Soar or Status Quo?

A lot of us have placed the onus for change on the leader. While this is true in many aspects, employees, subordinates, followers, etc are not free from responsibility. When I started out working I was given a solid piece of advice, "make yourself indispensible." There are company downsizings, mergers, and efficiency overhauls. Many employees feel lost and not in control of their lives and careers. Many people look to their leaders for answers and guidance to help navigate the change.

We may not be in a position to directly control outcomes but we can control our mindset and reaction to change. Unfreezing the mental map requires individuals to change. The act of unfreezing opens an individual to a new perspective, a new way to view the world. The next step is leaning in the desired direction of change. Even if people see the old way of doing things as wrong, the absence of a new right thing will only lead to inaction and a return to the natural state, a return to the status quo. "Your vulnerability is mediocrity; you will suffer when you are no longer perceived as the gold standard for the services you provide." Each of us as individuals, as well as those that we lead, bear the responsibility to continue to adapt in an every changing world. This could be having more than one world view, but it also means growing as an individual and as a professional to better suit the demands of the market so you are truly indispensible. Darwin's theory of evolution applies but it isn't the catch phrase "survival of the fittest;" it is "survival of the adaptable."

Mourkogiannis, N. (2007). Purpose: The starting point of great leadership. Hesselbein Institute. No. 44, Spring 2007.