Change Happens
Ken Stoltzfus
In business, ministry, or life in general, properly understanding the
relationship between the past, the present and the future is essential to
achieving our maximum potential for the future.
There is a way in
which each is related to the other. The future is unavoidably built upon the
past and the present. There is also a way in which each stands on its own.
The future may be
richer or poorer, but it will always be different from the present or the past because
life is dynamic, not static. Each era is unique, forcing change upon an
organization and its relationship with others even if by default.
Our response to
change will bring either life or death. A static organization in a dynamic
world will die. It may continue to exist but its "life" will be gone.
Its eyes will be sunken and hollow.
Politics and
economics (world/national/local/organizational), and the availability of
various resources will shape a period. The measure and focus of vision; the
style of leadership; and the needs or opportunities the organization is
responding to are dynamic factors which shape its life.
In order to plan
well for the future we need to objectively look at the present and the past.
What served us well in the past may be inappropriate for the future. A few years ago a 150-meg hard drive was big
and a "gig" was unheard of. Today one and a half gig is almost the
minimum for new computers!*
Frequently, when
change is proposed it is interpreted as a negative judgment upon the past.
Those who have shaped the past may feel they are being declared personally
inadequate. Persons who have inappropriately found their sense of identity and
self worth in past structures and successes will be especially threatened.
Sometimes we feel secure in
the safety of doing things as we have always done them. We fear change because
it places our perceived future at risk. And it does, because change always
brings risk. But is the past something to be protected and defended, or is it a
stepping stone to the future?
We need to ask
ourselves if the strategies and successes of the past or present are adequate
for the future. Is there more we can be doing? Can we do it more efficiently,
effectively or safely? Are new resources available? Have conditions and needs
around us changed? Is it "a new day" in some way?
If we decide to
move on, we must proceed with the humility, wisdom, and courage that enable us
to:
- ask the questions and explore the areas which
can lead to our enrichment;
- clearly state and patiently impart vision for something new which
is built upon specific goals and
principles;
- know how much change is
appropriate and how fast it can come without undue stress to the organization;
-
be willing to accept the loss of support from some persons who are too
deeply vested personally and emotionally in the past and the present, and thus
unable to embrace change for the future; and
- as much as possible, propose change for the future while blessing
the past and present and expressing respect and appreciation for those who have
contributed to their successes.
If we decide we are unable to change, for
whatever reason, we must declare that honestly and accept responsibility for
the negative impact it will have upon the organization.
In deciding, let's remember that the
greatest compliment we can pay to the past is to make it a servant to a better
future.
*Written in mid-1996
Born in 1940, Ken Stoltzfus has worked as a
pilot, ordained Christian minister, businessman, missionary to Africa and
writer. This is #14 in his series, "The View from up Life's Path",
and is one of many short articles that can be found at www.flyinghigher.net
© 2003, Ken
Stoltzfus, flyinghigher.net, P.O. Box 548, Apple Creek, OH 44606 USA. May be
printed for personal use and may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes
without further permission if proper acknowledgment is given and a copy is sent
to the author.
