The other day, I had a conversation with two people at different times in the same organization.
One said, “Things aren’t the way they used to be!” And I suppose they are right. Things always change. I’ve also noticed our perceptions change over the years. We look at the past as the good old days no matter how hard or brutal they were.
The other person said to me, “Oh, that’s just the way things are here! It’s always been that way. They’ll never change!” Wait a minute! They can’t both be right. Either things have changed or they never have. They were both looking at some challenges, but had two very different perspectives.
Yet, both views had a few things in common.
- They were frustrated and didn’t see a solution
- They weren’t taking responsibility for a solution
- They decided the challenges were someone else’s problem
As a person who has worked in publishing, I’ve seen many changes. I have also seen businesses that have had trouble adjusting to change. Newspapers are a big example of that. I get that the glory days of newsprint are gone. And it’s just not the same.
But at a certain point, organizations (which are the people within an organization) must change. The past is gone. We need to deal with the present, not live in the past.
At the same time, if a challenge has always been in an organization, it is the responsibility of each person to change for the better. Everyone has the ability to grow, adapt and improve. When each person accepts that responsibility, businesses, and organizations grow with the new and improved workforce.
We can all be change agents. Let’s make it happen!
