My hand firmly grasping the remote, I was “couch surfing” the other day. You know how it is – over 2000 channels and still… there’s nothing worth watching.
Suddenly I came across the Crocodile Hunter battling some prehistoric-like creature in the Aussie brush. I thought, here’s my old friend Steve Irwin, animal enthusiast, environmentalist and master marketer, dead and gone, yet his show is still in reruns.But wait… this wasn’t a re-run! This was new. It was being narrated by Bindi, Steve and Terri’s little daughter. She was articulate, interesting, and REAL. This was just another extension of the fabulous enterprise that Steve had built.When I was last in Australia, I was told by many that they believed that Steve had done more for the country economically than the last two Prime Ministers had. Now his daughter is carrying on this enthusiasm. Not only does Bindi, all of nine years old this year, host the Crocodile Hunter but she has her own TV series on Discovery for Kids dubbed “Jungle Girl,” she has released her first CD of her music and she even has a line of clothes for kids called “Bindi Wear!”Crikey! What a capacity for change Steve has. Even in death, his brand is unstoppable.But not everyone has a high capacity for change. According to Rick Maurer, author of Building Capacity for Change, only one third of all change succeeds. Most approaches to managing change ignore or trivialize the need to build commitment to changes such as continuous improvement, training, re-branding, re-engineering, and new software systems. We live in an age of rapid and chaotic change. Failed changes cost organizations dearly. Research indicates that resistance is the main reason why so many new initiatives go way over budget or get implemented in ways that really weren’t worth all the effort and cost. Are you or your employees resistant to change?I myself have battled change over the years. For example, as many know I have had a radio show on the CBS Radio Network for over 10 years that I have recently abandoned in favor of a brash new change. Many have told me that I’m nuts! Perhaps they are correct. Nevertheless, our NEW show, Small Business Radio, debuts this Friday on one of the largest Internet radio networks in the world. The show airs LIVE every Friday at 4pm Pacific time. We will take your calls and every week we will feature a business expert. Just click on the link below to access the show LIVE or hear archives of past shows. Or just go to www.markdeo.com to tune in.So what’s your capacity to change? Are you too busy to commit to improvement?Are you kidding yourself and just coasting, hoping that things just don’t change too much? Or are you like Steve Irwin always battling a new predator and conquering change even from the grave. I hope the later. I trust this helps you to begin see change as a friend and as the precursor to growth.Have a great week!-Mark Deo