In this article I present the 3 elements that I consider key to achieve changes with results, both at a personal and organizational level. These are desire, courage and action, and I have ventured to call them "The Three Laws of Change", because without them there is no change possible.
Much is said about change in the organizational world these days and the importance of the willingness to change to be successful in this ultra-competitive world. The question that arises then is: what is it that really allows people and organizations to change?
In my experience working with people and companies, I have found that there are three definitive elements when it comes to change, and I have ventured to call them "The Three Laws of Change", which I present below:
Desire: to change you have to want to do it, have the firm desire to achieve it. True and profound change is impossible to achieve through imposition. That is the reason why when change is imposed, people are against it. Obviously, it is possible to impose changes, but as soon as the power factor that subdued those who accepted them disappears, you will immediately return to the previous state of things.
Courage: to change we must have the courage to believe in ourselves and that we can think and act differently. Obviously, hiding behind the safety of the known is much easier than facing the challenges of change. Many people, out of fear, prefer mediocre stability to change that generates progress. These people are usually the ones who hide behind phrases like:
- "Here things have always been done that way and have worked." "Why change if everything is fine?" "Change is difficult and painful."
In this way they avoid facing their own fears and limitations, losing the opportunity to overcome them and go further.
Action: nothing changes if you do not take action. Taking action is the only thing that ensures that changes happen. It is very easy to talk about change, but it is very different to carry it out. To achieve change requires that they be driven by people of action who do not shy away from difficulties, nor shrink from challenges. Change implies taking action, because otherwise change becomes a simple illusion.
Only the people and organizations that develop these attributes will be able to successfully face a world where the only constant is change. Leadership and management development authorities, including Peter Drucker, Jack Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Kenichi Ohmae, and Ram Charam, emphasize that effective leaders today are those who are capable of leading and managing changes to make things happen.
Cultivating the desire for change, supporting those who have the courage to question the status quo, and making it easier for them to take action are a great way to accomplish this. However, this is a magnificent challenge, since it involves the leader's own commitment to these “three laws”, which requires deep personal work to abandon the fears that, many times, sabotage his good intentions in this regard.
