Sudden Involuntary Change!

Images of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami destruction in Japan along with schematics of nuclear power plants have quickly been seared into our individual and collective consciousness. Beyond what is readily observable, reports indicate the island of Japan moved eight feet and the earth’s axis shifted four inches as a result, or perhaps cause, of the quake. The height of your ceiling is probably about eight feet and four inches is about the length of your smart phone. Neither number seems large in those contexts; however because we consider the earth to be solid and permanent a measurable change of that amount is staggering and helps to explain how such dramatic damage was produced so suddenly. If those geological shifts had occurred in small increments over hundreds of years there may have been numerous small tremors but the gradual shifts would not have resulted in anything close to the devastation we have seen and few lives, if any, would have been lost.

Effectively managing change is one of the most challenging demands for a leader at any level, particularly frontline managers. Perhaps for leaders the main lesson of this complex disaster may be to understand change more clearly. The key variable elements of change are speed and choice. The earthquake and tsunami are examples of no choice and high speed change. That type of change is virtually impossible to resist but good leaders reserve such dramatic changes for critical situations. High choice and gradual change may meet with resistance and the day to day impact may be indiscernible. Think of losing weight or in a business sense something such as shifting work responsibilities to address evolving technology or economic factors.

For all of us, leaders or followers, effectively responding to change is a key determinant of success at work and life in general. Self awareness along with observing how others respond to change are proven strategies for personal development. As you watch events in Japan and elsewhere unfold take a moment to consider the type of change and how people respond.