In the past few years, associations and chambers had to make changes to stay relevent. It is often said that nobody likes change; so much so that hundreds of books have been written on this very subject. But we also consciously understand that change is necessary for growth. During our adolescence, we called it growing pains. Perhaps this is where the negative conotation begins to resonate in our minds. Though it will be different, we know that change doesn’t have to be painful. It is our subconscious resistance to change that creates that internal struggle within us, producing feelings of anxiety and trepidation.
If we are not overwhelmingly convinced that we should make a change, we will go in with one foot already out the door. On the flip side, when we understand that the change is going to benefit us, our paradigm or thought process shifts because now we feel in control of the change, rather than the change being in control of us.
I have come to realize that it is often due to our minds being so emotionally wrapped up in past practices and past results that it binds and limits us from thinking about what we in business truly desire – which is more business.
Our perspective of what we can do is based on past results and not on our true potential. This negative perception can impede our forward progress. It is our excuse to stay in that comfort zone that we have so carefully constructed around ourselves.
With change come different feelings. Often these feelings are referred to as strange, weird, or even horrible. There have been some big changes in the association and chamber industries, and not everything is the same as it has been for so long. We need to remind ourselves that if the way we are doing things now feels a little different, that’s okay, because that different feeling is progress and growth.
As we move forward with these changes, in time we will all feel more comfortable and become familiar with our “new and improved” way of doing things. That time is now.
This isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s not going to happen in a day, a week, or a month, and it’s going to take a little time for all of us to become accustom to our newly expanded member expectations. It’s going to take some time for us to adjust the way we used do things to the way we need to do things today to stay relevent and valuable to our members. Sometimes these expectations can be overwhelming, and it’s a challenge to try and accommodate every individual or organization that we serve. Those of us that have chosen to be part of this great industry understand we have been presented with a big challenge. Guess what? We took the challenge. We knew then, and we are proving every day, that membership in our organizations makes sense because we will continue to provide a unified voice for business and support a sound and healthy business climate moving into the future.
Wow! Finally I got a weblog from where I know how to in fact take helpful information regarding my study and knowledge.
And the changes we are undergoing in business are unprecedented, consistent and rapid. Not easy to keep up. Thank you for keeping us aware, Jack. This gives us energy to take a couple of small steps at a time, which is the only way to make change lasting.