A630.6.4.RB - 50 Reasons Not to Change/The Tribes We Lead

The presentation of 50 Reasons Not to Change by Daryl Watkins and the TED presentation by Seth Godin both of these presentations focused on the necessity of change.

Some of the excuses that I constantly hear my colleagues expressing are that there is too much added work on other departments, it’s impossible, or that it can’t be done. It is hard for me to understand this type of mentality, because all I see from this way of thinking is excuses. Of course, there are going to be obstacle along the way; but if we convince leadership and get through financial constraints the only thing stopping us is ourselves. Do you find yourselves using these excuses? I think we all do at some points. We get stranded in our bubble of security where everything is going perfect, so why do we need to change? I found myself feeling this way in my career; the thought of just conforming to the mentality of just doing enough to get the job done was appealing. It wasn’t until I started feeling life was not fun anymore that I realized that I needed to make a mental change and do what made me happy in life. My wife Amber was a big inspiration to change; she constantly reminded of the things that made me happy, and that I shouldn’t be scare of change. Change, when done in the right direction will always bring growth, and most importantly inner fulfillment.

According, Brown (2011) managers and organizations face rapid changes in three
areas: technological advances, environmental changes, and social changes.
These areas of change can be a culture shock for leaders. However, organization must renew and
adapt to these changing situations, because every day presents a new set of conditions (Brown, 2011).
The key to overcome the thinking that creates those negative responses is to adapt, and be part of the solution. Leaders must be innovative and be humble enough to know that there are many ways to get to the right answer and not be resistance to change. Brown (2011) suggests, “Resistance to change can be used as feedback about the change (p. 154). We must be able to take constructive criticism and align ourselves with positive change.

            In Seth Godin’s video, The Tribes We Lead, he argues that the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes (Gordin, 2009). Seth concept is about leading and connecting people and ideas.  I agree with Godins concept that tribes drive change. There are tribes in many things we do in life for example, the workgroup at work, or your church group or even you sport team. We connect with these individuals that help create ideas and movements.

            The content of Watkins and Goodin video presentation was very educational. I have a better understanding about the many excuses we make to not move toward change. It was good to understand the types of tribes we created and how as leader we have the power to connect with others to create a movement and ideas. Change is something I’m very open to and know how much power words have. As a leader I must stay positive and see the importance to change, I must adapt to meet new environments and to see the positive in new things.

References:

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Seth Godin: The tribes we lead | Video on TED.com. (2009, February 1). TED: Ideas worth spreading. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead.html