So many people are afraid of change. It is most likely the fear of the unknown, driving uncertainty and concern for some of these people. For others, it could be the desire to operate in a very structured, routine environment that is black and white. Unfortunately, for some of these people, there are infinite shades of grey that disrupt people, processes, and tools in many businesses and industries. For me, I love to drive change. Given the opportunity to drive change and make a continuous improvement that elevates either the customer or employee experience, I’m all in, ready to go.
Why Do I Love To Drive Change And Continuous Improvement?
I guess one of the primary reasons I love change is because I hate the phrase: “That’s how we have always done it” with a passion. There are always new ways of thinking or getting work accomplished. The result may be the same, but with innovative thinking and stronger processes, being more efficient or productive in getting there can be significant time savings. I also lack patience sometimes, so I am always on the lookout for ways to experiment and be curious about getting better, as an individual leader and as a team.
Competitive Forces
It is a competitive market out there. The larger the organization, the more of a target it becomes for others looking to emulate and get their piece of the pie. The more successful you are personally, the more that others envy you as well. Everyone wants to eat your lunch, so you need to take steps to ensure that doesn’t happen. To stay ahead of the competition, organizations need to focus on moving to become even more proactive, planning, and strategizing several steps ahead, than ever before. Knowing which products, people, processes, or tools you’ll need down the road is a must as part of taking your management skills to the next level too.
Avoid Chaos
You don’t want change for the sake of change, as that’s chaos. New initiatives or projects should be well thought out and planned. If you find an opportunity for improvement, try something. If it doesn’t work out, that’s great, as you have learned something, though, to strive for next time.
The Goal
Put your pedal to the metal and drive change. If you want to be innovative, try this advice that a former leader once said to me: “Work to eliminate your role and team.” I am not saying make yourself and others unemployed, though. I mean change and improve you and your team’s productivity and efficiency to allow for more value-added tasks to be taken on. Who knows, maybe even some of the new, innovative ideas thought of will help to create new roles, opportunities, or teams within your business. Don’t be afraid to fail and embrace change.
