Keeping up with Change

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
--Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
--Western Union internal memo, 1876.

"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." --Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." --Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." --Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." --Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

Proof that change happens with or without our consent or well-intended predictions! Doing something differently, taking a risk - like on a telephone or personal computer, even a chewy cookie - is a must for progress, especially in today’s work world. Consider these statistics:
Fifty years ago, it took a lifetime for technology to make a job irrelevant – now it takes just 4 to 5 years.
Experts estimate that 80% of all products and services we are currently using will be obsolete in five years.
Fifty percent of all the jobs we’ll have in the next 6 years haven’t even been created yet.

This month, I’m helping facilitate a Change Management program at a company where major change is taking place. The old management has handed over the reins to the new and people at all levels are feeling (and worrying) about the outcome, and rightly so. However, you know the old adage that “the only constant in life is change”. What’s the alternative? In today’s world, it’s clearly “be left behind”.

How do you handle change? No doubt, it can be scary and uncomfortable, but you have dealt with it before. Think back to all the major milestones in your life. How’d you cope, adjust, and come out for the better on the other side? You’ve already got the experience to help you deal with what comes your way next.
More to come on this topic, including tips and tools for dealing with the inevitability of change in the workplace!
Please post your comments and ideas about dealing with workplace change.