Cultivate Eagerness to Create Change
A 1876 internal memo of Western Electric said ‘This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication’. The Chairman of IBM in 1943 said ‘I think there is a world market for may be five computers’. An IBM executive in 1959 said ‘The world potential market for copying machines is 5,000 at most’.
One can never predict the future accurately, or even anything remotely close to it. If we get stuck in the present without having the flexibility to change, we are going to lose the capacity we have to create the world that we want. As Arthur C. Clerk once said, the reality is going to be much more amazing than fiction.
Charles Darwin said ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives. Nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. If we can adapt to change better, the chances are high that we would succeed.
A group of scientists placed five monkeys in a cage and in the middle, a ladder with some bananas on the top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder, the scientists soaked the rest of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, every time a monkey went up the ladder, the others beat up the one on the ladder. After some time, no monkey dare to go up the ladder regardless of the temptation. Scientists then substituted one of the monkeys. The first thing this new monkey did was to go up the ladder. Immediately the other monkeys beat him up. After several beatings, the new monkey learned not to climb the ladder even though never knew why. A second monkey was substituted and the same occurred. The first monkey to be substituted also took part in the beating. A third monkey was changed and the same was observed. The fourth was substituted and the same beating was repeated and finally the fifth monkey was replaced. What was left was a group of five monkeys that even though never received a cold shower themselves, continued to beat up any monkey who attempted to climb the ladder. If it was possible to ask the monkeys why they would beat up all those who attempted to go up the ladder… I bet you the answer would be ... ‘I don’t know, that’s how things are done around here’. Does it sound familiar?
Don’t you see similar things happening around us? Making short notes because it was the way people use to study for centuries, not knowing about mind maps. Trying to by-heart things because it’s how it is done by all your friends, not knowing about SQ4R method. Spending all of you study time reading because it is what you’ve been told, not knowing how to use MCQs as a learning tool. It is high time you challenged the status quo and started to ask the question ‘why?’ always.
Of course, changing the world is difficult. It is something all of us would want to do, isn’t it? But how many of us are really willing to change ourselves.
All of you would raise your hands if I ask you ‘Who wants change?’
But none of us would raise the hands if I ask ‘Who wants to change?’ It is human nature to resist change. Newton’s first law of motion explains this beautifully. Who can tell me what that is? It says that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Even in nature change does not happen freely.
The eagerness to change comes from a sense of curiosity about the possibilities and a sense of courage to face the uncertainty. Look at new possibilities with hope, as opportunities to make things better. Look at uncertainty with confidence, with the strength to face whatever that might come your way.
It is even worse when it comes to the question ‘Who wants to lead change?’
Being able to lead change is one of the keys to success in the corporate world. We are constantly in the lookout for people who can create change. The reason why many of us do not get into this is because it is not easy. Many of us would prefer to do the easy thing, not the tight thing. But the future belongs to those who are willing to lead change.
If you want to lead change, first you will have to be prepared to ask tough questions. It would be easy for someone to come in and tell you how things should be done. When that solution is someone else’s, there is no commitment to see it through. It is when people feel an emotional connection that they truly move ahead. In order to get the buy in from people, you need to let them come to their own conclusions. Even a question as simple as ‘What is it that you want?’ can be hard if you are not the kind of person who is used to listening to others. When making change happen, it is not always voicing your opinion, it is also asking the right questions and listening.
Then, you should be willing to be accountable. Now what is accountability? It is not responsibility for sure, which is simply giving an explanation of your actions. But accountability means a willingness to answer for the outcomes of your choices, actions, and behaviors. When you’re personally accountable, you stop assigning blame and making excuses. Instead, you take the fall when your choices cause problems. For you to create change, you need to be willing to do just that.
Finally, you should be patient yet persistent. Change does not happen overnight. To have sustainable change that is meaningful to people, it is something they will have to embrace. But many can get frustrated that change does not happen fast enough. If you want to be a change agent, you have to develop these two qualities.
The best example I can think of to highlight this point is the story of Chinese Bamboo. Like any plant, growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree requires nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. In its first year, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Our patience is tested and we begin to wonder if our efforts will ever be rewarded. And finally in the fifth year – behold, a miracle! We experience growth. The tree grows 80 feet in six weeks. Without patience and persistence, we won’t be blessed with such a majestic tree.
Before I wind up, let me summarize what we discussed over the last few weeks through a series of four posts.
First, you should aim to reach your potential.
Second, you have to build self-confidence.
And third, you should strive to create a change.
Now all this will just be washed down the drain if they are not converted to actions. Like someone said, if you want to achieve results you have never achieved before, you have to do things you have never done before. Let’s take these messages to heart and create a better tomorrow for you, your family and the country.
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