I’ve thought for a long time that, when it comes to high performing organizations, inertia is a dirty word. Commonly defined socially as the tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged, or scientifically as matter changing its current state or uniform direction only if impacted by an external force, inertia reflects either a fear of or ambivalence towards making change – however necessary change is.
When working with business owners and leaders, it’s common to hear about what’s not working; and it’s my role to propose adjustment. The reflex to any recommendation for change – especially when it comes to people – is to shift into “he’s not that bad” mode. This can be true of process as well.
It reminds me of the old Virginian joke: how many Virginians does it take to change a light bulb? Four – one to put in the new bulb, and the other three to reminisce about how great the old bulb was (the one that BURNED OUT!).
We all come to terms with circumstances and how to address them in our own time. I think I’m fairly good at patiently facilitating these realizations and in curating options. Nevertheless, this process can and should be shorter. What’s required is that we more actively adopt a mindset of being “resolutionaries.”
What is a resolutionary, you ask?
A resolutionary is someone who needs change and wants change (two very different things), and has the willingness and ability to engage in the process of change.
It’s the marriage of revolution and resolution that gets us to better – no matter the near-term inconvenience change always creates or the discomfort of having difficult conversations causes most of us to experience. Since most people eventually come to the appropriate conclusions and take meaningful action when they do, the guidance here is about how to get the decision and action point more expeditiously and confidently. Here are the keys for accelerating your arrival at that point:
Becoming a resolutionary is about far more than using time and resources more efficiently; it’s about credibility and respect. Your credibility and the respect it engenders are directly relevant to your ability to keep your best people and to keep them highly engaged. When leaders futz around with chronic issues and people whose performance consistently fails to meet expectations, their top people rightly ask themselves: “What the f#@!?” Then they begin to fade away and – soon – they are gone. Commit to better. Change what/who is screaming or begging to be changed. Invest the time and effort to make things not merely different but better.
Revolt, resolve, commit, evolve. Be a resolutionary!