“When the rate of change outside is more than what it is inside, be sure that the end is near.”
– Azim Premji (b. 1945), Chairman of Wipro, unofficial Czar of the IT Industry in India
Kinda scary, isn’t it? At least it should be. If it is, we might be ok — because we’ll more than likely be prompted to do something about it.
If it doesn’t — those bells you hear in the distance? Ask not for whom they toll… The game might already be over.
Too heavy? “Heston,” you’re saying, don’t be such a Debbie Downer! Don’t be such a Pete Paranoid!”
OK, let’s take a slightly less dark-and-gloomy angle.
“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
– Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell‘s character in Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby
Oh, if I had a nickel for every time Premji and Ferrell get brought up together…just kidding…
In this case, though, call me what you will, but I’ll side with Premji.
Of course there is room for places between first and last. Not everyone can or should aspire to be the market leader. That said, if the pace of change in the market is lapping our business, we’re falling back in the pack quickly, and viability, let alone relevance, becomes a top concern.
If you find yourself in the “aware yet unsure how to change” camp, there’s an important lens through which we should view your situation. The “fit” lense.
In hiring and evaluating talent, fit comes first. The most talented person in the world will struggle, as will the team, if they’re not a fit.
Yet, channeling my inner Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend!”
If the market is changing faster than our business, the first thing we have to change is what “fit” means. Look, the only thing scarier than staying the same in a market shift is changing. “Change will only occur when the fear of change is overcome by the pain of remaining the same,” says my friend Tom Graf, PhD. We have to bring the pain to the surface, and that means redefining “fit.” What “fit” before got us to this point.
As uncomfortable as it might be, we have to change the culture, then the talent. A surprising number of folks will adapt to and embrace the change. Augment them with change agents from outside, people who have done it, relish it and can lead it in the place of those that won’t or can’t feel the pain or see the end approaching.
Then, we’ll be “goin’ fast, Mama!”
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