Change Is Opportunity

Over the years, we have seen fame wane, or pure intelligence fail our leaders, as they were ill equipped to see their ideas put into practice.  Now, adaptability – the ability to not only embrace but to use change to enhance your and your organization’s trajectory – is the desired trait for the modern leader.  Great leaders love change, see it as an opportunity, and realize the potential for growth.

Love Change

The adage thrown around corporate board and lunchrooms is that “no one likes change.”  I disagree with that.  Great leaders LOVE change.  The masses may not like change; they may like to keep the status quo.  But real leaders love change.  They thrive on the possibilities that change brings.  They fully realize that many will see change as a negative disruption for their daily lives and it is a leader’s responsibility to help them through that disruption.  Our routines are like comfort food, and our great leaders know this – can truly empathize with it.  They also understand that major changes occur and cause us to re-evaluate our roles, our organizations, and ourselves.  A great leader will be mindful that change can be uncomfortable, and will help their peers and teams see what the future can hold for them.  More importantly, they will take the lead on how to get there and will help their folks get to that “new reality.”

Change Is Opportunity

Great organizations always had leaders who embraced change and look for the opportunity in the chaos.  While at eBay, there was a constant state of flux, and then CEO Meg Whitman rotated her leaders around the organization to build bench strength.  The CFO today might be the CMO tomorrow. But, when she stepped down, the organization was nonplussed and new leadership stepped in – just as she had designed it.  Change brings new responsibilities and new opportunities to leaders who are willing to embrace it, not shy from it.

Change Brings Change

We changed and adapted along the way – change in schooling, geography, organization, responsibility, personal, etc.  Every great leap forward in your career has been brought about by change.  There are obvious limits to the pace of change that is good for your career.  Constant, unending change is detrimental.  But, a change – even a jarring one – can force you to step out of your comfort zone and help you realize new skills within yourself.

Many people and organizations around you will deride change. Customers may see change as destabilizing.  However, our world is getting smaller and smaller, and we are more interdependent on market forces we sometimes cannot see.  Change comes at a now alarming rate.

As leaders it is our job to help the market view change through our eyes, help our customers see change to their benefit, and help our people see change as a way to enhance their growth and development.