Engine For Change

The true journey of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Unknown

Ideas are not the hard part. The most valuable people in any organization are the people who lead change.” – Kevin Gerald

How are you valuing the people who are leading change in your organization?

You don’t have to be the CEO, the Board President or even a supervisor to show someone they have value in your organization.

What about a thank you?

What about telling the change leader how much the change means to you?

Even better: What about helping them lead change?

[Thanks to Dwight Otis for liking Mr. Gerald's page.  Without your "like" I never would have found the quote.  This "quote of the week" stuff is easy with good friends like you.]

Too many managers want to learn “how” in terms of detailed practices and behaviors and techniques, rather than “why” in terms of philosophy and general guidance for action.” – Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I Sutton in The Knowing Doing Gap, 2000

Managing by a set of hows is like trying to drive using snap shots of another windshield taken by someone else weeks ago.  Your success depends on how closely those old snapshots represent the current reality.

Managing by why is about seeing the road ahead with your own eyes, yet carrying with you all those who have driven this way before.  Why allows for subtle or significant changes and adapts, then adapts again, and adapts again.

I strive to give you more why than how at this blog.  Feel free to challenge me on it if I don’t achieve my goal.

Let’s have a great week driving change!

To be somebody or to do something.  In life there is often a roll call.  That’s when you have to make a decision.  To be or to do?” – Colonel John Boyd, U.S. Air Force

I choose to do.

What will you choose?

The extended Boyd quote, excerpted from a Secretary Robert Gate’s speech reads,

You’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.  If you go one way, you can be somebody.  You’ll have to make compromises and you’ll have to turn your back on your friends.  But you’ll be a member of the club and you will get promoted and get good assignments.  Or you can go the other way and you can do something – something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself . . . If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get good assignments and you certainly won’t be a favorite of your superiors.  But you won’t have to compromise yourself . . . To be somebody or to do something.  In life there is often a roll call.  That’s when you have to make a decision.  To be or to do?”

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

What will you do this week to drive change and make a new ending for some change that truly matters to you?

It is my month after all.

Happy April Fools’ Day everyone.

Enjoy the joke and beware the April!

He who is afraid to ask is ashamed of learning.” – Danish proverb

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be ashamed.

Those are two feelings that start from within.  That means you can choose to overcome them or leave yourself imprisoned by them.  Why would you choose a self-made prison?

Set yourself free.  Ask questions.  Learn. Drive change.

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” ~ General Colin Powell

The General’s quote is a reminder to the leader, but advice should those of us followers follow?

How about this: Don’t just offer problems. Offer solutions.  Leaders love a problem packaged with the way to fix it.  Plus, offer a solution and you’re more likely to be allowed to lead the whole group forward through solving it.  And, that’s a great opportunity to practice driving change.

Why not try?

This too shall pass.” – Ancient Proverb

Stick with it.

Your change is worth it.

Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources.  Stating the thing broadly, the human individual thus lives far within his limits.  He possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use.” – William James, as quoted in How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, 1936

Here’s to striving to live outside my limits this week.  Who wants to join me?

You can do it.

I know it.

You know it.

Why not try?