5 RULES of Change

Change has happened, and change will come.

An individual or organization can change on purpose, for a purpose OR simply let the wave of change dictate an outcome.

For almost two decades, we've researched and studied how change effects highly-successful individuals and organizations, and discovered five commonalities for those who have effectively and efficiently handled it.

These 5 RULES have helped hundreds of companies and thousands of people, and will help you turn the page in order to make sure your next chapter is the best ever.

Refocus - the first key to facing change is what we call refocus. The best way to refocus is to evaluate current objectives, and establish new goals. By clearly identifying and communicating these objectives you will create a new passion and purpose for all involved.

On January 16, 1920 a major event occurred that caused 1,273 companies to suddenly change. Prohibition closed 80% of America's breweries and the 244 companies that ultimately survived mainly were able because they refocused. One in particular refocused by manufacturing malt extract, ginger ale, and even car and appliance parts. As a result, Anheuser-Busch not only survived by refocusing, but ultimately became the largest brewer in the world and sold for billions of dollars years later.

Use Your Network - all of us have a network of personal and professional people around us. By tapping into your network, with a new refocus in mind, you can begin orchestrating strategic relations that help accomplish the new objective(s). Mind you, we're not talking about using and abusing people for our own gain, but creating these win-win relationships that may assist in accomplishing the new goals and objectives.

Most professional athletes have a vast network of people around them, and one in particular shared with us how he was able to utilize his network to rapidly grow his business during his change from pro athlete to financial advising by creating win-win relationships.

Let Go - bar none, the most difficult aspect of change for high-caliber individuals. The reason why it is so challenging is because it's been engrained into us to never let go nor give up. However, in order to efficiently change, letting go is imperative because it provides a healthy mindset for a healthy transition. Sometimes it's the failures or negative items we need to let go. Sometimes it's the championships or wins, as heard by the Roman generals when receiving the city's accolades when they returned from a conquered land ("All Glory is Fleeting"). Regardless, the mindset of letting go frees us to take on the work ahead.

Years ago we received a call from a gentleman in Houston who reached out because he was thinking about transitioning from his life as an Olympic athlete. We began working through the 5 RULES but got hung up for four months in this process when it came to letting go because he did not know if he wanted to commit another four years of his life for the next Olympics or let go. In contrast, we sat down with a former professional baseball pitcher the week after he was released during spring training. A week within walking through the 5 RULES he let go of the fact he was a professional athlete and swiftly moved into the next phase of his life. Lesson learned......everyone has their own timetable for letting go.

Execute - a wise coach once told me, "Knowing what to do isn't good enough if you don't have the discipline to do it." This is where the work comes in - tying in your refocus, using your network, and letting go. The change process is rarely a one-and-done activity, and sometimes you may even need to start all over again, but hopefully not if you were able to thoughtfully execute each step along the way.

We've had the honor of sitting down with an individual who was a All-America basketball player in high school, All-America in college, 1st round NBA draft, NBA Hall of Famer, built a $500 million a year business, and then became a mayor of a major metropolitan city. Anywhere along the line Dave Bing could've easily rested on his laurels but he continued to work through each stage of his changes by continuing to execute the 5 RULES throughout.

Someone (Mentor) - having one particular individual can help you transition better into the next phase, especially if that person has been where you currently are or want to be. This person does not always have to be older, but certainly wiser in your area of refocus.

When asked how Ford Motor Company survived the major economic downturn in 2008 while other major automakers were asking for government money, a Ford executive stated one way was to tap into the wisdom of someone who'd been in this situation before. In fact, this individual actually used to work for Ford and left to run another major auto company during it's near solvency in the 1980's. As a result, Lee Iacocca shared his wisdom for surviving a downturn which helped Ford Motor Company not only survive but thrive to the point of turning billion dollar profits shortly thereafter.

By implementing our 5 RULES during your change process you will change on purpose, for a purpose = a better life.

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