Why Wait to Make Change? Six Ways You Can Start Today

Looking ahead and planning a change at some distant date?

And so, you're considering what that first future step should be.

Why wait?

There are small, engaging ways you can start today to prepare for, and begin to make those changes so they can be made in an easy, effective, sustainable way.

Even, well, especially in small, non-threatening ways.

Let's step back for a second.

We've all been through attempts to make significant change which didn't work out well.

And we each probably have experiences of failed change that occurred in both our professional and our private lives.

Here are two of the biggest problems with change that doesn't work:

1. A vision that falls flat

Perhaps there's an organization you worked for that had a well-articulated vision, but it didn't work. The vision was probably polished, presentable, perfectly wordsmithed. What's more, it was probably beautifully framed and prominently mounted on the wall, so that you could walk by it every day.

And you were required to work toward that vision. But...and this is where the problem is...if the vision didn't work, it was probably because it was...perfectly uninspiring.

It didn't bubble up from the passions and deeply held shared purpose in the organization (you have some shared purpose, whether you realize it or not. It may not have been clearly or explicitly articulated, but it's there. It's what drew you to the organization, and it's what keeps you all there).

2. A past that has an iron grip on you

When the past has too strong a grasp on us and our organizations, it can choke or chain us to stories, histories, dreams, and expectations from which we cannot break.

And this can extend far beyond the time when all the signs are telling us that it's foolish...that there is change that absolutely, positively must be made.
For example, some groups bound by history seem to say, "Who are we, and what binds us if we do not have the shared struggle to define us?" Sometimes the only way to change is in extreme, dramatic or elaborate ways. At other times, a far better way is to work on creating small and positive experiences of the future, bit by bit, step by step.

This can gradually and quite naturally create a very strong base for sustainable change.

Knowing, then, that a vision that falls flat, and a past that won't let you out of its thorny grasp are two major problems with change, what are some actions you can take starting - even - today?

Here are three ways to begin creating a vision that inspires you:

For now, brainstorm answers to the following questions, on your own, or as part of a group. Keep the exercise light, not "heavy." Your answers will be more honest, heartfelt, and true to you and your organization, if you do.

1. What are you excited about in the future?

2. What must your vision include for it to inspire you?

3. What do you hope to keep as you move into, and help create, a different and, hopefully, better future?

Here are three ways to start letting go of the past:

Think about the identity that defines your organization.

Brainstorm answers to the following questions. Again, keep it a light, not a "heavy" exercise:

1. How is your current identity positive, enlivening, energizing?

2. How is your current identity restrictive, prohibitive or confining?

3. What is an identity that's far more positive and inspiring than the one you now have?

Write down, and set aside your answers for a few days. Then check in to see what other ideas these exercises have provided.

You may find that the experience of beginning to create the future...step by step...even as a positive expectation, pulls you forward more than would ever have guessed.

Change - Methodical Or Chaotic - Your Choice!

There is a big, expensive change being instituted in the way commercial airplanes descend from their cruising altitude in preparation for landing. For many years air traffic controllers have instructed pilots to descend in stair-step altitude changes which required the pilots to decrease power to the engines and then, once at the lower altitude, increase power to maintain the new altitude. Then they go through the same procedure over and over until touchdown.

The new system allows the pilots to throttle back to idle and literally glide down to touchdown without all the increasing and decreasing of throttle settings. This makes for a smoother descent for passengers and significant fuel savings for the airlines. But this multi-year process has resulted in a large investment in air traffic software, the writing and publication of new manuals and checklists, and many, many hours of pilot training in simulators.

Imagine the complexity of implementing this change. One day the airline system lands planes one way, the next day there is a whole different system in place. Imagine instituting a change such as this into your business. How do you do it without confusion and chaos?

Well, I'd love to say that it is easy, but it isn't. Making changes of this magnitude requires planning, timelines, and mid-course corrections, then stringent, constant attention to detail checking and double-checking, and that is just the front-end of the project. Imagine the problems and expense of scheduling thousands of pilots and controllers into a relatively small number of simulators for training. And yet they are able to pull it off.

So, when a small business institutes a relatively modest change, often chaos ensues. Why?

Most of the time it is because little planning, forethought, or communication has gone into the process of change so it seems arbitrary and incomplete. People affected need to be informed of the reasons for the change and taught the new procedures to get buy-in if the project is to move ahead in a methodical manner. Then, like the airlines, changes that makes improvements can be instituted with a minimum of confusion and chaos. Methodical or chaotic... it is your choice.