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A Moment to
Change
by Lee J.
Colan, Ph.D.
(This report is an excerpt from the book
"7
Moments...That Define Excellent Leaders".)
A Moment to Change is one of the trickiest
moments discussed in
7 Moments… that Define Excellent Leaders.
Trees grow up through their branches, down through their roots
and grow wider with each passing year. As growth occurs, trees
eventually shed their protective bark to make way for growth.
Humans are the same way.
Just as trees need bark as a protective shield while growth
occurs, we as humans need boundaries to defend our
vulnerabilities as our potential unfolds… but our ongoing growth
depends on our ability to shed this “bark” of protection when it
is no longer needed. In some cases, an inability to shed this
bark will constrict our ability to realize our full potential.
But unlike trees, which shed their bark automatically, we have
to determine the right time to adjust our boundaries, to “shed”
these protective devices in order to create the space we need to
reach the next level. As my friend Byrd Baggett says, “You
have to let go to grow.”
Letting go of old habits isn’t easy. We must periodically take
the time to question our boundaries and to ask ourselves if it
is time to soften our defenses and expand these boundaries or do
we continue to need this protection.
The following is an excerpt from a commencement address
delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar
Animation Studios.
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you
live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most
certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since
then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every
morning and asked myself, ‘If today were the last day of my
life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And
whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I
know I need to change something.”
Jobs offer a good acid test for assessing our need to change.
However, the forces for the status quo are great. Initiating our
own changes is definitely easier said than done. The following
historical quotes help illustrate the forces of resistance that
still abound today. All of these people said it couldn’t be
done:
It’s up to each of us to define our own future and turn a deaf
ear to doubt casters, just as those change agents did who
ultimately made these statements humorous and absurd.
It’s all in the view we choose. Take a moment to change the
way you look at things and things will change the way they look.
You can learn about the remaining moments that define excellent
leaders in my latest book,
7 Moments.
Seize the moment to change… and excel.
Copyright © 2008 by Lee J. Colan and The L
Group, Inc.Return to Back Issues
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