If you’ve ever been a leader chances are you’ve encountered a time when you need to make a change.
Most often change does not come about naturally; it is forced by some event. Especially in business.
Like when you get a flat tire.
The one you had was working fine. It keep going round and round.
Until all of a sudden it just stopped working.
You hit a pot hole. You ran over a sharp object. You neglect to properly maintain it.
It happens every day and when it does happen you are faced with two choices:
- Stop, pull over and change it
- Keep on driving, hoping and praying you’ll make it to your destination
Pretty easy right?
Except people, groups and businesses aren’t like vehicles. Sure as a leader you rely on them to get you were you want to go, but unfortuantely you can’t always stop, nor can you hope and pray you’ll make it there.
That leaves you with one choice; changing the tire while the bus is still moving.
I never tried it myself, but changing a tire while the vehicle is still moving seems impossible. Sort of like the feeling you get as a leader when you need to make a change.
You want to stop, pull over and make the change, but know you have to keep moving on. Businesses and organizations don’t operate in a vaccum.
Stopping your business or organizational operations can’t happen. Slowing down may allow competitors to speed ahead.
So what’s a leader to do? There’s no clear cut answer.
Maybe you just cut the white cable. Or you choose to hit the reset button.
Perhaps you think you can stop, pull over and make the change. You might even get lucky and have hope pull you through.
Regardless of the direction you take, as a leader, creating, implementing and managing change is a difficult, if not impossible task when the bus is still moving.
It can be done; just not by any ordinary mechanic.
Leaders out there, how have you “changed the tire while the bus was still moving?” Let’s hear about it in the comments.