The Power of The Status Quo

Change is indeed difficult. But not necessarily because what's on offer isn't better. Part of the resistance is our comfort with small problems. Things which work reasonably well, get the job done despite any minor inconveniences are okay for now. Add to this any sunk cost, whether it be money, time, or status invested in the current thing and the price of changing goes up even more. And finally, our attachment to the immediate and unwillingness to see a better future, despite logic and provable truth is often too powerful to overcome.

What happens when it works? What story do we tell ourselves about the risks and rewards? What level of discomfort is no longer tolerable? When does status and the pressure of fitting in with the the new idea, technology or way of doing things start to gain traction? When does it become clear our problems are better solved? And, why didn't we see all of this sooner?

The harbor feels safe because it is...right now. It's the best option at the moment. But this too will change, no matter what we hope or believe. But, we also get to choose...whether to be curious, to poke around, to consider other options. And most importantly, we get to choose to change...and make things better. Choose wisely.

Because It's Real

The Earth isn't flat. Birds are living, breathing animals. The Matterhorn stands 4,478 meters tall. These things aren't debatable...yet, they are.

Facts are backed by science, proven outcomes through trial and error. They can't be proven false. Yet, they're regularly disputed...irrational for most, but not for those who believe differently.

We all have stories in our head. And, they're different for each of us. They must be. We're all unique. No two people have exactly the same world view, exactly the same belief system, had exactly the same parents, teachers and friends. No two people have exactly the same outlook about everything. All of us have different dreams and desires.

The key to changing anyone is to first seek to understand the framework of their world view. How do they define real? And, then to understand how it feels to be wrong. Sometimes, it's better to find someone else to change.

Sink Or Swim

Treading water takes effort, especially the longer we do it. And it’s worth it because it beats the alternative…drowning. But at some point we must change our circumstances and move forward. Or, we will eventually sink.

Life can feel like treading water…unless we decide to change it. Remaining in place, doing the same things day after day will result in the most predictable outcome. And while repetitive work is necessary to get things done, New work is also necessary to make change happen.

Staying in your lane is a choice. But, someone is always swimming, making things better. Hopefully, it’s you.

Choose wisely.

Trail Running

Running, in general, requires both physical effort and varying levels of mental focus depending on both fitness level and the environment. Running on the pavement allows us to focus on endurance, efficiency and longevity. It doesn’t require much attention on each step because the terrain is consistent and foreseeable (sans significant bumps or potholes). We can zone out, listen to music or a book, or just soak up some deep thought and tranquility. Trail running on the other hand requires a heightened awareness of our surroundings and particularly on the path in front of us. The unevenness, small hazards and uncertainty of each few feet keeps us highly engaged. Every trail runner has suffered the consequences of not paying attention, letting our minds wander even if just for a second, and boom, down we go. 

There are three significant benefits of trail running. First, time moves more quickly for trail runners due to the high level of focus and engagement. Want to kill an hour but it only feels like twenty minutes? Try trail running. Second, it builds a habit of heightened attention on our surroundings. We learn to pay attention to the little stuff. Three, we hone the skill of response to the unexpected (improvisation). Through practice, we learn exactly how much to pick up our feet to clear the obstacles, when to shift balance, when to slow or hasten our pace. After a while, it seems almost effortless.  

We can treat our lives and our work like pavement running. But we need to understand the consequences. Doing something predictable, step by step, day after day, brings comfort…the comfort of knowing what happens next. But, apart from efficiency, it doesn’t bring much change. So, if this is what’s on order…do the other thing, the unpredictable. Go trail running instead.

Leading change is a choice we all get to make…choose wisely.

I Don't Know

Perhaps we don’t. Most things aren’t predictable. And being uncertain, unsure about what to do next, is a natural condition of change. But, change can’t happen without a push forward, without someone who chooses to go, and to take responsibility for something which might not work…someone who chooses to lead.

Change agents come our way every day, often fast and furiously. I Don’t Know is a good response to create an intentional pause…to give ourselves time to think. But the important part is what comes next…what comes after I Don’t Know? And, blanks don’t count.

We need less I Don’t Know and more I Don’t Know But/And…Choose Wisely.

Change the Normal

We are experiencing tremendous change and turbulence in both what we do as well as how we do it. Our normal way of doing things is being turned upside down and inside out. And it’s almost certain the way we approached our work two weeks ago won’t return. Normal is being redefined.

The challenge then is what to do with it. What can we do with the opportunities presented, albeit unplanned and uncomfortable. One choice is to ride it out and see what happens. Let others determine the new path, follow along and hope to fit in. The other path is to help define it. But this takes more work and going deeper into the unknown. This means going through ten or fifty bad ideas to get to a successful one we can enroll others in. It means we need to find new ways of collaborating, engaging and serving. We need to embrace new technology and processes to get things done. We need to make a new normal. And all of this takes risk and the desire and stamina to learn something new. It requires seeking discomfort not avoiding it, knowing the possibilities of a better culture, a better way of work and a more comfortable place are worth the effort. This path demands leadership. Hopefully we choose it.

We’re not pioneers in this space. It’s happened before. The Great Depression, world wars, plagues, volcanic eruptions…they push us into a new direction…and we create a new normal. So, here we are again…time to get busy. 

Accidental Change

In the early days of driving we didn’t take drinks with us in cars. We had drinks…and we had cars. But they didn’t work well together. The business of driving a car required virtually all of our faculties. And the ride was such that taking any unsealed liquid was a pants stain waiting to happen. Interestingly we didn’t seek to develop automatic transmissions, power windows and smoother suspensions to make it easier to drink in cars. But those unrelated advancements did change that outcome. Cupholders exist because of changes in comfort, and having a free hand…which were the result of longer trips and so on.

Change isn’t just direct..if we do this, we get that. There’s a lot of bumping into other things along the way. Study almost any innovation and it’s likely a series of unrelated causes led to the outcome. Not just one planned path. 

Curiosity, desire and action lead to change…maybe even the outcome we were seeking. But maybe something even better…something we could have never imagined. The good stuff doesn’t always come from a plan. Accidents happen…and sometimes they are good. Please go create some.

Selling an Idea

…is often like selling someone a meal when they’re not hungry. You’re offering a solution to a problem they don’t have…yet. But what if you could create a version of the future so compelling, so interesting and legacy driven that you could gain enrollment to go there? And what if you could take responsibility for getting past the obstacles that stand in the way? What if you did the heavy lifting?

Big ideas often come with hard work and risk. But they are necessary for meaningful change. Your job isn’t to sell the idea. It’s to lead the charge to get there.  

A Culture of Help

Your goals aren’t nearly as important as the ones of the people around you.

A posture of generous and caring commitment to people on your team is the most effective way, perhaps the only way, to fulfilling your own dreams…because people naturally want to help those that help. 

Leading change is really hard to do on your own. Gaining enrollment from others may be even harder…unless you commit to seeing them first.

Create vs. Consume

Change happens when we create...when new things get done.  We have more tools than ever before to connect, invent, solve problems and learn. Yet change is often left to the few, the more educated, the more powerful and those with better jobs. Simultaneously, consumption and the resulting distractions are at an all-time high. What was once reserved for TV hour at the end of the day has morphed into a constant and immediate flow of noise. Entertainment is fine, actually necessary, to keep the mind fresh…and to make life fun. But the consumption creep we are experiencing is a bad trajectory. People are learning less, making less and doing less at the expense of being entertained and informed. Too bad there’s so little signal…and so much noise. 

If you’re not busy creating something original, making something (that might not work) and leading change you’re wasting a wonderful chance…and we need you. 

Go create…and leave the consumption to those other people.

The World Needs You

...to change it.

The human condition is a gift. The chance to be creative, imaginative, angry, persistent and happy should not be wasted or lost in a life of meaningless wandering. Rather each of us has the opportunity and the power to change something...to make a dent in the universe. But most people settle in because they take "changing the world” too literally. They believe that short of a Nobel prize the effort is wasted…better to leave to someone else...someone smarter, more powerful, wealthy or more creative. The truth is that all big, world stage, changes start small with someone taking a leap and acting on an idea. And almost every time these little steps are not calculated to end up as world changers…at least not the entire world. They begin as adjustments on a much smaller stage, the neighborhood, the school or department. Eventually some of these small steps get traction and spread to a bigger stage. But many don’t…and that’s okay. One smile is as meaningful as a million. 

So go ahead…make a ruckus in your slice of the world. Who knows what will happen next.

The Danger of Lowering the Bar

When you have to dumb things down, make ideas more vanilla so a larger group will swallow them you become average at best...and often look ridiculous in the process. While entertaining...it also destroys any chance of getting meaningful change to happen.

Breaking Tradition

People change. Expectations change. The market forces us to get better and constantly improve. Hospitality offerings today are much different (and mostly better) than they used to be...new trumps old. Tradition evolves.

Most of us care enough to adjust practices to adapt to ever changing service expectations. Generally, we understand that if we don't change, someone new is going to come along and take our place. But, as you venture away from center...away from the core group delivering the experience...this comprehension depreciates. And sometimes, quite rapidly.

I recently sat in on some property management software training, specifically the "front desk" module. The very first thing I noticed...in the check-out screen, the cursor begins in the "room number" field. So, I asked the trainer..."can we change it so the cursor begins in the name field?"..."no, can't do it without rewriting the program code." Great, so we've been asking our front line employees to use guest names instead of room numbers for as long as I can remember, but the software can't be changed to accommodate that. Ridiculous. Obviously, the software company isn't selling hospitality, they're selling program code, check-out efficiency, i.e., software. They're stuck on traditional means and methods. And, that's a huge problem.

What's the biggest obstacle to delivering restaurant quality meals in a banquet setting? Probably moving the food from a central kitchen to the meeting room, and holding it until the group is ready to eat. So, why not design a mini kitchen at or near each meeting room allowing food to go from oven to plate to guest along an uninterrupted path? That would eliminate hot carts and allow you to cook to order (not from scratch). Too expensive? Not when you factor in how many people are going to leave your events completely underwhelmed...having experienced yet another mediocre banquet meal. Is the kitchen consultant selling hospitality...or kitchen equipment? Is the chef pushing you to deliver a meaningful dining experience? Or, are these people stuck in tradition?

If building strong relationships with your current customers is the key to finding new ones, why isn't your marketing firm pushing you to find ways of developing a permission asset? Why aren't they requiring you to ask every current customer to stay in touch? Why aren't they pushing you to spend more on creating newsletters, personal email communications, blogs and handwritten thank you notes than traditional advertising campaigns? Why aren't they moving you out of traditional marketing and into new marketing?

We're pretty good at evolving our own troops and motivating people to deliver better results. But, what about those companies we rely on as partners? Are they pushing us and moving us forward? Or, are they taking an easier more traditional path just to sell their product or earn a fee?