Being There When It Counts with Rick Itzkowich
Business writer and author of Change or Die, Alan Deutchman, writes in his article, Three Keys to Change (you can read it here), that even in "do or die" situations, fewer than 10% of the people facing them will make the necessary changes to survive.
I've been in the personal growth industry for over 25 years. I've worked with thousands of individuals during my career. And by far, change is one of the most difficult things for people to embrace. Big or small, it doesn't matter. People in general object to change.
Because our world is rapidly changing, people's opposition to change creates problems. The speed of change has increased exponentially, and there seems to be no signs of slowing down in sight. So our capacity to change - and to do so quickly -- is of paramount importance in today's business environment.
I'm convinced that people and organizations must reinvent themselves in order to thrive, let alone survive. What this means is that EVERYTHING should be up for discussion. There are no "sacred cows." The world is a different place with different realities -- ones that didn't even exist a few years ago. Whining, litigating, fighting or ignoring these realities won't help. We need to embrace this paradigm as opposed to resisting it.
Fact: the Internet has changed the way we do business. Fact: technology is making entire industries obsolete in a matter of months. Fact: how we shop, date, communicate, interact with our kids, etc. is incredibly different today than 10 years ago.
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"
John Maynard Keynes, British Economist
The past two years have been extremely challenging for our company. We knew we were vulnerable because many of our clients were in the finance, mortgage and real estate industries. We knew we needed to change some of our practices and diversify. And yet we didn't. And so, we paid the price.
Although I must say, as a result of this, we have finally started doing things differently -- more than we ever have before. We are pursuing opportunities we have both ignored and ridiculed in the past. These circumstances of change are both very exciting and very unsettling at the same time. People who have known us over our 18 years in business are wondering if we lost our minds. And to a certain degree we have. Fact: times have changed, and we have changed our minds.
How about you? Are you embracing, fighting or ignoring change?
This month's QuoteAction is by William Arthur Ward, Author of Fountains of Faith
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."
Your action is to think of a problem or challenge you're facing. Ask yourself if you are approaching it in a pessimistic, optimistic or realistic frame of mind?
Enjoy an Extraordinary Month!
Click *here* to find out more about QuoteActions and some of the other innovative products and services offered by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER.
As the creator of the QuoteActions, a unique relationship building system, Rick Itzkowich finds his articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding keeping your brand "top of mind" in high demand. His latest eBook, Social Networking for Business Profits, uses cost-effective follow up strategies. Rick is also the Co-founder and Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure, a personal development training company for corporations and individuals. Rick can be reached at rick@productivelearning.com.
For more about Rick Itzkowich, please click here.
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