So I got your attention with the title of this blog post, eh? A bit dramatic, I know, but really what I'm trying to say is summed up by this great quote below... "If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less."
- General Eric Shinseki
I heard this quote last week and it stuck with me all week long. As I went about my week, meeting new people, networking, and staying on top of the latest business news, this quote kept surfacing over and over again subconsciously. You'd be hard pressed not to find organizations, and people, that have fallen victim to this in the last several years. Our world is changing fast and we all have a decision to make - get on board and change with it or resist change and get left behind.
From a Corporate Perspective
Let's take a moment to think about some of the once successful companies who have lost a step or all together collapsed over the last few years because they were unwilling and/or unable to change and adapt to the new world around them - organizations like Blockbuster, Eastman Kodak, Yahoo and Sears. These companies had the tiger by the tail at some point or another. What happened? The world changed and they didn't change with it. They either didn't see it coming, didn't want to see it coming, saw it coming and told themselves they didn't need to make a change, couldn't adjust to the change or just flat out didn't care. Blockbuster, as we knew it, is gone and has now been absorbed by Dish Network. It should be no surprise that both Sears and Dish Network recently earned a spot on the list of America's Worst Companies to Work For. Ouch!
From a Personal Perspective
Now let's take some time to think about ourselves. How well have we adapted to the changes around us? How willing are we to think about things in a new and different way? How comfortable are we with using new technology? How often do we think about the "good old days" and wish that things would just go back to the way it used to be? Life is moving faster than it's ever moved before and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down.
Gut Check: What are you doing to make sure that you're not irrelevant?
Two years ago, I was still trying to understand the difference between a "@" and a "#" (with regards to Twitter). I had a Twitter account, but I was reluctant to really use it for two reasons. First, it really wasn't comfortable for me. It didn't feel natural and I wasn't sure that I could communicate effectively with only 140 characters at my disposal. Second, I didn't see the value proposition. I couldn't understand how Twitter was going to help me. I had a hard time figuring out the WIIFM (What's In It For Me).
I can't tell you when, why or exactly how it happened, but at some point in time, the Twitter light came on for me. I made a conscious decision that I was going to use Twitter for good, not evil. I'm joking of course, but I decided to use Twitter for professional purposes, rather than personal purposes. If you follow me, you'll notice that I'm not tweeting about my pets (okay...so I don't have any right now), entertainment gossip, what song I'm listening to right now and how it's making me feel, or what I ate for breakfast this morning. I do my best to tweet about talent, leadership, business news, management, and general HR-related stuff. I'll throw in the occasional tweet about my beloved Texas Longhorns or a Foursquare update, but that's about as "off topic" as I'll get. Today I'm closing in on 1000 followers and 0% of them are fake (check this out!). Because of Twitter I've made some incredible connections and significantly multiplied my professional network. I couldn't imagine my world of work without it now.
Not really related, but close enough to put a bow on this blog post
I'm really dating myself here, but I remember the movie, Kill or Be Killed being released when I was a kid. I actually remember going to the drive-in (another example of how watching movies has changed. Are there any left today?) with one of my friends and his parents to go see this movie. Truth be told, I don't remember anything about the movie other than it was filled with martial arts and it had the coolest title ever. Needless to say, it wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards or Golden Globes, but did I mention that it has the coolest title ever?
Nothing like a little martial arts action to get your week started off right. Enjoy!