I say long term change happens immediately. It is the result of choice. It is the implementation of change that takes time. So once you have identified the things you would like to see change, what can you to do have them come to pass?
Start with the choice to have an uncompromising position. Take a STAND. Oftentimes we lose our stalwart resolve to implement change the first time we are challenged or we get resistance. EXPECT IT. People won’t like your stand. You will get some flack about the change. You will be challenged. You will rethink your position and why you thought to implement this in the first place. But DON’T GIVE UP. It is natural that people have judged you or your ability based on what they have seen or presumed they have seen in the past. We all know the past is not the future OR the present. BE CLEAR about your purpose to have an organization built upon excellence but also be clear that the standard of excellence involves bringing people along with you in the process. Be tenacious in your resolve. John William Gardner said "Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Few have excellence thrust upon them. . . . They achieve it. They do not achieve it unwittingly by doing what comes naturally and they don't stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves. All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose."
So why do we fail to implement our ambitious goals, objectives and resolutions? Alas, we compromise.
We compromise our:
Fear of consequence
Fear of repercussion
Fear of retaliation
Fear of tarnished image
Fear of losing position
Fear of being seen struggling through the process
Fear of looking bad, wrong, lesser, incompetent
And trade it for:
Loss of respect
Loss of agreement
Loss of productivity
Loss of clarity
Loss of camaraderie
Loss of honest feedback
Loss of growth and character-building
Have a VISION FOR CHANGE that will call you beyond the concern you have for what may or may not even happen. I think it was Ben Franklin that said, “I worried about a great many things in my life, most of which never came true.”
Start today. Identify and then avoid the things that have stopped you in the past.
Check out the other articles in our series: