Change (2)
I put in my last posting that there were three very good reasons for change – (1) age – I have a sense of urgency because I’m not a young man anymore; (2) stagnation – when things settle down to the point that the path is predictable (up, flat, or down), then change is good just to change the predictable path and outcome; (3) rejuvenation – change brings excitement, and excitement brings rejuvenation.
I’d like to add three more very good reasons for change now that I’ve had time to think about this at altitude and in a much more serene environment:
(4) Talent Optimization. Over any period of time in an organization, teams change, responsibilities change, personalities change, and demands on individuals and stress on the organization can change. When that occurs, it’s often times best to change roles and responsibilities just to optimize your talent, allowing those better capable or better motivated to do any particular task to go and do that particular task. If folks show a particular passion for solving specific problems in an organization, maybe we ought to change in that fashion and let them go pursue.
(5) Maximizing Strength. As the markets change and as the performance within any portfolio adjusts, rapidly adapting to the various indicators and nimbly redirecting great people against those rapidly emerging opportunities can maximize an organization’s strength against any high growth possibilities. It’s so hard to do, but maybe the right thing is to greatly reduce the oversight of the poorest performing segments or companies to redirect that focus on the higher growth, higher potential and higher value contribution members of the portfolio.
(6) Ego Check. Not all change needs to be upward or onward…some change should be downward and lateral in an organization. Many times change can be a great ego check as folks have to dig deep inside to focus on what’s best for the organization rather than what’s best for that individual and any particular time. Change creates uncertainty. Change creates anxiety. Change tests confidence. Thus change is good.
I’m a big believer that comfort is a big enemy of success.  Once we get comfortable, we get complacent. Once we get complacent, we risk being happy with the performance of today. That’s not good enough. Regardless of how great we’re doing, we should yearn to do better or to do more and we should yearn to change where needed to optimize the path and maximize the growth. We need that sense of urgency and we need to embrace change as a tool to accelerate success.