Don't kill the messenger

All life is change. Change is inevitable. Change is happening all the time. But if you tell people that, they don't want to listen. People don't want to change, particularly if they like things as they are now. If a person or a company has been successful at doing something, if you tell them that they'll have to change, you're saying that they have to abandon the ways that have worked for them. It's no surprise that people don't want to hear that. Companies fail for many reasons, but in many cases, especially in technology industries, the thing that made them successful is what ultimately kills them. Change is critically important to pay attention to, if you intend to stay in business. If you compare the S&P 500 of today to fifty years ago, there's essentially no continuity. The companies that don't change don't survive. And that's essentially all of them. People don't like hearing that they have to change. There's an old saying that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country. No one likes to hear the message that change is upon them. It’s scary. But the signal is ignored at one’s peril. Don’t get too emotionally invested in techniques and strategies, even if they have worked. Be willing to change when circumstances change. As they will. Be willing to bend to the wind, and adopt new ways when necessary. That will facilitate continued growth and success. And when someone tells you that change is coming, listen.

Just some ruminations.



Peace,

Dave Roel.

I learned a while back that I’d be lots happier if I accepted things as they were, rather than expecting them to be different.

- Jack Mierop