Nobody can stop change from occurring, and people who try often end up more frustrated than if they had opened their minds to the possibilities of change. Since the beginning of the 21st century, change has accelerated and permeated every facet of most people's lives. Pay phones are now novelties that sit unused most of the time. Getting a real letter in the mail is also an unusual occurrence, yet communication has improved exponentially in speed and efficiency. People tend to resist change out of fear: fear of "looking stupid" for not picking it up readily, or fear that personal growth will lead to an overwhelming number of changes in life.
Change is easier to accept if it is thought of as growth. Learning to send mass text messages or managing email address lists means you can easily review who you contacted, when you contacted them, and even whether they opened the email you sent. Learning new software can make your output compatible with that of millions of people. Continuing education encourages growth seeking and helps us recognize the greatest cause of inertia and stagnation: the dreaded "we've always done it that way" excuse.
Lack of growth or willful ignorance of change can bury a business's (or a person's) relevance quickly. If you continue to produce huge, gas-guzzling cars while the general driving population has embraced fuel efficiency, you will find yourself in deep crisis, as the big three American automobile manufacturers learned in 2008 when gas prices spiked. If you only communicated with clients by regular mail, while your competitors adopted text and email, you would find yourself left behind in the dust.
Leadership development requires openness to change. Growth in efficiency, dependability, and availability result from embracing change. and today, most people are willing to put up with a brief period of learning in order to vastly improve their positioning and increase career planning options. Obsolete or cutting edge? Which would you choose? Which would your competitors choose? Which would your customers choose?
