Recently I was invited to speak to a group of senior executives at a well established national retail company.\u00a0 It\u2019s a business steeped in tradition and admired for its values and commitment to its stores and its employees.\u00a0\u00a0 They admit however that proactive change<\/em> is not something they\u2019re widely reputed for.\u00a0 Based on the fact that I am such an advocate of change, I didn\u2019t know exactly what to expect going in.<\/p>\n

My presentation centered on how the needs of consumers, the nature of competition and the media are all shifting dramatically.\u00a0 I discussed the many opportunities that are available to companies who embrace change and how they can capitalize on it.\u00a0\u00a0 A substantial part of the presentation focuses on the continued growth and importance of social networks and media for retailers.<\/p>\n

At the end of the presentation I spoke to their Marketing Director who had been trying for months to implement a social media program.\u00a0 He was clearly and understandably delighted to learn he had just gotten the CEO’s approval to finally go ahead with it. He thanked me and I congratulated him and told him that I admired his conviction. It takes courage to fight for what we believe in.<\/p>\n

However, as I made my way out of the conference room I realized that the real<\/em> courage that day was on the part of the company\u2019s CEO.\u00a0\u00a0 Until now, he had, for whatever reason, been opposed to a social media program but today he allowed his position to change.\u00a0 Sure it takes guts to stand up for what you believe in, but I think it takes even more courage to let go<\/em> of what you believe in.\u00a0\u00a0 Divorcing yourself from a long-held belief is like throwing out your favorite pair of jeans – they may be a little dated and worn but they\u2019re damn comfortable…far more comfortable than new ones.<\/p>\n

Organizations rarely fail to adapt because their people<\/em> didn\u2019t realize the need for change.\u00a0 On the contrary, it\u2019s often the rank and file employees that are the most vocal proponents for change.\u00a0 Ironically, it\u2019s often because their leaders<\/em> simply won\u2019t let go of the past.\u00a0 Consequently, they impede the organization\u2019s ability to change.\u00a0 It seems almost counterintuitive that leadership would stand in the way of progress but it\u2019s often the case.\u00a0 Change can be turbulent, chaotic and uncertain – three things many CEO\u2019s (and the shareholders they answer to) don\u2019t care for very much.<\/p>\n

Strangely enough, the barrier to change isn\u2019t a lack of people sticking to their guns.\u00a0 It\u2019s an overabundance of people sticking to their guns.\u00a0 Yes, it takes courage to hold-on in the face of adversity but I maintain that it takes more courage to let go in the face of change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Real and lasting change can only take place when we let go of our long-held beliefs and paradigms. But this is easier said than done and in fact, in many cases the very people who are responsible for leading change are the least willing to let go of the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,36,31],"class_list":["post-1925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-retail-change","tag-retail-future","tag-retail-trends"],"yoast_head":"\n