THE NEED TO BE NEW AND THE DANGER OF "TOTALLY"

"To copy others is necessary, but to copy oneself is pathetic."

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish painter

The trouble with this quote is it is absolute, implying that copying others is always necessary and acceptable whereas copying ourselves is not.

I don't like absolutes and this is an example of why.

Excluding very few things, very little I know of is "always" or "never" "everything" or "nothing".

All that said there is value in the concept although I would not draw distinction between copying myself or someone else.

Sooner or later we all have to change so best to make that part of your life from day 1.

TOMORROW'S A NEW DAY . . . MAYBE

"All progress means war with society."

George Bernard Shaw

19th/20th century Irish writer

In general, but progress also redefines society.

What was unacceptable to society today (sometimes) becomes society tomorrow.

Just not always.

The trick is to learn what will when as well as what never will.

NEW AND IMPROVED

"So long as a person is capable of self-renewal they are a living being."

Henri Frédéric Amiel

19th century Swiss writer

I propose an edit.

So long as a person attempts self-renewal they are a living being.

Without the attempt, being capable is of little value.

Keep trying and let the outcome take care of itself.

I Have No Illusions About That

"It is respectable to have no illusions, and safe, and profitable and dull."

Joseph Conrad

Late 19th early 20th century British novelist

And in business, not always profitable.

If you're not envisioning (which can lead to illusion) you're not evolving and if you're not doing that at some point you're gone.

Good Enough . . . Isn't

"He who stops being better stops being good."

Oliver Cromwell
17th century English Political and Military Leader

Not to mention great.

Once again an indication that minds much wiser than mine, believe the need to evolve and grow is at the top of the list of things necessary to succeed.

Well at least that's how I see it; what about you?

Change Management: In the Eye of the Storm

"Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes — it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm."

Peter Drucker
1999

Note that Mr. Drucker's comment was made 10 years ago during a time he would presumably say now, pales in comparison to the tribulations we face today.

But here's the thing; even if you wanted to you cannot stay as you are. The time to mark time while others alter their business model is over.

Like it or not you will change with the only question being, will you actively do so or simply wait until the wave passes? Before you answer, notice that this is a very big wave.

Depending on what you decide, the outcome will be very different.

Hard Times Management: The Time to Change

"The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation."

Comer Cottrell
Businessman

When all goes well some people, myself included, sometimes get comfortable not looking to change things. It's only when challenged that we are forced to look for alternatives.

Well we're certainly not comfortable now and because we are not there are a growing number of us searching for "alternatives."

On the one hand I wish things were better economically but precisely because they are not I see in myself a re-energized examination of all things in my professional life.

Already I am making changes in both me and my business I wish I had thought to make before things got ugly. But of greater importance I look around and see I am not alone and that others are as well.

How about you?

Planning: The Need to Reinvent

"A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation."

Andrew Grove
Founder of Intel

Does the corporation exist if there are no employees? Legally possibly but in reality? I don't think so and if not then the "living organism" Grove refers to is people; individuals who must continually evolve if they are to survive.

In my experience the successful ones, both the people and by extension the corporations, are those who constantly reassess themselves; what they do, where they are headed and how they will get there.

Unfortunately too few do this and over time either fall to the side plodding along or go away altogether. Demanding change and planning how you want it to happen is the key to success.