Change From The Inside Out
Is change coming at you from the outside in, or the inside out? My experience working with top leaders from business, government and education on five continents is that the majority of change comes to us from the outside in. For example, when a new law is passed, we have to make changes in order to comply with the new law. When a new competitor comes into town offering lower prices, we must change some aspect of how we do business. When a new technology comes out that changes customer behavior, executives inform the IT department that they must get the new stuff, and change accelerates faster. When the boss changes corporate strategy, employees scramble.
The Personal Side Of Outside In
Change from the outside in can affect our personal lives as well. For example, when gas prices go up, we are forced to change our spending and/or driving habits. If you, or your spouse, are laid-off, our daily focus shifts to finding work. When the stock market goes down people often sell, and when it goes up, they buy.
Crisis Management
Whenever change comes from the outside in, we are forced to react. In other words, we are forced into putting out fires and managing the latest crisis.
This is such a common problem that most of the recent books on business strategy say that agility is the key to a successful future. In other words, react fast!
Reacting fast to external change is good, but using agility, as your main strategy, tends to keep you locked in a crisis management mode. When you spend most of your time putting out fires, day after day, month after month, year after year, the future tends to unfold in an uncontrollable, and often less desirable way.
Gaining Control of Your Future
The only way to positively influence your future is to drive some of the change from the inside out. This is true for both organizations and individuals.
It is essential to spend at least a small portion of time thinking about your future in an opportunity mode. To do this you have to realize that there will always be fires to put out, but putting out fires will not move you forward in a well thought out way. Try spending one hour a week unplugging from the present crisis and plugging into future opportunity. Instead of being blocked by all the things you are uncertain about, ask yourself: What am I certain about? What do I know will happen in the next two or three years? What problems will I be facing? What problems will my company be facing? What problems will our customers be facing? What problems will my kids be facing?
Then, spend some of your opportunity time solving problems before they happen.
Another good question to ask is: What is my ideal future? What are some of the steps I could take to shape that future now?
Tomorrow, there will be more fires to put out. Put the opportunity hour into your calendar now. If you don’t the future you end up with might not be one you would have wanted.
Daniel Burrus, one of the world's leading technology forecasters, business strategists, and author of six books
Copyright 2006 Author retains copyright. All Rights Reserved.
