Change Leverages, Accelerates & Inspires Minds
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Change Leverages, Accelerates & Inspires Minds
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Charity, Humility, Accessible, Rejuvenate, Inclusive, Sincere, Mesmeric, Amity
Tectonic changes like AI, ChatGPT, Claude, Elon Musk’s brain chip ‘neuralink’, flying cars, humanless factories, human embryo incubators, colonizing of Mars, mining on the moon, etc., have turned the world upside down. It will continue to be so, given the incredible speed of change. Chaos will become more intense.
Similar changes in the past had also created fears, anxieties, and chaotic conditions. But leaders with a clear vision initiated policies and techniques to turn change into benefits, expanding businesses and institutions, and in turn raising the standards of living.
Therefore, we cannot keep on watching the incoming changes with awe, fear, and anxiety. All of us have to initiate changes and usher in newer products and services for higher prosperity, health, and happiness. We have to initiate positive changes by acquiring visions of new possibilities and wonders through research and development. Such positive changes create charisma.
Charismatic leaders revolutionize themselves, their families, communities, nations, and also the world. Such all-round changes set the trajectory for a brighter future and, in the process, immortalise the image of the change masters. Let us have a perspective review of the past to draw lessons and hopes for the future.
Over-optimistic viewpoint, you think? Looks like a poetic dream or a leisurely sermon?
Not at all. There are many shining examples. At the height of the British Empire, Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of a free India and achieved what Jawaharlal Nehru called a “tryst with destiny”.
Charisma Creates Magical Spell
Or, take the example of U.S. President Kennedy, who stood before Congress on May 25, 1961, and made a prophetic proposal that the US "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth”.
Not everyone was impressed. A Gallup poll indicated that 58 percent of Americans were opposed to the idea. And that is a big deterrent for an elected officeholder. But Kennedy pursued his dream, saying, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” His passion and conviction won over people’s minds and, at 02:56 GMT on 21 July 1969, the American astronaut Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. As he stepped on the moon, he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Kennedy’s dream, opposed at first by 58% Americans, became a reality.
These are gigantic changes of an epochal type. But similar changes in various fields can make a dramatic impact on the lives and assets of individuals, communities, and companies.
Champion Change for Cheerfulness & Cash-rich Chances
When Jamshedji Tata dreamt of starting a steel factory, it was considered a ‘crazy idea’ by the overseas experts whom he met for consultations. But he pursued and succeeded and inspired many others to start industries.
Hundreds of individuals created monumental wonders and became immortalized. Take, for example, Steve Jobs, a dropout, who dared to say: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” And, he did change the world, facing apparently insurmountable barriers. He was fired from the company he founded, but started a new one and bounced back to take control of the original. It is still adding to the wonders of the world that are applauded even by competitors!
What is Change Makers’ Charismatic Magic?
However, change is not a cakewalk. It is an adventure full of opposition, hurdles, risks, and threats. Many people are ‘somnambulists’ and prefer to confine themselves to ‘comfort zones’ and lead ‘eat, drink, sleep’ lives. As Richard Marcinko says, “Change hurts. It makes people insecure, confused, and angry.” A charismatic change master can help pull them into the mainstream.
All the above leaders also faced resistance from people to change initiatives. To overcome resistance, the reasons for it must be understood, and misapprehensions should be cleared. The reasons could be mainly (i) it is the new fad of the ‘boss’, (ii) fear of the unfamiliar and fear of making mistakes, (iii) fear of incompetence due to failure to assimilate new skills, (iv) hard work and long hours, and (v) losing a job.
The resistance can only be reduced/eliminated by developing all-around trust among all stakeholders. Most importantly, by driving home the benefits of the change to everyone. In short, the change has to be ‘sold’ effectively. Team spirit also has an important role. A change-over from ‘leader and followers’ to ‘leader of leaders’ concept can make this apparently onerous task easier.
How to Initiate and Accomplish Change?
First of all, regularly study/revise Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and honestly record the percentage of time and attention you pay to each type
It is quite likely that the top need viz ‘self-actualisation’ gets no/least time. Plan to increase the time you spend on it.
During the time reserved for yourself, try to find/develop your passion and pursue it.
Raise your inquisitiveness. Be a keen observer and try to interpret change and raise questions - more ‘whys’ than ‘whats’. The inventor of the LED bulb was strolling around a lake when he observed that whenever a firefly in the marsh changed sides, the radiance was amplified by sharp jagged scales on its anatomy. He asked himself ‘why’ and the LED bulb, a gift to humanity, was the result.
Study/revise De Bono’s theory of ‘Six Thinking Hats’: White (Facts& Figures), Red (Feelings& Emotions), Black (Risks & Cautions), Yellow (Opportunities & Values), Green (Creativity& New Ideas), Blue (Organisation Objectives).
Keep churning creative thoughts in the mind and record ideas using the Thinking Hats framework. Ideas of change will inevitably emerge.
This devotion to change turns into creative habits. Just peruse Elon Musk’s life events, and you will see epochal change almost every year.
If you are highly passionate about an idea, all these activities go on in the subconscious mind all the time, but do not let tension build.
How to avoid tension? Take lessons from scientists and research scholars engaged in the most serious, expensive, and risky business. The highest hallmark of creativity and innovativeness is the 'Nobel Prize'. Listen to the voices of Nobel Laureates. According to Walter Issacson, “throughout his life, Albert Einstein would retain the intuition and the awe of a child…..". He further reveals that Einstein wrote a letter to his friend saying that "people like you and me never grow old……….we never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.” In short, just be natural and playful.
And finally, every change must actually yield new benefits to the organisation or public at large. To achieve that, you need to raise your and your team’s POWER, which spells:
Passion, Oracularity, Wisdom, Empathy , Responsiveness
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Wizards of the World!
Spread Your Creed of positive ‘Change’
Positive ‘Change’ Helps People to Bloom
When People Bloom/Shells and Silos in Doom
Business Booms/Company Zooms
NOTE: The Age of AI has brought on change at an incredible speed. Therefore, we are posting an updated version of an earlier blog post.
Radical change sans tension is an ideal but few if any can achieve it! Of course, tension can be kept under control through team work .
ReplyDelete“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” .Steeve Jobs lived up to his philosophy but now 'crazy people' think they can change the world and are distorting it
ReplyDelete"In short, the change has to be ‘sold’ effectively. Team spirit also has an important role. A change-over from ‘leader and followers’ to ‘leader of leaders' is the magic change in humanities but few have achieved it
ReplyDelete