Change Is Not a 4 Letter Word

Businesses and industries do not change unless a significant force presents itself.  There are significant forces at play now, like an economic downturn.  Maintaining the status quo presents significant risks.  There is no longer validity in saying "If it aint broke, don't fix it."

Surviving in these turbulent times means one may need to either do things differently or do different things.  It is not necessary to try harder doing the same things.  Instead, don't conform, but challenge everything in your routine and change the way you think. 

"We have always done it this way" must be replaced by "How can we do it better?" 

To succeed in today's environment, you need to constantly improve and reinvent yourself and the way you do business. 

We need to change.  Uh oh, "But change is hard" you say.  Resistance to change is common.  Here are some issues to address to successfully implement the changes you want in your organization:

DEALING WITH CHANGE 

To successfully implement change, several issues must be addressed: 

•  The organizational vision must be compelling enough to generate the excitement needed to get people through the chaos of change.
•  The formal structures must support the behaviors you are looking to develop and extinguish the behaviors that no longer serve the organization. Policies and data must be clearly understood and available (two-way communication).
•  Your behavior and the behavior of all management must match the words. Learning new skills and improving existing skills must be encouraged.
•  Employees must understand and really want to make the change. You must really want to make the change.
•  Recognition and appraisals must be frequent, supportive and consistent with the values and vision of the organization.
•  Communication strategies and programs must be developed and implemented in all areas. Regular updates on progress and milestones must be provided.

 At the core of succeeding in today's environment is the ability to constantly improve and reinvent the way we do business.  The key to working smarter is knowing the difference between motion and direction and the difference between activity and focused action. 

Remember that Direction= Goals, and Focused Action= Results.  Take focused action every day towards the goals that you have and you will get the results that you want.