The Challenge Of Change

THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE

by Mike Manes

'There is no more delicate a matter to take in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, nor more doubtful to success, than to step up as a leader in the introduction of changes. For he who innovates will have for his enemies all those well off under the existing order of things, and only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new.'

Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli was right. Individuals and organizations will rarely, if ever, change voluntarily. The only time we embrace change is when the pain (threat/risk) of the status quo is either so severe that remaining in our comfort zone becomes intolerable, or the potential gain from venturing into something new is so considerable that maintaining the status quo is foolish.

I’ve recently observed several attempts at innovation or change. One company was capitalizing on its unique position in its marketplace. Another was involved in a joint venture with a compatible industry leader that would’ve provided both with a tremendous head start in an evolving market niche. Still another was a strategic alliance of similar operations that were culturally different, yet nearly perfect in the complementary and supplementary nature of their organizations.

In each of these situations, objective observers agreed that new ventures created substantial opportunities for the participants. Everyone on the outside could clearly see the wisdom in moving forward. But none succeeded.

Analysis of these failed attempts indicates that the problem wasn’t in the opportunity, planning, positioning, or the competitors. External forces didn’t kill these efforts. All were sabotaged from within. The people involved were so comfortable with their present situations that they had no intention of helping their organizations evolve away from their comfort zones.

Here’s the reality: Today’s world requires change. Failure to move or change is terminal. The challenge for leaders is to either enlarge their employees’ comfort zones or motivate them to leave them.

The good news is that once failure to change becomes life threatening people are willing to attempt something different. The bad news is that waiting too long sometimes creates an insurmountable challenge that leads to death.

Here are two stories about people’s willingness to accept risk when things get bad enough:

• Mr. Ledbetter followed a huge coon up a tree. When the coon attacked, Ledbetter yelled for his partner to shoot it. The friend said he wouldn’t for fear of hitting Mr. Ledbetter. Ledbetter responded, 'Shoot up here amongst us, ‘cause one of us needs relief!'

• In a far more serious situation, an Army officer called in a napalm attack on himself and his own unit because the Viet Cong had surrounded them. To quote Mr. Ledbetter, 'they needed relief.'

In both cases, there were no safe options. It was time to risk death in order to secure life.

Before taking such desperate action, you can believe that Mr. Ledbetter and the Army officer carefully considered their current realities, available options, and the risks of inaction. Both decided to take action regardless of the danger involved.

Will failure to change threaten your future? Will the members of your team voluntarily move into the future? Should you consider a preemptive strike? As you prepare your organization for tomorrow you need to decide if change is inevitable.

As Pogo said, 'We have met the enemy, and it is us!'