In these posts, I have often highlighted a book I’ve read on the subject of leadership and this week will be no exception. A few years back, actually 20, I came across a book that resonated with me then and still does to this day. It’s about a subject which all of us, on some level, must deal with, even though it can strike fear and trembling into the hearts and minds of all leaders and followers alike. It is the subject of change, and the book is, If it ain’t broke…BREAK IT! by Robert Kriegel. Change is a topic that some will say they love, but they may be just kidding themselves, and others say they hate and avoid it on all counts, only to be left behind while the world changes around them. Virtually all of us have to deal with change on some level, and to the extent we are able to navigate through the treacherous waters of change will determine our success, failure, or stagnation in both our personal and professional lives, especially as a leader of people, and even more so for me, as a leader of volunteers.
People like security and the feeling that they know what to expect. Ambiguity is a difficult thing to deal with for most people. But we live in a world that does not stand still. Things change. As hard as it is to embrace it, learning how to gracefully make even the most modest of adjustments is critical for us as leaders. Kriegel states what we already know, “The time to change is when you don’t have to; when you’re on the crest of the wave, not when you’re in the trough.” This is so very true. Regardless of how comfortable we may be with things staying as they are, we must be willing to be proactive and lead people to places they’ve never been, and ride waves they never thought they could ride. We must grab our surfboard before the waves it the beach and run toward the water. In other words, SURF’S UP!
I wish I could say that I have always responded to impending change in this way. I wish I could say with confidence that I’ve always been an advocate of change. But I can’t. Like most, sometimes when the waters of change have started to swirl, I’ve looked away trying to ignore them, or worse, I’ve tried to deny that change, even slightly was necessary. Sometimes I’ve been change’s advocate, but not always. That is why this book has helped me. It reminds me that we live in a world that is constantly in motion. Everything around us is either in the process of growing, or in the process of dying. Nothing stays the same. And yes, there are volumes that can be spoken about the pitfalls of making changes too quickly, and how to make changes in a way that benefits and does not alienate the people you lead, but that’s not the point of this post. This point is that we must continually be aware that we are to be in motion and not standing still. If we want to lead our teams, and ourselves, to new heights, change must happen, before the opportunities pass by. Kriegel puts it this way, “There is nothing quite as lethal as doing nothing.”
So put aside your fear and start looking for the changes you need to make to move from where you are to where you want to be, knowing that the people you lead will be better off for it. Go catch a wave.
Lead well.