. You can tell the difference by listening to what they say. They talk about what they are focused on. You offer suggestions and they just keep telling you why the different suggestions you are providing won't work.
These are just three key areas that I believe increase your chances at successfully navigating change in the workplace. Being the type of person that exhibits these behaviors regularly will increase your odds of growing a successful career and weathering downturns.
Do you have a situation at work that requires you to change? Has someone moved your cheese? I am very interested in hearing about how you are dealing with it and if you can think of the other ways people can overcome, change, and adapt in the workplace. Post a comment and lets here what you think.
You put it very succinctly when you point out the gap between surviving and thriving. In today’s economy and fluid markets many business and employees are “Waiting for what’s coming,” as Cormac McCarthy exemplified in No Country for Old Men. Just as in the book which confirms the natural law that the best of skill and good intentions are rarely a match for unwavering focus, businesses and workers who merely hang on to survive rarely see what’s coming at them. Inaction is synonymous with mere survival, and inaction in today's business is paralyzing, and eventually fatal.
ReplyDeleteI use these simple rules to refocus myself in my own efforts:
Sign my work (that is, take personal responsibility for doing the best I can and be willing to put my name on the finished work);
Be accountable (to deadlines and understanding my labor cost as an expense against profit); and
Remember who I serve (which ultimately is always the customer, right?).