We have four options we can choose from in handling change. First, we can resist change and struggle to cope with the situation. Second, we could decide that we’ll merely comply with what’s happening, passively accepting change but failing to offer meaningful support. A third option is to capitalize on change when it comes our way, trying to capture potential benefits it brings. Finally, we might create change on purpose, using it as our tool of choice to favorably shape our future.
Level 1: Cope
People operating at the first level of change display a “victim mentality.” They often act helpless and dependent, wasting emotional energy on resistance, anger, blamefulness, or fear. Their focus is on problems instead of solutions. They talk about how hard things are and why they can’t make it work. Since people in the coping mode tend to focus on the negatives and disengage, productivity drops. The organization loses momentum. Energy and attention get diverted away from business and toward “me issues”—that is, toward concerns about how one might be affected personally by the changes. Instead of aligning with change and making a positive contribution, people at Level 1 try to protect the status quo. This damages both personal and organizational effectiveness.
Level 2: Comply
People at the second level of change exhibit an “adjustment mentality.” They may not like what’s going on, yet they spend some energy accommodating the change. They’re only accepting the inevitable, but at least this makes them less of a drag on the organization. The main problem, of course, is that in merely complying they do little to help drive the change. Level 2 people resign themselves to the situation and try to adapt, but beyond that they contribute nothing to making change succeed.
Level 3: Capitalize
People at the third level of change have an “opportunity mentality.” Here the mindset is to capitalize on change. Level 3 performers try to make the best of the situation and find the benefits. Change is actively embraced and people accept personal responsibility. Nevertheless, Level 3 remains a reactive mode. At least these people are looking for the bright side of things, though, with the idea that the cloud of change may have a silver lining. The capitalizers align quickly and readily contribute to the change effort.
Level 4: Create
Level 4 performers are proactive, not reactive. They create change—on purpose—preemptively causing it to happen rather than waiting until it’s forced upon them. In these people we see a “possibilities mentality.” They initiate change, using it as a tool to fix problems, pursue opportunities, and be the architect of their future. People at Level 4 don’t look at change as a problem, but as a solution. This mindset fires up imagination, resourcefulness, and experimentation. The fourth level of change reflects a spirit of curiosity and openness to learning. People deliberately set forth to do things differently—to innovate—because they believe creating change will give them an edge.
Position yourself here, because Level 4 is the success zone.
The kind of growth we’re looking for here often comes from stopping more than speeding up. You can only accelerate your learning and development so much by simply doing the same old things faster. Sooner or later you must start doing different things.
Quitting plays a key role in the process of rapid growth. You’ll need to break some familiar rhythms, actually unlearn things and find more effective performance strategies.
What this comes down to is destabilizing yourself, and...
Our current work habits produce weaker results as circumstances change. The more rapid the change, and the more radical the shift, the sooner our usual approaches lose their punch.
So we have to choose between two risks. First, we can gamble on our old habits, and watch our career skills gradually grow obsolete. Or we can accept the risks of the pioneer. The inventor. The explorer. The greater safety lies in choosing this second risk, even though it feels more chancy than the...
People are the crown jewels of the company…the cornerstone for your success…the make-or-break factor in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace. For you personally to be a high performer, and for the company to excel at wealth creation, you need a bank full of human capital.
Your job is to help accumulate it. So develop your skill as a talent scout—become an energetic recruiter—and help build an organization of high performers.
Recruitment must become a part of your everyday...
For most organizations, inventiveness is an acquired taste. Innovation is a cultural attribute they have to cultivate. But if we’re not aggressively managing toward innovation, we’re managing the organization toward extinction. Our days are numbered. The mortality tables look bleak for companies that score low on creativity.
“The problem is never how to get new innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out.” —Dee...
Use a double-barreled approach to innovate toward “faster-better-cheaper.”
On one hand, carefully prepare. On the other, be willing to improvise.
In your own pursuit of spectacular results, start out by doing some “deep planning.” Anticipate as best you can. Consider different scenarios, and run your calculations. Make your very best guess about how the situation will unfold. But then be willing to bob and weave.
When your plan has a hole in it or fizzles out on...
Constraints force you out of standard operating procedure. They call forth cleverness, push you toward simplicity, and give rise to elegant solutions. Demanding conditions also influence you to focus your efforts on what’s most important.
Don’t resist, give up, or argue for an easier set of conditions. Accept the challenge and go with the constraints.
When you’re feeling cornered by tough, seemingly unrealistic circumstances, maybe the situation is pressuring you toward a...
We’re all creatures of habit. Sure, we like the idea of making big improvements, but none of us really likes change. So we plow on, mindlessly doing the same old things in the same old way. It comes natural. Trouble is, our routines close our minds and lives to the breakthroughs that we say we want.
Of course, some of our habits are valuable. Familiar routines can be efficient and economical, freeing us from having to think. So if we get into the habit, for example, of daily exercise...
We have four options we can choose from in handling change. First, we can resist change and struggle to cope with the situation. Second, we could decide that we’ll merely comply with what’s happening, passively accepting change but failing to offer meaningful support. A third option is to capitalize on change when it comes our way, trying to capture potential benefits it brings. Finally, we might create change on purpose, using it as our tool of choice to favorably shape our future.
...