I was working with one of our best clients last week, FedEx. And during one of the workshops, one of the participants opened the presentation with a quote from Fred Smith, FedEx CEO and Founder:
“If change makes you uncomfortable, then you are going to hate extinction.“
Despite the fact that I can’t be certain about the quote and its attribution, I still love it.
Our world is a rapidly changing one, and the way we do things is in a constant state of change. We hear this from every client, regardless of industry. New ideas are constant. The ways in which we source, produce, market, sell and use things is changing constantly. Keep up with the change, or your business will wither and eventually die.
This matters to you in a bunch of ways. In addition to being comfortable with and adapting to whatever change is happening in your industry, you also need to be able to communicate the reasons and benefits of the change to others. Succeeding in a rapidly changing world requires more than just comfort with change. It also requires great communication skills so that you can get others on board with the changing landscape.
One of the questions I am asked most often in workshops is, “How do I get my team/client/manager on board with this change?” My answers are always pretty simple:
- Communicate why it is happening.
- Communicate the benefit of the change.
- Communicate the cost of not adapting.
Simple messaging wins the day in a complicated, fast-paced, noisy world.
Have a great day!
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