There's a popular quote that most of you have heard. It's from Charles Darwin and has become known as the Law of Survival of the Fittest; "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
Change is a constant in today's world. You could argue which decade we’ve seen the largest amount of change, but most people would say it’s occurring now. Especially in the business world we are living in. Customer buying behaviors and needs are changing requiring us to make adjustments in product development, sales and marketing. The growing presence of China and India will continue to cause marketers to re-evaluate initiatives. Resources are tight requiring everyone to do more with less. The list goes on and on. In addition, as we try to be more innovative to improve our competitive positioning, it drives more change.
But what doesn’t change is the need for managers to lead through this. In reality, it’s not the changes you have to lead through, it’s the transitions people experience. Change is situational and external. Transition is psychological and internal. Some people fail to get through transitions because they are not able to let go of the past. They have fears for what the future will bring. Leaders can help their organizations move more quickly to the desired state by following some key activities.
If you have experience with leading through significant changes, please reply and provide your thoughts and comments. What has worked for you successfully in moving your organization through the transition?
For lessons in leadership, check out S&MM's cover story Survival Instinct.
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