Qualities: CHANGE

The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.
––Karl Marx

Make change mean growth. Humans resist change. Change precipitates growth. Therefore, humans resist growth––even though it’s growth that will keep them happily and gainfully employed. So leaders need to connect these dots in more constructive ways. Make change equivalent to growth, and make growth equivalent to satisfaction. Apply this lesson to your own career and personal development––regularly.
––Oren Harari. The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell
(New York: McGraw – Hill. 2002)

All your life you've been trained to keep your head down, fit in, stick with it and be quiet. And in stable times, that's a fine––though boring––strategy.
But now the rules have changed. Change is the new normal: Anything could happen; instability is a constant. And the best strategy is not to hunker down and fit in. It's to stand up and stand out.
––Hewlett Packard Newsletter, August 2004

The world is changing rapidly all around us, and each one of us should be contributing to that positive process, not just evading or reacting and trying to keep up. Here too, there are leaders and followers, those in control and those not, those adjusting and those stuck in the past.
––John Roberts


Massive and accelerating change is the dominant condition of our lives. Consider that, after seven thousand years of civilization, half of the world’s population has changed from state-driven economies to free market economies in just the last 15 years. What is even more remarkable is that the world has taken it in stride and changed for the better. The free market creates order and progress that no government could manage. Nearly every individual in the world has been greatly affected by that change. But, of course, it creates winners and losers as jobs and business cross oceans and borders at will. Change can be seen as negative, requiring adjustment and expense. Or, it can be seen as positive, offering opportunity and advancement. With many things in life, how you approach something determines what it becomes.

One of the big problems of life is adjusting to the world we live in. This is necessary in order to minimize that conflict and smooth the way forward. We can change the world or we can change ourselves, which is a lot easier. This change inside us has an effect on the small world around us, especially the people. So, by changing ourselves we change the world. Learning how to do this, knowing how the internal changes cause the desired external changes, is a great skill that can produce major results far beyond trying to force change on things that seem to be or are beyond our control.

We have come to realize that the rate of change is accelerating. Our attention spans are shortening, we communicate, think and act faster, and we need rapid change in ourselves and the world around us to avoid boredom, or falling behind. Sometimes, in order to see the change clearly, we have to step aside, observe clearly, and make our plan on how to rejoin the parade.

Change is constant and widespread. There are two kinds: We must control the change we initiate, and we must adjust to the change from the outside that is beyond our control. In both cases we have decisions to make, and it is much easier if we can do so with foresight and planning. The more we anticipate and act, the more we can immunize ourselves, the less will be the negative affects of the change beyond our control.

Resistance to change is common, as we have good reasons to fear that the consequences for us will be negative. We are likely to be unprepared, or to find ourselves in less-favorable circumstances. If we somehow make change an orderly process to which we can adjust, and which reduces the negative consequences, we may be able to benefit. If not, as we fall farther and farther behind, it may become impossible.

So, consider that the first and easiest place to start is to change yourself. It is not hard to find ways to improve yourself if you review the list of qualities we are discussing in this series.

Recommended Reading:
John P. Kotter, Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.