"If everything is changing, nothing is changing..."

In reading a number of blogs and articles via my new Twitter community: #usguys #smmeasure @socialmedia2day etc.  I have been thinking a lot about success.  Success on an organizational level, stems from any number of values that reflect quality leadership.  You see companies that die, and you see companies that continue to grow.  Have you ever heard a CEO blame a bad economy or a horrible market for a company folding.  If so, then you've likely heard a runner blame poor weather or faulty track conditions for losing a race?  The fact is, all of your competitors are experiencing the same conditions.  Why then did you watch them hit the finish a second and a half ahead of you?  Why in the midst of all that is "changing" did you fall behind?

Success in business, like on the track, depends on the values and beliefs upon which that business was built in the first place.  A number of things contribute to this belief system, both positive and negative and in uncertain, changing times we can lose sight of some of those things that have contributed to our success.  Like an athlete who has experienced great success, a CEO can just as easily tune out from the fundamental values that set the ship asail.  Organizations are changing so much now, that the greatest change that could occur would be to not change at all.  We often fail to remember that Change only occurs with respect to Stasis.  You see, too many executives look at change as a linear process by which people that resist represent something to conquer, an obstacle.  What they forget is that the very resistance they are trying to overcome is required for change to exist.  Successful change is something deeply rooted in the interaction between the changing and the unchanging.  I may have lost you there, so let me reframe my point.

As companies grow and move into the 21st century it is essential for them to remember the fundamental values that got them there in the first place.  Values such as; tradition, loyalty, authenticity, etc. are values that, while many things are changing, should never change.  Companies can and should undergo operational changes as newer and better technology strides forward.  They should be finding ways to optimize efficiency and maintain a competetive advantage in the marketplace without compromising the foundation of the company.  When CEO's find themselves faced with resistence, it is important for them to remember that those who are resisting the change are making an essential contribution to the process.  They are not operating out of stubborness, they are operating out of fear.  Not fear of the unkown; but rather, fear of losing that which is known (the core values the company was built upon).  If that is the case, prior to any change, CEO's should be asking themselves, "What exactly is it that should be preserved by this change?" This question may show those in support of the status quo that you are on there side.  That, ultimately, by proceeding with certain changes, you are really preserving the lifelong values that made your company successful.  Bottom line; Every decision made, be it by a CEO, a runner, a waitor, a telemarketer, should start with this thought process..."I am on their team...we both want the same thing...what do I hope to preserve in making this decision...what changes will allow me to preserve this while moving forward?"