Everyone understands the world is going through a period of change. The changes are profound and fundamental. They are also irreversible. The economic downturn has been a catalyst – the straw that broke the back of doing things the way they have always been done, but the writing has been on the wall for ages. People’s access to knowledge and increasing comfort with online technology has combined with dissatisfaction with their lot, their choices and their leaders. People are questioning more, contributing opinion more and creating powerful movements for change themselves rather than waiting for leaders to create change for them. They are now increasingly impervious to traditional communications, marketing and spin.
Some managers and marketers view the changes as things to be suffered or tolerated where survival is the priority, where shrinking or adapting accepted practices is the only option. Others see opportunity and need to change but are unable to do so because the accepted status quo creates insurmountable barriers. A few see opportunity to change themselves and their organisations, to address new challenges in new ways and are finding ways to achieve this.
Have a guess who the winners will be?
Where are your leaders?
Organisations need to change in order to be successful in the brave new world. Leaders create change – they are the mavericks, the purveyors of uncomfortable truths. They have the passion and conviction to drive change and to bring others along with them. Leaders invite opinion and ideas because they recognize that they can’t do it by themselves.
Many organizations are populated by managers rather than leaders. Managers maintain the accepted practices and processes. They keep the machinery well oiled. They may question whether the machinery is still relevant. They may question whether the organization needs the machinery at all any more. But many are not encouraged to voice change related opinions or believe that to do so would upset the accepted way of doing things. So they carry on managing rather than leading.
So in many organizations today there is a gap between the need to create change in order to engage with staff, customers and other stakeholders and the capability to do so. Which is a shame because we think that creating change, although demanding, is ultimately much more beneficial, rewarding, exciting and fun than just struggling through.
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