Every end destination is really just another mile marker and way point in the great journey that is strategy and change. As important as it is to be willing to take on the challenge of meaningful change, change itself is transient and once the first transformation takes place, the need for another will appear over the horizon. As April Rinne of the Harvard Business Review postulates, the need for and velocity of change is the only constant we can be sure of over the foreseeable future.[1]
The journey is the destination
What really matters, beyond having the courage and commitment to take on change, is how we conduct ourselves throughout that transformative path. It is therefore critical that we take on the right mindset before the first step is taken so that with each step that is taken, a new lesson is openly embraced and changed behavior is adopted.
Leaders need to ensure that the lessons learned with each step along the journey are charted, discussed and disseminated so the entire organization can benefit from them. This is where the real value of embarking on a journey begins, at the crossroads between the challenges and the battle scars earned at each impasse.
The Student and Youth Travel Digest embarked on one of the most monumental and prolific studies that have been taken to study the most effective learning habits of students aged 10-18 years of age. It was an exhaustive study that examined more than 1,430 teachers and 43,000 US students that travelled abroad over a two-year period.
One of the most significant discoveries that came to the forefront of this two-year study was that students who travel show demonstrable improved academic performance when compared to students that do not travel.[1]
Taking on the journey for the sake of it
Yes, it is important to get started on a path that will get us to the strategic vision of tomorrow for ourselves and for our organization. However, it’s just as important to take that first step for the sake of what we will learn and what we will become along the way. Regardless of where we arrive, the person we will become as we sojourn is more important than the destination. This transformative effort will require that we set out multiple, often disparate objectives that must be orchestrated simultaneously.[1]
The abrasive exposure to the unknown, the patience required to stay the course, the realization of our limits and vulnerabilities and the testing of our faith will inevitably forge our character into more than what it was before that first step was taken.
As a result, our ability to perceive and assess risks, maintain flexibility as conditions change, and our capacity to take on challenges of increased complexity will grow exponentially in the midst of that pathway to transformational change.
So, start down that pathway and experience the unknowns, the highs, the lows and the transformation that you will be sure to experience!
Questions to consider
- What are all of the things you wish you could improve and how might the path towards transformational change help in each of those?
- When is the last time you underwent a professional or personal change effort? What did you learn along the way, what could have been better and what unexpected changes did it bring about?
- In what ways could your organization benefit from embarking on change – would it invigorate and supercharge employee motivation, reduce turnover, increase employee engagement?
Let’s Roadmap Your Path to Even Greater Accomplishment!
Drop me a line if you would like to jump on a call and see if we can partner together to build on your success as a company or as an individual with a plan that is tailored exactly to your circumstances and that will take you and your organization to new heights by:
Sending an email to info@newbeaconconsulting.com
Or
Getting on my calendar at a time that’s convenient for you
You can also check out some of our experiences, track record and leadership insights by visiting our website at https://newbeaconconsulting.com
[1] https://hbr.org/2021/09/a-futurists-guide-to-preparing-your-company-for-constant-change
[2] https://syta.org/marketingtoolkit/student-youth-travel-digest/student-a-youth-travel-digest-social-impact/?layout=default
[3] https://deloitte.wsj.com/cio/3-transformation-principles-for-reimagining-enterprise-growth-ef543d28