"Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win."
- Max McKeown
Surfers are trained to spot the right waves; when they see it coming, they’re ready to go; knowing what to do, they get ahead of it and wait for the right moment. They never get tired of it; in fact, their motivation is constant, and they’re constantly peering off in the distance, waiting for the next big wave to appear on the horizon.
Surfers understand the risks and the rewards; they know when the conditions are right, they can feel it in the wind, and instinctively prepare and notify like-minded people who live for that game-changing wave. The winds of societal transformation have been blowing again in recent years, and many leaders have been scanning the horizon, anticipating the wave. How about you?
John Maxwell said recently, “If I told you that the fate of the world rested on your shoulders, how would you respond? Would you take an action hero approach and confidently declare that you will handle it? Would you shrink from the responsibility and pass it on to someone else? Or would you simply shake your head, look me in the eye and say, “You’ve got the wrong person”?
The truth is, the fate of the world does rest on your shoulders. Your life is changing the world every day, whether you believe it or not. If you choose to live positive values and be a good citizen of your community, you are changing the world for the better.
If you choose to live negative values and take what you want from your community, then you are changing the world for the worse. No matter what you choose—to serve when needed, to give when asked, to ignore the pain of others, to take more than you give—every choice changes the world in some way” (1)
Changing With the Times
“You can choose to change with current trends now or forced be changed by them later.”
– JSP
Changing with the times is always wise since the shifting currents help provide momentum if your initiatives are in sync with society. Look for the open doors of opportunity that present themselves as a good fit for your organization. Keeping abreast of the rapid changes and wisely managing which to adapt to will keep your company alive and cause it to flourish.
We do have options to stay ahead of the wave.
• What changes are you required to make to keep in step with the rapid shifts in culture?
• Identify what may be holding you back from reassessing and adjusting your priorities.
• What transitions will most likely bring the required paradigm shift within those you’re leading?
The sooner you accept that change is inevitable, the sooner you can get to work securing the buy-in from your people. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world. The distance between where you stand right now and where you want to be is measured by the changes you are willing to make in your life.” Many studies have shown that most people in the workforce do not object to changes within their organizations, yet, they tend to resist having to change along with it.
There’s no shortage of innovative leaders with the desire and a vision for societal transformation. Understanding the required strategic initiatives and the proper timing to act facilitates the reformation they’ve been envisioning. Forward-thinking leaders are well aware that the changes they seek around them take place first within them.
When people reach the limits of their endures to maintain the status quo, they will summon the will to change; this alone should drive home the point that It’s never too late to start a new chapter of intentional living.
“Every successful organization has to make the transition from a world defined primarily by repetition to one primarily defined by change. This is the biggest transformation in the structure of how humans work together since the Agricultural Revolution.”
– Bill Drayton
End Notes
(1) “How You (Yes, You!) Can Change the World” https://bit.ly/3dy6i6C