Change before you have to (or before it becomes too late)

All through my life, I knew what was right but I could not engage in it. All through my life, I knew what was wrong, but I could not abstain from it.” - King Duryodhan on his deathbed, in the great Indian epic Mahabharata (3102 BC)

Story Line:

This two-part series about change covers the beliefs and forces that cause people to resist change in Part 1 (today).  Part 2 (next week) covers the key things that are needed to bring about positive changes.

What are some of the things that hinder or prevent positive change?

1. My way is the only way and others can take the highway. King Duryodhan, the most powerful and intelligent man of his era, knew that failure to change his behaviors and techniques could lead to his downfall and the demise of his empire. However, his blind ambition (with added ego) prevented him from changing his behaviors to what he knew was right.  

2. You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was aka “The Way We Were Syndrome” i.e., resting on past glories of their culture, family and company history. What matters is what you do NOW. Past is history, tomorrow is mystery, TODAY is REALITY.

3. As long as the others change it will be good i.e., Expecting others to change while refusing to change our own behavior. Change begins with you and it does not begin until you do. The best way to inspire people to change is by our actions and results.

4. Your successful path will block your vision to the future i.e., clinging to the practices that have made us successful and not recognizing the environmental forces dictating fundamental changes. In my early career, the largest customer companies I dealt with were CDC, Sperry, Burroughs, Digital and IBM. Failure to recognize or act upon market changes related to the PC revolution resulted in the demise of all but IBM, who eventually went through fundamental changes in the 1990s and is now thriving.

5. Old habits die hard or you die with them. Dennis Waitley, in "Psychology of Winning", narrates a story about a tribe in one country. Research showed that high premature death rate in that tribe was due to the disease created by some kind of insects in the area where they lived. But they refused to move to better place offered by the government and continued dying.  There are many similar examples all around us.

6. Failure to recognize the "Web of Life". All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.  These words represent the wisdom of the ages from every culture: “As we sow, so shall we reap.”  Just look at the root causes of the recent global economic collapse, wars, natural disasters, spread of diseases, crimes and all kinds of excursions.

7. Those who never learn from history are forever condemned to repeat it.  No further words needed for this, just reread the Point To Ponder above from 3100 BC.

Reflection: There is an age old saying “Only thing constant in life is change.” Then by resisting change, one is going against the very process that keeps them alive (Life).

Next Week: Change or Die. How to make old habits die and change (for better).

Comments

[Nathan]

Good one. Implicit is the "instant gratification" malaise, where various tricks are used to continually control short-term results at the expense of the underlying structure, which decays and dies.

This is the root cause that has brought down many empires, companies and people.

[Winston]

You told us in OBT class (two times I attended) about the advice you got from Robert Noyce " If one wants to be success in this industry, be ready to change document before it is dry." These thoughts are on same thinking. THX Winston

[Jasmine Perez]

Failure to change is Failure to experience your destiny. Right? (:-

[Wiseman from far East]

Let me give you one simple secret about change. If everyone change as they should or as prescribed by Change Agents, then there would be no Fun, no Efficiency improvement, No Six Sigma, No TQM, No LEAN. do you want me to go on? Realize the consequences? Don't need too many people, no consultants, no motivational speeches, no Friday Reflections (and you are out of business my Buddy) Because things will be as they should be. Current unemployment problem will sky rocket.
Resistance needs more forces to break, more people, more resources more jobs, economy boom.
just to give you some OBT perspective and sanity. (and save your job)

[Ken]

Change is inevitable, except from vending machines in my canteen.

[Robin]

Not all changes are Good. We must differentiate.