In Brief, October 2011
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w By Mike Smith One of the most important aspects of life in the post-modern era is the quick embracing of change. Few deny the rapid change that affects our lives today. Those who change effectively will be less stressed, more productive, and more successful. While most people are working to learn how to embrace change, the smarter ones are learning to SEEK change. The goal of embrac- ing change is achieved by control- ling reactions to it. Staying calm in the midst of confusion and doubt; remaining focused while others overreact. But to seek change is to realize the power change brings to an organization and to look for ways to find the “next new thing” that is surely coming. Embracing and accept- ing are reactive—wait to see what change has arrived and then figure out what to do about it. Seeking is proactive—work to discover the change before or just as it arrives. Or, better yet, create the change that will shape the future for your group. Seeking is one great skill we can model for young people because it makes “change” work for us, not against us. In the 21st century changing first and fast must be the goal. The danger inherent in this approach is assuring the quality of the work as it changes so fast. Think about the contest between Apple and Microsoft. For years the business world believed that Microsoft had the right idea by focusing on soft- ware—think of something and get it out there first, then fix it as soon as you can. That thinking worked. “Good enough” was fine because it was “the new best thing” and it was out first. But Apple decided to focus on innovation, quality of vehicle, and dependability of software. Apple devoted energy to new delivery ve- hicles. No one doubts that Apple led us to iPods, Smart Phones, and then to the iPad and that their products and reputation made them easy to trust and to believe in. It is important to notice that in both cases the driv- ing force is “what is next.” For now it appears that Apple is winning the contest by creating the change. Cultivating a Change Attitude When cultivating a proactive attitude toward change there are a few things to keep in mind: • Effective change begins with devel- oping the right attitude. • It continues with cultivating a desire to do things better and nurturing our inquisitive nature to expose us to new technologies and concepts. • It is concluded with thoughtful sup- portive action. Attitude Adjusters Hold these thoughts/attitudes in mind when you think about change: • There will be change whether we want it or not. • If we do not “lead” it, it will lead us. •The “good old days and the good old ways” probably were not as good as we would like to think. • Everything we are doing today will be done differently in a few years, if not by us then by our replacements. Glance back 10 years to see what and how we did things. Different, isn’t it? • We cannot control what changes, but we can control how we deal with it. “Deal with it!” • Embracing attitudes toward change makes it easier to seek it. Actions steps to promote positive change—seek, identify, evaluate, implement, and reevaluate. n Seek. Watch for new technologies and processes that promote change. You can stablish an atmosphere pro- moting change by: • Encouraging cross training within your group • Promoting dialog with others who do what you do in other places • Sharing articles on new things and new ways of doing things as well as Making Change By Seeking It Vol. 5, No. 1 October 2011 In Brief A publication for members of the Alliance for Student Activities To seek change is to realize the power change brings to an organiza- tion… create the change that will shape the future for your group.
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Newsletter of the Alliance for Student Activities
Transcript of In Brief, October 2011
w By Mike Smith
One of the most important aspects of life in the post-modern era is the quick embracing of change. Few deny the rapid change that affects our lives today. Those who change effectively will be less stressed, more productive, and more successful.
While most people are working to learn how to embrace change, the smarter ones are learning to SEEK change. The goal of embrac-ing change is achieved by control-ling reactions to it. Staying calm in the midst of confusion and doubt; remaining focused while others overreact. But to seek change is to realize the power change brings to an organization and to look for ways to find the “next new thing” that is surely coming. Embracing and accept-ing are reactive—wait to see what change has arrived and then figure out what to do about it. Seeking is proactive—work to discover the change before or just as it arrives. Or, better yet, create the change that will shape the future for your group.
Seeking is one great skill we can model for young people because it makes “change” work for us, not against us. In the 21st century changing first and fast must be the goal. The danger inherent in this approach is assuring the quality of the work as it changes so fast. Think about the contest between Apple and Microsoft. For years the business world believed that Microsoft had the right idea by focusing on soft-
ware—think of something and get it out there first, then fix it as soon as you can. That thinking worked. “Good enough” was fine because it was “the new best thing” and it was out first. But Apple decided to focus on innovation, quality of vehicle, and dependability of software. Apple devoted energy to new delivery ve-hicles. No one doubts that Apple led us to iPods, Smart Phones, and then to the iPad and that their products and reputation made them easy to
trust and to believe in. It is important to notice that in both cases the driv-ing force is “what is next.” For now it appears that Apple is winning the contest by creating the change.
Cultivating a Change Attitude When cultivating a proactive attitude toward change there are a few things to keep in mind:
• Effective change begins with devel-oping the right attitude.
• It continues with cultivating a desire to do things better and nurturing our inquisitive nature to expose us to new technologies and concepts.
• It is concluded with thoughtful sup-portive action.
Attitude AdjustersHold these thoughts/attitudes in mind when you think about change:
• There will be change whether we want it or not.
• If we do not “lead” it, it will lead us.
•The “good old days and the good old ways” probably were not as good as we would like to think.
• Everything we are doing today will be done differently in a few years, if not by us then by our replacements. Glance back 10 years to see what and how we did things. Different, isn’t it?
• We cannot control what changes, but we can control how we deal with it. “Deal with it!”
• Embracing attitudes toward change makes it easier to seek it.
Actions steps to promote positive change—seek, identify, evaluate, implement, and reevaluate.
n Seek. Watch for new technologies and processes that promote change. You can stablish an atmosphere pro-moting change by:
• Encouraging cross training within your group
• Promoting dialog with others who do what you do in other places
• Sharing articles on new things and new ways of doing things as well as
Making Change By Seeking It
Vol. 5, No. 1October 2011In Brief
A publication for members of the Alliance for Student Activities
To seek change is to
realize the power change
brings to an organiza-
tion… create the change
that will shape the future
for your group.
new ways of thinking about how to do things.
• Attending conferences to look for new things, new ideas, and better ways of doing things.
• Attending conferences of other professions to see what maks their organizations work. There is no telling what great idea might be hiding in a math conference for an English teacher or in a plumber’s conference for a carpenter.
n Identify. Be what you want to see in your organization. To promote change:
• Be an agent for change.
• Smile more.
• Include some new faces on your committees.
• Read from a genre you do not usu-ally read.
• Change something in your personal area—office layout, your schedule, your dress.
• Create a new letterhead.
• Review the procedures and tech-nologies you use to plan and execute events and activities.
• Develop a better understanding of your group culture.
• Use the word “change” or “improve” frequently to get people in that frame of mind.
• Reward people for trying new things.
• Support those looking for new ways of doing things as examples for your student leaders.
• Keep the reasons for change in front of everyone.
n Evaluate. Discuss outcomes to ensure the change produces your de-sired outcome. Check with everyone to ensure, support, and promote the value of the change.
n Implement. Most change has the implementation steps built-in. There are often ways to test a change for a
while or to limit the exposure to the change until it can be confirmed as beneficial. Set up some process for changing back or again if this change proves unworthy.
n Reevaluate. A seeker of change is always evaluating and reevaluating as he or she looks for different and better ways of doing things.
Making change is a process and when done correctly, makes things better and moves us all forward. Enjoy the journey!
Mike Smith ([email protected]) is a founder of the Alliance for Student Activities and a sought-after motiva-tional speaker. He is a multimedia producer, an on-screen host, and a
lifetime learner who enjoys a great reputa-tion as a curriculum writer on subjects ranging from time management through diversity to community service.
Alliance for Student Activitieswww.alliance4studentactivities.orginfo@alliance4studentactivities.org
In Brief is published five times per year by the Alliance for Student Activities, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the value of cocurricular student activities and to provide professional development and support for advisers and future advisers.
Board of DirectorsJohn Glimco, PresidentLyn Fiscus, Vice PresidentAnn Postlewaite, SecretaryTodd Burlingham, Treasurer
© 2011 Alliance for Student Activities
