20 Reasons Leaders Should Embrace And Initiate Change

A Memorable Statement

General Eric Shinseki, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff, said in 2003, “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”  This is one of the most powerful and often-quoted statements of the twenty-first century.

Now contrast General Shinseki’s thoughts with another famous phrase, “Nobody likes change but a baby”.

Which statement do you most associate with?  Many people will associate with the latter.  Quite candidly, most of my life I hated change and even went out of my way to avoid it.  I associated change with the following:

1. Instability
2. Lack Of Control
3. Fewer Opportunities
4. Negative Momentum
5. Discomfort
6. Loss Of Rights And Benefits
7. Loss Of Relationships
8. Loss Of Position
9. Inconvenience
10. Fear

However, it is critical for leaders to embrace change.

As leaders, we must always be looking for opportunities to improve our skills, expand our influence, and make a greater difference in the lives of others.  Fortunately, one of the areas I have hopefully grown in is embracing the value of change.

The Gift Of Change

Change can be a wonderful gift for leaders.  Leaders are often in the unique position of initiating change, not reacting to it.  Change allows leaders to:

1. Define Your Leadership.  Seth Godin said in his book Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, “Managers make widgets.  Leaders make change.”
2. Make Things Happen.
3. Go First.
4. Not Ask For Permission.
5. Differentiate Yourself From Others.
6. Get Ahead Of The Crowd.
7. Create Innovative Things People Believe In.
8. Be Memorable, Not Average.
9. Become A Thought Leader.
10. Gain Followers And Expand Influence.
11. Be Part Of Thriving Churches And Businesses.
12. Be Committed To Mission, Not Maintenance.
13. Focus On Their Impact Rather Than Their Position.
14. Be Imitated.
15. Have Fun.
16. Not Regret.
17. Not Wonder Why.
18. Not Complain.
19. Not Settle.
20. Change The World.

Sir Francis Bacon once said “If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted.”  Leaders, are you ready to embrace and facilitate change or be forced to react to it?

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