Agent of Change

Hardest part:  Someone has to deliver the news.

Easy part:  Realizing something ain't right.

Hard part:  Accepting things are going to be different.

Easy part:  Believing in the new cause.

Hard part:  Identifying the solution.

I have been dealing in the world of change for a good amount of time.  From an organizational point of view, change is usually defined by a business need, change in environment or change in technology.  When I first started working, 13-columnar paper was still useful in the Accounting world.  I remember people opposed to moving to a computer environment.  30+ years has seen many innovations and technological advances that have made work life significantly easier.  Similar technology, which in the “olden” days was unaffordable to the masses are now part of everyday life.  My cellphone, as an example, has more power and ability than my first PC, is smaller than the floppy disc that I needed to insert to start the computer and smaller than the remote to the fancy TV sets my parent could not afford.

In hindsight, it is easy to identify the benefits of change.  As an agent of change, we have to be able to paint the picture that tells the story of how things will be, the benefits and the positive future impacts.  Our audience, in most cases, does not initially see the benefits and in 8 out of 10 cases are comfortable with the way things are.  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the age-old adage, however, it then sets us up for failure, because it allows the world to pass us by while we remain where we are.  Someone has long since moved the cheese, even though we still see it sitting there, a mere vestige of the tasty morsel that it once was.

As the messenger, who will be shot at, tarred and feathered, then drawn and quartered, the words and vision that we present have to clearly project the ideas of what can be and the risk of doing nothing.  As we are more comfortable with things, ideas and processes, we tend to be less open to new things, new ideas and new processes.  There is the chance, with the wrong words, to have the audience turn before we get into the issue.  There is the chance that I will sound pompous, insincere and out of touch because I am not aligned with those before me.  There is a chance, however, that I can catch their attention, provide the right story which leads down the path where I take everyone with me.  Sometimes, someone else is better equipped to handle the deed.  It is like tiptoeing across a blades edge, where each step must be gentle enough so you do not slice open your foot, yet firm enough so that you do fall into the abyss that is on either side. 

In actuality, we are all agents of change.  As we go through life, all of each reach a juncture where we have to make choices with an impact.  Some effect only ourselves, while some effect those around us.  Be bold, be wise, ask advise and be willing to do what you believe is right.  Change is never easy and sometimes we have to shoulder the hardest part – delivering the news to others.

…And It’s Time to Say Goodbye

Saying goodbye can be one of the hardest things to do; Especially after you have been someplace for a long time.  Let us face it, change of any sort is not easy, even coming from someone who talks about change, works with change and understands the benefits of change.  No matter how difficult the decision might be and the emotional feelings surrounding that decision, sometimes it is time for a change.  The truth is, it is better to be the one who decides the change than to have the change occur and wonder what happened.  It is always good to move the cheese rather than to wonder who moved it.

For me, I am leaving the company that I have worked at for 16 years – 5 and a half as a consultant and 10 and a half as an employee.  It has been a “good gig.”  I had some goals that I was striving for, some projects that I wanted to achieve and to help the users I worked with move towards better systems.  After 16 years, it is time to strive for new goals, face new challenges and help other people / companies achieve their goals.  I leave on a high note, successfully completing my last international project.  Some of the highlights during my time at ITG:

·        I worked with some good people and made new friends

·        I reached some personal achievements / goals

·        I completely revamped the internal financial systems by implementing world class software

·        I managed international project teams

·        I worked with quality third party partners

As timing is everything, it is fitting that this happens in December.  We have reached the end of the year.  A year filled with many good things and accomplishments.  And as always, whether planned or not, changes occurred.  In the middle of the year, I was elected the president of my synagogue, which has had its challenges and has been exciting thus far.  By moving on from ITG, I know that there will be challenges ahead, but what better way to end the year with the expectation of the next journey ahead, the new opportunities and the excitement of something new. 

2018 has been a good year.  I hope that you all enter into 2019 looking forward to attaining your goals and dreams in the new year.  Happy New Year!

Change Comes to Everyone

Yes, I am the guy who writes about change, speaks publicly about change and whose livelihood relies on change.  But what happens when change comes to Wayne?  And I am not talking about the fuzzy stuff that is adorning my chin.  I am talking about looking out into the future, setting some goals and making the choices in order (some more difficult than others) to attain what I need in my life. 

Next month I turn 56.  “The Balance” recently printed an article that, based on US Census information, the average retirement age is around 63, with life in retirement lasting 18 years.  According to that statistic, I have only 7 years left in the workforce and 25 years before I start pushing up daisies.  While I have no thoughts of retiring, as I still enjoy what I do, maybe I should take the stats into account.  I am planning to make it to 100 years old, which is 44 years away.  While I do not like to always follow the pack,  at some point, this ride called life will come to the end of the line, whether I am ready or not.

There is some measure of truth in the saying (attributed to Tony Robbins), "Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”  As we move through life, we reach different points where we have become comfortable where we are, we take pleasure in “know all” about our supposed areas of expertise, and as a result, start the slide towards Mediocrity.  Roy Vaden made the observation that “Success is never owned; it is only rented, and the rent is due every day!”  As we become comfortable, we tend to slack off, find the easier ways to achieve the same goals (sometimes, however, this can lead to new discoveries), and tend to ride on our laurels.  I am no different.  By becoming the president of a volunteer organization, that I faced many new challenges.  Yes, I was prepared.  Yes, I knew what I was getting into and the potential risks.

Still…we draw the circles around us, put up the fences and rely on that comfy chair.  Stepping out, putting ourselves in a less than familiar environment makes us uncomfortable and vulnerable and triggers those ancient instincts to protect what we have.  Without breaking out the mold of our own creation, without experimenting and without searching out new experiences, we fulfill the image of sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch, sipping lemonade and enjoy watching the grass grow. 

Not for me…new changes, here I come!  More to follow on this in the near future…

On a Personal Note – One Reason Why I Write

“I always wanted to write about my coming to America, where I was able to be successful.”  This quote came from an immigrant that never graduated High School and arrived here without speaking English.  By the time he made the comment above, the accent was gone and he fit into America 100% and  living the American dream.  Early in coming to America, life was hard, and when his father died a few years after arriving, he did what young men (or teens) did, went to work to support his mother and two older sisters.  A strong why, years of hard work, which included working in various industries (bookkeeping, insurance, installment business), being an entrepreneur (various) and finally sales, helped to support his family, grow a family and eventually have a house in the city and one “in the country.”  Upon retirement, he had attained financial freedom and lived the lifestyle he wanted, but never wrote his story. 

This is not a unique story, but one of many, where a legacy (not necessarily financial) is passed on as an oral history, with each successive generation passing on the family values and history through their personal filters.  Writing is not easy.  I remember writing in High School where my imaginative mind often had teachers frowning at the topics I chose.  In college, I had to write essays for history classes, one teacher understood my more creative way of explaining (via analogies) while another teacher sent a test back to me writing that I was “basically a f*@# up.  Needless to say, this did have a negative impact on my earlier life.  While I had some thoughts on writing, these (along with mediocre English grades) banished any thoughts of writing.  When Gab and Bec were little, a friend gave me a journal to write down the things we did as a family – not for myself, but to pass on to the girls when they got older.  The book sat unused on a shelf.  Many years later, as I became an active volunteer, I was asked to write a monthly article.  My creativity seeped into these writings, but now, instead of a critical, focused audience (a teacher), I had a more receptive audience that liked the digressions and creativity (made reading the article enjoyable).

Like any skill, it takes time to develop the skill, practice that skill and see how others use the skill (in my case reading).  We have all met people that say they want to do something, but do not always want to put in the effort to develop the needed skill(s).  The immigrant generations came to this country, where prior to arriving, they believed that the streets were paved with gold, meaning that the United Stated of America was the land of opportunity.  They worked very hard to provide for their families, purchase homes and become pillars in their respective communities.  The person in the story above, my grandfather, would have been 109 had he still been alive.  He was a strong willed man and had few regrets.  Even though Grandpa never wrote out his story, it has become part of our family oral history.  Maybe, by writing with consistency, besides for sharing lessons and experiences, I will be able to impart a piece of my history to our future generations, to live alongside our family oral stories.

A Man of Many Hats

James Collins and Jerry Porras, in their 1994 book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, introduced us to the phrase Big Hairy Audacious Goal, or BHAG for short.  The BHAG was the HUGE vision that a company followed, in some cases to extreme successes.  The book is written comparing two companies in the industry, one with a BHAG and one without.  Having the BHAG, meant that the company had a focus, all of management were generally groomed from within (development of a corporate culture) and all decisions made had to be in alignment with the BHAG or was discarded.  One of the clear points is not to go after everything and it is OK to say no.  As Steve Jobs put it, “I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.”  Great, that is a good corporate philosophy, but I am just Wayne, and while I understand this in terms of a business, does this thinking apply to me?

Simon Sinek, in his book Start with Why, he clearly makes the point that “People do not buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”  This is a philosophy, or belief system, can apply to businesses, people and ideas.  Understanding one’s WHY can lead to a personal BHAG.  When I was involved in network marketing, they taught that your WHY should be so big it makes you cry, it should be what motivates you to achieve the success we all dream about.  As Darren Hardy puts it, this should be what gets us out of bed in the morning.  I believe that there are events in our lives that help us to find out WHY / BHAG.  The WHY is never about me, but about a broader service to other people. 

I know that I am a man of many hats – work, volunteering, family, writing, music, etc.  I am not alone in being involved in multiple things.  I have recently realized a coalescing in my universe, an overriding feeling that there is a thread that joins my different activities together and a larger picture that I wish to move towards.  While I attempt to put my finger more firmly on the definition of this, I believe that my next WHY and a BHAG are standing just around the corner of the building – close enough to feel its presence, but I still need that step or two to see it.  Maybe, just maybe, I really only wear one hat, it just seems to come in different shades depending on the circumstances.