Driving change, no speeding!
I was growling, out loud, at myself today as I drove to work. You see, I made a written and verbal commitment for personal change a couple of weeks ago and this commitment really stood in the way of me speeding down the road.
I attended a training session on driving organizational change; my first formal step in becoming a catalyst for change in my organization… and others. According to Princeton, the non-chemistry definition for catalyst is: something that causes an important event to happen. I guess that is me.
I received confirmation on some knowledge I already possessed:
1) New information doesn’t always change peoples’ behavior.
2) People drive change, not organizations – but the people within them.
3) Verbalizing commitments to an audience is the best way to ensure they happen.
I was reminded that before we (the catalysts) can effectively initiate change in our organizations we need to “flex the muscle” we use to change ourselves. We need to learn how to place ourselves into uncomfortable situations which drive change. It’s not fun and it isn’t easy.
You can’t just wake up in the morning and say “Let’s change!” Well, I guess you can, but it is not a very good idea. You should understand your (or your organization’s) current view, why it exists and what “new view” you want to work towards. Also, why change? What is your motivation?
Once your view has been identified and analyzed, it is time to move forward. There are a lot of details in between deciding to change and making your formal commitment. I formally moved through most of them yesterday, and I was mentally exhausted at the end of the day. Again, change isn’t easy.
Yesterday, when it was time to make formal written and verbal commitments, I was stoked! I wrestled with some uncomfortable views and decided on a change I could make which would impact my gas consumption and CO2 output. I made a commitment to drive the speed limit! The first result of my commitment was my challenge this morning during my commute to work… one day down, many future commutes to tackle!
Change isn’t easy and it’s frequently uncomfortable, but it is the one constant in this world.
Are you ready to drive change? The SBDC for Enterprise Excellence can help you “flex your muscles” and make it happen.
