In my work as an interim executive with organizations experiencing executive leadership/complex transitions, I often hear top leadership pining:

·    “I can’t wait until we get this change behind us.”

·    “When we get permanent leadership, will things calm down?” 

·    or my fav - “How much longer will we be undergoing change”?

Hate to tell you, but change is a constant without a stop and start.    People, institutions, relationships and even organizations are organic and change is required to keep them healthy and energized. And, all parts can move at their own speed and not necessarily in sync.  Sadly, I sometimes see organizations who are in “locked down with the status quo”, and bring me in fundamentally because they have “pent up demand for change” and they don’t have the leadership bandwidth to take it on.

It’s time to analyze why the organization is gripping on to the past.  Ego?  Lack of vision?  Negligence?   Lack of “refreshing” at the leadership and/or board level?   Fear?  Lack of systems?   No idea how to institutionalize change?  Maybe all of the above.

I challenge you to set a new year’s resolution to understand what’s driving your culture of clinging to the past.   And, dip your foot into the water with one shift.   Then try another.   Set up victories that will gain momentum.   Empower internal evangelists.  Change is happening anyway, so why not direct it for the better?

As the great John Wooden said, “Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.”