The only constant in life is change and change is an item that we have had in abundance recently. Winston Churchill notably wrote, " To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often."
Plan Ahead - Don't Shy Away From Change
The amount of changes to the office environment recently should make us about perfect. Home offices, zoom meetings, going back into the office, making a U-turn and going back to working at home and cohabitating as an office and school with your kids has brought much fluidness and chaos to the working professional. Due to this, one might shy away from making changes to any strategies within your organization and go with the status quo; however now is not the time to stay status quo.
If the past six months have taught us anything, it's that we need to live in the present, plan for the future, and adapt. Now is the time to review your strategies. Reassess what is working, what is not working, what have you learned from the past six months when working in different environments and create a plan to implement. Do this exercise whether the change is for the long-run or is only temporary for the current environment. You are probably thinking.....this will be a disaster! The good news is that it does not have to be!
In his book, " Developing the Leader Within You 2.0", John Maxwell outlines PLAN AHEAD:
- Predetermine the change that is needed
- Lay out your steps
- Adjust your priorities
- Notify key people
- Allow time for acceptance
- Head into action
- Expect problems
- Always point to the success
- Daily review your progress
As you work through PLAN AHEAD, keep in mind that setbacks will occur. However; when you run into a sticky situation, slow down , reassess, re-discuss with key people within the organization, explain to all what you are doing and why and restart. This will create a buy-in from your organization to you as a leader. When an organization has trust in the leader's vision, success will follow. Remember, the only constant in life is change.
Kendra Clark Leadership Strategies is a global agency located in Stockton, CA focusing on executive coaching and leadership, business and marketing strategy consulting with a focus on sports and entertainment, hospitality, tourism and non profit organizations. As a member of the John Maxwell Team, Kendra helps organizations and executives overcome any hurdles they may be facing through purposeful leadership and strategy. To learn more about our services, please email [email protected] or visit www.kclstrategies.com.
