The pace of today’s ever-changing world can be overwhelming and unsettling, or it can present a wealth of opportunities–but only if you’re prepared. To keep change as a positive element in your business, develop these habits:

  1. Accept the certainty of uncertainty. Our world is filled with ambiguity, shifting priorities, differing expectations, unanswered questions, new ways of doing old things, and phenomenal growth, so accept the certainty of uncertainty—it’s here to stay.
  2. Become a quick-change artist. It’s natural to resist change and to want to maintain a familiar environment, but that path is a dead-end street. Success requires you to abandon the status quo, overcome addictions to your comfort zone, and adapt to new situations and ways of doing things very quickly.
  3. Keep learning. We are all the sum of what we read, hear and experience. Practice the 30/10 rule: Commit a minimum of 30 minutes each day to actively seek out new information and then spend 10 minutes deciding how to apply this new information to your life.
  4. Discard your prejudices. Prejudices can stifle your creativity and limit your ability to respond to change. Open your mind and unhook your prejudices.
  5. Watch trends and collect ideas. Pay attention to what’s going on, and create an idea file where you can stash tidbits that catch your attention for later review and use.
  6. Cultivate and maintain a solid resource network. Never pass up an opportunity to interact with another human being. And remember that networking is a two-way street—it’s about getting and giving support and assistance.
  7. Be a fixer, not a finger-pointer. Don’t just complain about problems; instead, welcome the opportunity for creative problem-solving.
  8. Lighten up. Negativism and its byproduct, stress, cloud judgment and interfere with objectivity. The benefits of optimism and a sense of humor cannot be overestimated in a climate of change and chaos.
  9. Stop waiting. Many people can make an entire life out of getting ready to do something. Change doesn’t wait, and the opportunities found in change today may not be there tomorrow. Develop a sense of urgency and couple it with action. The best insurance for tomorrow is the best use of today.

 

Excerpted from Protecting Your Business: How to Keep Your Company Safe from External and Internal Risks and Threats by Jacquelyn Lynn.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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