What’s Scarier...Change Or Extinction?
Think back five years, recall what you were doing and how. Startling
isn’t it? Did you ever envision that your job (and maybe your
lifestyle) today would be so different?
And five years from now you can bet your situation will be different
too, because we’re entering a period of permanent white water
rapids, where challenges and opportunities will change — almost
daily! In today’s diverse and impartial marketplace it’s impossible
to fully anticipate and predict the nature and direction of change.
But adapting ensures survival.
Progress is the unintended result of dynamic processes. The only
certainty is that progress will occur; so we must expect it and
position ourselves to take it on. Thus, random planning is required.
We make decisions based on facts available today...informed hunches.
But facts and information change. What we find out tomorrow may
prompt us to alter our course of action.
Flexibility is what makes random planning possible. And our style of
approach is crucial. We need the beginner’s naiveté — the ability to
see many possibilities — coupled with the seasoned expert’s wise
insights. Education prepares us for change. It introduces us to new
concepts, new ways of looking at what we do. Education is
empowerment. Learning happens formally and informally: in the
classroom, and as a by-product of what we do and who we encounter
day to day.
Peak-performing groups combine and balance random planning,
flexibility, and education. They capitalize on the skills and
talents of each member, while working together to accomplish the
mutual goal. Mentoring — not control — is crucial. With control,
nothing new ever happens. Whereas with mentoring, groups set their
sights on new possibilities, new ways of approaching an opportunity.
Peak-performing teams work together — linked to one another with a
common goal. Everyone assumes the responsibility to perform to the
best of their ability, and everyone is accountable for the ultimate
success of the team.