Volume XXIII, Number 19 (Issue 1129) | May 12, 2025
Change is Easy When…
… you have the authority.
… it does not adversely affect you.
… you do not care how it impacts others (including any ripple effects on those in the second, third, and fourth order).
… you are not the one who has to implement the change.
Conversely, change can be and frequently is hard (overwhelming?) when any of the above are in play.
I have often addressed the topic of change management, be it in this space, a classroom setting, the context of a consulting assignment, or my own life.
No need to examine the numerous times and ways I have written about change management in MMM since today’s essay is typical of those endeavors. As for consulting engagements, change management is central to what we do – JKHCo’s (and my personal) mission being to help individuals and organizations transform their potential into performance℠. As for my own life, change management is a never-ending need and constant challenge. That latter statement reflects my personal desire to be a better version of myself each and every day.
That leaves the classroom setting which is where I will focus today’s missive. In teaching others how they can more effectively approach change and change management, one of the points I make is the influence positional authority has on one’s ability to foster change. For instance, if it is your idea, you can get behind the change one hundred percent. If it is not your idea, but you feel you have voice and vote in the matter, it is usually not hard to get behind the change. However, take away voice and vote, such that change is imposed from above, and that is when things take a turn for the worse – particularly when there is little to no explanation of the “why” or the necessary training falls short of the mark.
As part of that discussion, I would like to offer two illustrations. The first is the relative ease by which change can be initiated when one has positional authority. For that example, I cite the Northern Lights Entertainment production of Dave starring Kevin Klein and Sigourney Weaver (1993). In Dave, the lead character finds that through a stoke of good fortune, he has considerable power to drive and sponsor change. The second example is the 1984 film, The Natural, starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close (Delphi II Productions). In that movie, Redford’s character, an aging but gifted rookie, succeeds in changing the culture of a baseball team from within – more accurately from the ground up – which is always a more arduous task.
Yet in both stories, positive changes are achieved, which in the end is what all change should be about.
Soli Deo Gloria
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
Transforming Potential into Unmatched Performance
Copyright 2025 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Recent issues of Musings may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are always welcome.