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We all recognized that we continue to be an industry in transition. In fact, change is occurring so rapidly and at so many levels within our industry that we are struggling just to keep up with the press releases and daily announcements. Most of us understand that the current business cycle is both natural and healthy, that in the long run we will once again stabilize and settle in to a more predictable business environment. When the stabilization will occur is anybody’s guess and, in the interim, we are all being challenged by the need to re-engineer and, in many cases, re-invent our sales and service strategies so that we remain productive, efficient, profitable, and retain our existing accounts.
Recognizing the need to make these internal innovations is one thing, actuating them is something all together different and much more difficult due to the internal resistance that we often encounter when even the slightest change to a routine or an established business practice is attempted. In fact, the greatest single deterrent to organizational growth is the refusal by an organization’s members to accept the change that facilitates the growth. We speak endlessly of new plateaus, new horizons, new business, and a new breed, yet most prefer to follow the familiar routine. We build magnificent plans, copy models, develop logos, create teams, conduct countless meetings and . . . never move forward. We shake things up only to watch in frustration as those around us settle back in. Is it all worth it?
Absolutely yes. In a market that is characterized by chaos and is searching to find itself, improved efficiency and effective differentiation are prerequisites to survival. Is there anything you can do to resolve the conflict between internal innovation and preconditioned responses to change? Not likely. Human nature prefers an established comfort zone and a predictable world. You can, however, lighten your load a bit by understanding the resistance while you continue to hold your position. Listed below are the three greatest challenges faced by those who dare to be different along with some ideas on how to manage the negativity.
Stick to your guns, trust your instincts, and no . . . nothing is easy.
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