Yes, I said it: change is the new black. It’s a cliché, certainly.
But the rate – and impact – of change is not stopping. If you want a different cliché, I could say it’s the “new normal.”
CEOs of major corporations, according to a recent study from consulting firm Alix Partners, are worried. They’re worried that they don’t have the resources, the skill, or even the knowledge of what, out of all the myriad choices, they should focus on.
My immediate thought on seeing this was: if CEOs of big companies (there was no mention in the website of the survey methodology, though the full 81-page report does include some notes) – anyway, if CEOs of big companies are this concerned, then leaders within small and medium-sized companies must really be concerned.
Because while smaller companies can be (but aren’t necessarily) more nimble in responding to change and disruption, they also have fewer resources. And when you’re small or mid-sized, the impact of each person in the company has an outsized effect on the company as a whole.
Which means that resistance to change, or a lack of understanding of how change works and the best ways to navigate the uncertainty, becomes an outsized problem for those smaller organizations.
We would all like for things to just calm TF down for at least a little while. But that’s just not going to happen.
Next best: learn how to face change and disruption from a people-oriented perspective, as well as a task-and-milestones perspective.
Both are important for success; neither is sufficient on its own.
One of the key variables in any change, whether it comes internally or is imposed externally, is people, and their unpredictable reactions to what’s happening. If you’d like to learn more about how to manage the people aspect of change – on which your success absolutely depends – drop me a note through my contact form and we’ll set a time to talk about it.