Toronto, August 6, 2013
I want to tell you a story of the two psyches – the collective and the individual.
Collectively, there is a sense that things are improving. Consumer sentiment is on the rise. Business Confidence is returning. Industrial investment is picking up. Payroll numbers are increasing. Even Europe is showing signs of recovery. As of the beginning of August, Wall Street is at record highs.
Individually, though, there is a sense that things are precarious. The numbers say one thing, our moods say another. We feel like the earth is moving under our feet. We’re all standing astride a fault-line that could open up at any moment. We read about record profits, unprecedented corporate cash hoards and the return of humungous deals. Yet, in our own personal space, we’re experiencing anxiety, fatigue and overwhelm in equal measure. We oscillate hourly between excitement and nervousness. One day’s growth could be the next day’s cutback. As revenue improves, so does the pursuit of operating margin. Smart technology, big data and activist shareholders are drawing every last drop of profitability from the corporate well.
We’re living in a leaner, hungrier, meaner, scarier world. On the one hand, opportunities are exploding around us. On the other, so are the landmines. The price and pace of change is accelerating daily. One wrong turn deserves another. So much is riding on every move. Every call counts. Every day is decisive. He who hesitates is lost, but he who acts prematurely could be toast.
So here’s the thing: if you’ve made it this far, you know you have to change or die. Change isn’t the issue. We all know why we need to change. I’ve discovered that even those people who don’t want to change realize that they must. They may evolve with sighs and reluctance, but they evolve. Their survival is at stake and they know it. Even the most staid corporations, public and private, are jettisoning their passengers. Reality is too transparent to hide one’s redundancy anymore. No matter what the game, only players are allowed on the field. The real issues are what to change, how to change, and when to change.
What To Change
Change for the sake of change could be futile. Changing the wrong things could be fatal. Changing the right things demands a focus on the right things when there are so many other things competing for our attention. To quote uber change agent, Steve Jobs, “we say no to the many things that don’t count so we can say yes to the few that do.”
What do you really need to change? What should never change? Do you know? Have you articulated it? Have you shared it with the people that count? Have you processed their feedback?
How To Change
Knowing what to change is the right start. Knowing how to change it is a whole different part of the journey requiring a whole different set of skills. It’s not good enough just knowing what to do instinctively. It doesn’t help others that you know how to change. If you want to thrive, you need to be able to transfer your knowledge to everyone in your ecosystem. And, by the way, the “how” is never complete. Today’s “how” is tomorrow’s “so-yesterday”.
If you love to learn, you’ll love your future. If you don’t, someone else will control it for you.Do you know how to change what needs to be changed? Do you know how to communicate it compellingly to others? Are you a go-to person for information and inspiration? Are you always sharpening your edge? Are you bleeding-edge? Or just bleeding?
When To Change
In life, as in music, timing is everything. Together with luck, it governs our success or failure. There’s a time for urgency and a time for patience. Life is about ebb and flow. Sometimes we need to be still. And sometimes we need to move with speed and passion. Knowing when to do what is the mark of a master.
Do you know when to change? How well developed is your sense of timing? What’s your track record of hits and misses? Are you in sync with others? Or are you just marching to the sound of your own drumbeat? Let’s pause for a moment as you review your mastery of the what, how and when of change. Seriously, get a clear handle on your “what, how and when”.
Since 2001, I have been studying the people that I brand as “Super Change Agents”. Through the Environics Social Values Research with thousands of Americans and Canadians, and my personal interaction with over a million people, I have identified a Super Change Agent as:
Super-Change-Agent (SCA): a human tipping point; one who has the courage to go first and the capacity to stay the course; one who anticipates the future and communicates it convincingly to others; one who shatters complacency; one who inspires others into action; one who enables his or her team to win; one who builds their social network through generosity and contribution.
According to our research, Super Change Agents comprise about 10 percent of the overall population and they have six identity-traits in common:
- “I am unstoppable”. SCAs are bigger than their barriers. They believe they are winners. They back themselves when their backs are against the wall. They don’t give in, they dig in. They have unreasonable expectations of themselves and they rise to meet them. They understand that setbacks are just stepping stones to the next level. They are always in motion. They “figure it out” as they go along. They know they will find the right person and the right resources to achieve their goals. They finish what they start. They are closers.
- “I have a plan”. SCAs are strategic. They are plugged in to their present but they are students of their future. They invest the time but they also time their investments. They’re always asking themselves three fundamental questions: what is really going on? What is really going to happen? What really should I be doing about it? SCAs understand that every event is just another piece of the puzzle. They set themselves apart by putting it all together.
- “I work smart & hard”. SCAs are people of action. They are allergic to procrastination. They make mistakes while they make it happen. They’ve discovered that the thrill of doing something hard is vastly more pleasurable than taking the easy way out. Their work ethic is relentless. They aren’t balanced but they are integrated. They’ve made the conscious choice to lead their own lifestyles. They aren’t slaves to their circumstances, they’re authors of their own epics. It’s never easy for them, but it’s always simple: there is no short cut on the way to success. 10000 hours is just their downpayment on their destiny.
- “I am an athlete”. SCAs are robust. They radiate health and vitality. They vibrate at a higher frequency. They’re kinetic. They know that emotion comes from motion. They train to win. Their mental and physical workouts are non negotiable. They use it so they don’t lose it. They travel light so they can travel far and fast. Others are amazed at their inexhaustible mojo. No matter how good their competitors, SCAs outlast them. They take care of themselves first so they can take care of others later.
- “I love people and I love to help them win”. SCAs are gregarious. They revel in company. They make others feel great about themselves. They’re warm and inviting. They show their pleasure and they communicate their delight. They control their moods in public. They’re acutely aware of their impact on others. Even when they’re down, they get up for others. They don’t fake it, they play the role that they’ve created for themselves. They would rather die than let others down. They’re only as successful as the number of successful people they create.
- “I am a great communicator”. SCAs love conversation. They listen with their heart and their ears. They feel what other people need to hear. They talk other people’s language, but they have their own signature vocabulary. No matter what their style, they showcase their message with confidence and conviction. They know that every meeting only happens once in a lifetime so they make every meeting a masterpiece. They seize every opportunity to influence others, both directly and digitally. They are living proof of what practice can make.
I hope I’ve inspired you to be a super-change-agent. It doesn’t matter what role you play or where you play it. Someone always needs to do the thing that no-one else is doing. That person is you. And if that’s true, all progress depends on you. Even if it’s not, if you act like it is, you’ll catalyze amazing possibilities for your communities. This is Mike Lipkin and I really enjoyed cross pollinating your power today. Please pay it forward. Tell other people about this message. Tell me your ideas. And check out my latest book – Star Power – How To Be Unstoppable Through The Nine Star Social Values. Now go be great.
