BE AWARE OF CHANGE

This past week I travelled a bit to some places in the southern part of India and was amazed at so many things that I saw. One of them was the vision that people, almost 170 years ago, had for education and social change and followed through with it. I walked into these institutions and looked at some of the pictures that were available, heard people talk about the history of the organizations.

Two things caught my attention:

1. Some of these organizations had continued to be relevant and even today were thriving hubs for education.
2. Then I saw others that had stopped and were now only talking about the history of what had been done. They were in a maintenance mode – there were still pictures, people talking about it, still running it at a very skeletal level. But there was no future, no energy in them today.

As I reflected on that, I thought that the key was that some of the organizations had the vision to be able to change and adapt and continue to be relevant while some didn’t have it. I would be the first to admit that sometimes a vision for a particular organization ends and then the company just has to wind up or that education institution stops. The difference was in being able to handle change; this helped one see whether you could go on into the future or you would be a relic of the past.

I came away thinking about us and the work that we do, the companies that we are involved in or provide leadership in. How do we handle change? Are we able to see important things that are happening all around us that would necessitate change? Because if we don’t see those markers, there’s a possibility that we will miss the mark and get side-lined.

I was reading about Strategic Inflections Points and how they can be the pointers, the mile-markers for us that tell us that 10 X change is upon us. Many of you know what 10 X changes are: this is when something radical happens in a particular industry and changes the landscape completely – like Wal-Mart coming in and changing the retail industry completely. Or even the production of voice when silent movies were the only movies that were available. When voice was added, it changed the whole complexion of how movies were viewed. These were all things of yesteryear.

But it’s possible that even today, there are Strategic Inflection Points that we need to be able to note so that we are not taken by surprise when 10 X change comes upon us. I was reading about this in a book called ‘The Thing in the Bushes – Turning Organizational Blind Spots into Competitive Advantage’ by Kevin Graham Ford & James P. Osterhaus. The authors say that you need to be very, very careful as a leader, as you look at the enormous amount of external and internal changes that are taking place and be able to read the signs well so that you are not caught by surprise. They go on to give 5 or 6 points about how leaders can be aware of Strategic Inflection Points that are going on around them.

1. Be aware and be proactive. Make sure that you stay up on trends, changes and influences on your organization’s environment. Beware of becoming isolated or insulated within the ivory tower of your corner office. Make sure that you have your ear to the ground or you will miss opportunities. I heard one of these ‘knock, knock’ jokes: “Knock, knock. Who’s there? Opportunity. Can’t be. Why? Because opportunity never knocks twice.” Opportunity only knocks once – we get to see it or we miss it. A reporter once asked Wayne Gretzki, the great ice-hockey player about opportunities and why he was such a great player. He said, “I skate where the puck is going to be.” So, identify where your puck is going to be and be proactive in leading your organization there.
2. Listen to your intuition. Sometimes all you have is your gut feeling. One needs to cultivate one’s intuition. The ability to intuit is a priceless ability; so we must cultivate it.
3. Listen to organizational dissonance. In times of 10 X change, there’s often a dissonance between what an organization says and what it does. What he’s saying is that there’s a difference in the people who are running it at the top (the CEO’s, the managers, the front-liners), but the people who are actually interacting with the consumer will be thinking differently. Leadership ability to see who is right at that point can help in identifying a particular Strategic Inflection Point.
4. Pay attention to your #1 competitor. What is your competitor doing well? What are they not doing? What does your competitor see that you might be missing?
5. Listen to your staff. The people on the front lines of your organization are closest to potential Strategic Inflection Points. Encourage them to be observant, wander around, ask your employees what they see. Suggestion boxes rarely do any good. It’s good to involve the employees in your strategic planning processes.
6. As you work through changes in your organization, never lose sight of what must not change. That’s so important, that your organization’s code, mission, values, vision, they don’t change with every wind that blows. Make sure that that stays.
7. When you as a leader come into an existing situation to make changes, be careful not to condemn the past. As you begin to make the leverage to make a change, as you identify these inflection points and you’re getting ready for the 10 X change, make sure that you don’t condemn the past, that you don’t wash away the past or belittle it. Build on the past; never tear it down.

So many of us as we go through our days, we get so caught up doing what we need to do, that we forget to look at the signs that are around us. But good leaders, who provide good leadership, are ones who are able to look at the signs and interpret so that the company does well; the company gets positioned well for the future. All of you who are in leadership positions need to be able to look at what you’re doing, but also look peripherally at the things that are around. Keep your ear to the ground; listen to the things that people are saying, people on the frontlines, salespeople, engaging with customers and consumers; be able to say, “Here’s a change that’s happening. Are we in line to make that change or are we going to get caught?”

Just a word to the wise, if I may say to all of you on this call. I pray that you will be able to see these Strategic Inflection Points and be able to do what is necessary and be proactive.

God Bless You All.