What If We Said "No" to Change?

Every new idea—regardless of its merit or scope—represents a potential change that will distract and drain your time, energy, and resources. Eventually the demands will outpace your ability to adapt and adopt the significant changes that will significantly contribute to your long-term success. They might have already done so which explains the increased stress, negativity, burnout, and overall resistance to change you are experiencing.

Considering all the changes required just to remain relevant in the marketplace, maybe it is time to say no to change … or at least do so more often.

"The difference between successful people and really successful people,” according to Warren Buffet , “is that really successful people say no to almost everything."

No wonder Steve Jobs said , “I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done.”

The trick, of course, is to pick the right changes to decline and then be excellent at executing them.

Netflix successfully changed its business model in 2013 when it began producing original content. That same year, Yahoo bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion and promised “not to screw it up.”

While some failed changes can be written off as bad timing or poor luck, Yahoo’s change was doomed from the outset. Three years later , Yahoo took a $482 million write down on its acquisition. Tumblr was sold again in 2019 for a reported $3 million.

The widely accepted failure rate of 70 percent suggests that our problem with change is primarily one of execution. That is absolutely a big piece of the problem.

A more telling metric is the cost of the strategic disagreement that arises from the lack of organizational alignment on strategy. The Predictive Index has calculated that cost to be as much as 25 percent of a company’s revenue.

An environment where it feels as if everyone is doing their own thing is a symptom of taking on changes that should be ignored.

Ask Better Questions

The quality of the answers we receive is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions we ask.

Identifying potential changes to ignore (or conversely pursued) requires clarity, focus, and the ability to think beyond the immediate to see the long-term potential for the change. The following nine questions are presented as hurdles to clear to pursue or ignore a change.

The first hurdle question: Is this change a choice or a requirement?

If the change is a requirement, the conversation moves to how to make the change work with the least amount of disruption. If the change is a choice, you are ready to attack the next hurdle.

The second hurdle questions: You are looking for a positive response to at least one of these questions to move forward. Three “no” responses means that you ignore a change that is a choice.

• Does the change move us toward our vison, help us deliver our purpose, or help us live our values?
• Does the change overcome or mitigate a threat or weakness?
• Does the change take advantage of a strength or opportunity?

The third hurdle questions: These are the crucial business analysis questions that determine if this change is worth pursuing or not. Their answers are based on your business model, goals, and strategy. A 7 percent ROI, as an example, is outstanding in some organizations and terrible in others.

• Will this change create long-term (or enough) value to make it worthwhile? Warren Buffet uses the opportunity for long-term value as a requirement to invest in a business. Change, by its nature, might create short-term value significant enough to pursue it.
• Do the trends align in your favor? My colleague Daniel Burrus says that we often mistake fads for trends. Trends are the general direction in which things are developing or changing. Fads are a short-lived enthusiasm for something. The shrinking of the non-Hispanic white population in the United States is a trend. The rattail haircuts and Hammer pants of the 1980s were fads.
• Can you do this well? Do you understand how to make this change work? Yahoo never fully understood Tumblr, and that contributed to the failure.
• What is the cost of the change? This is different than the ROI/long-term value of a change. Every change comes with a cost—even if it is positive. Likewise, there are times when you must ignore a change that might be useful until you can afford it.
• What is the cost of not changing? There can be hard and soft costs of not making a change. The hard costs are easily measurable like missed deadlines, equipment downtime, or turnover. The soft costs are less visible but potentially more costly. What is cost of a hit to your reputation or missed opportunity for growth that you never knew existed?

Sociologist Margaret Mead observed that “We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.”

It is our response to the opportunity that matters. Sometimes we must adapt. Other times we should pursue a change. We cannot forget, however, that ignoring a change to maintain our focus and clarity is also an option.

Randy Pennington is an award-winning author, speaker, and leading authority on helping organizations deliver positive results in a world of uncertainty and change. To learn more or to engage Randy for your organization, visit www.penningtongroup.com , email [email protected] , or call 972-980-9857 (U.S.).