The Only Certainty is Change

Monday Message from Jerry Houston, President and CEO of HPISolutions

The Only Certainty is Change

I am a big fan of the book, Who Moved My Cheese?, by Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard. Written in 1999, was so far ahead of its time in explaining how people tend to deal with change in their lives… usually not well!

But as I say in the title of this Monday Message, the only certainty is change.  Don’t believe me?  Ask yourself if something is changing, right now, in the world around you, every minute of every day.  It is inevitable.

So what do you do?  As Johnson and Blanchard point out, you can sit and wish that the old cheese would remain as it always has, or… you can embrace the new cheese and find a way to make it work for you.

Another truth is that not everyone reacts to and accepts change at the same rate of speed.  And yet, we as leaders, announce or pronounce change to everyone, at the same time, and expect universal acceptance… it ain’t gonna happen!  If we know our people well, we can add lead time to the announcement of the change for some folks, or, at minimum, give more time to accept the change.  On the other hand, we all have a responsibility to understand that the only certainty is change and get on board as quickly as possible.  Why?  ‘Cause somebody moved your cheese and the old cheese isn’t there anymore.

Have a Great Week!