Last week, I shared a few of the many changes we see taking place almost daily. You can bet that these changes aren’t being made due to a love of change. More realistic motives might very well include competition, customer demand, technical advances, growth, speed, and budget to name just a few.
Let’s examine a few more recent examples of change:
Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about this year’s Olympic games in London? Although missed by many, several unique changes occurred that raised eyebrows around the world.
- In the opening ceremony, Queen Elizabeth and James Bond shared a moment which began in Buckingham Palace and ended with a parachute jump into the opening activities (or so it appeared).
- Attendees enjoyed a special presentation featuring John Lennon singing “Imagine.” The Spice Girls reunited to sing while standing on cab roofs that spun around one of the competitive tracks.
- An athlete from South Africa ran the 400 meters with no legs.
- A woman from Poland played table tennis with one arm.
- Equestrian horses jumped from one hemisphere to the other over the prime meridian at Greenwich Park.
- In many previous Olympic competitions, several competitors were sent home for doping in hopes of capturing a medal. This year, two competitors were sent home for tweeting racist slurs about their competitors.
- After investigating two teams from South Korea and one each from China and Indonesia, eight female badminton players were disqualified after trying to purposely lose matches to receive a more favorable place in the tournament.
- In 2016, the Olympic games move to Rio and, as skyrocketing costs and world-wide chaos continue to escalate, one can only imagine what may happen in South America’s first try as an Olympic host.
As you can see, not all change is good, and much of it is difficult to deal with. However, it can’t be ignored and can easily lead to greater challenges if not dealt with.
In our Productive Chaos: Riding the Wave of Change seminar, we examine a wide variety of tips, tools, and strategies for dealing with the many challenges of change in today’s hyper-competitive, increasingly complex world!
Is your organization prepared for the continuous change which we know lies ahead? Give us a call at 800-886-2629 to learn more about this critical program and its many benefits to you and your organization.
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.