The HIVE community is focused on driving true change in housing. And, as in most business challenges, some organizations will be successful driving that change, while others will not.
This article spotlights the key to change - a true commitment and follow through - and how to get there with three steps.
A few years ago, at an author conference, all of us who were there — about 150 business authors from all over the U.S. — lined up to break a 1.5-inch thick piece of pine using a classic karate chop. I got in line right away — I wanted to just do it, rather than think about it too much and get wrapped around my own mental axle — and was successful on my first try. I was pleased; I had followed the instructions I was given, to focus my attention on the far side of the board and follow through without hesitation, and it worked.
Then I sat and watched as everyone else tried it. It took one friend of mine three attempts to break her board — and it was entirely clear to me, watching, why. I could see her hand slowing down, losing momentum just before she connected with the board on her first and second tries. She was on an almost invisible level, second-guessing herself.
Over the past couple of years, as we've been helping more and more of our client companies make dramatic changes — in their business model, structure, culture, go-to-market strategy — I see this dynamic played out over and over on that bigger stage. When CEOs and their teams fail to fully commit to change, change fails. As I saw with the board-breaking exercise, it requires a kind of in-the-moment bravery, a willingness to let go of your timid interior monologue (What if it I fail? What if this isn't the right thing to do? What if it's not possible?) and go all-in. It's scary to commit to a new course, especially one that's very different from your current course.
