Picture the Scene…Differently

Tags: Business, General,

My mother liked to tell the story of how I pitched a fit when she moved my crib from one side of the nursery to another. There was no rest (for anyone) until she moved it back to its original spot. I always thought that explained why I was so adverse to change, why it (secretly) terrified me. And why I’ve spent most of my adult life putting difficult change in my path every chance I get. My new nightmare is about not changing.

Business leader Jack Welch said, “Change before you have to.”

It sounds like a threat. But it’s really more of a promise.

All of us at one time or another have to make decisions in our personal lives or business that involve a departure from the status quo. And sometimes it’s not because we want to, but because we’ve reached the point where we literally have to.

It’s one thing to change your hair style or bedroom wall color.

Quite another to change your career, your opinion, your skills, your approach, your habits, your dreams (because the “old” ways, relationships and kneejerk responses aren’t working anymore).

Many moons ago I left a cushy job at a major corporation to start my own agency because “I wanted to feel butterflies in my stomach again.” (What I got instead was an ulcer but I never regretted going from cushy to gutsy).

I was glad I put a plan in motion…before I got too comfortable, too lazy…before I lost my confidence or passion…before I listened to too many other (negative) opinions to the contrary…before I was dazzled by a shiny new thing over there…before someone beat me to the punch…before it was too late.

I don’t like the idea of being ambushed, being forced to do something when I’m not quite ready to get on board. If something makes me uncomfortable because I haven’t done it before or because it’s inevitable or challenging, I’ve found it’s a sign I need to pay close attention, get my thoughts and actions in order.

Of late I have become enamored with the idea of making “incremental” changes.

It’s a more thoughtful process, less painful. Not a win-lose, pass-fail, one-and-done kind of thing. It’s so doable it actually makes it harder to come up with excuses for why you can’t accomplish your objective. And like compounded interest, it adds up over time.

Incremental change is still about growth, but it’s a deliberate, voluntary growth, well thought-out, tied to a goal, measured against a deadline.

The late Steve (Think Different) Jobs, founder of Apple, had “great respect for incremental improvement.” But he preferred “more revolutionary changes…because they're harder. They're much more stressful emotionally. And you usually go through a period where everybody tells you that you've completely failed.”

Incremental change. Revolutionary change. Either one is bound to make a difference (it’s more of a “style” preference).

But ultimately, you need to get the-change-you-want-to-see started.

So mail the letter.

Make the call.

Organize the mess.

Get on the plane.

Keep the promise.

Take the walk.

Alter your point-of-view.

Change the rules.

Say “yes.”

Say “no.”

Ask for the date.

Flip the switch.

Push the crib to the center of the room.

“Change before you have to.”

Anita Alvare (bio)/Alvare Associates/610-520-6140

Business, Change