“When everything is running smoothly, there’s no impetus to change, to grow, to progress. It’s only when things stop running smoothly—when they break—that we suddenly look at alternatives and discover, often to our amazement, that there’s a better way.”

Oh, I know—you’ve got enough problems to deal with without tinkering with the stuff that’s already working. “The water’s already choppy,” you say in your platitudinous way. “Why rock the boat even more?” And I agree that things are still rough out there. If the so-called economic recovery were a medical recovery, we’d all be dead.

And still I want you to break the stuff that’s working.

Now here’s the caveat: I don’t want you to do this for real (or, as a younger friend of mine says, “for realsies,” although it’s cuter when she does it than when I do it). Yes, I want you to break your working systems, but only in your mind/on paper/within the privacy of your own team. I want you to do this for three reasons:

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As a professional speaker, I get to visit with many different businesses in a cross-section of industries. I’m noticing some trends that I find encouraging—trends that I’ve confirmed with several of my speaker colleagues. Now, I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that we’re completely out of the economic doldrums. You’re too smart to fall for that (except for you—the guy in the yellow flowered shirt—you’ll believe anything I tell you). But in broad terms, here’s what I’ve noticed:

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Earlier this morning I delivered the keynote address to a meeting of 1,000 Harley-Davidson dealers. It was an amazing experience. Perhaps the most amazing part was that 1,000 Harley people, who had packed the various hotel bars the previous night, actually showed up to hear an 8am keynote!

As part of my research, I had talked to several of these dealers in the previous few weeks. Among the questions I asked them was, “What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Harley-Davidson dealers today?” Not surprisingly, the economy figured large in their answers. But there were a couple of comments in particular that really got my attention. And what intrigued me was that these comments could apply equally well to any business or association operating today.

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Boy, was yesterday going to be a great day! So many fun plans, and perfect weather for them, too! (You: “What were these fun plans, Bill?” Me: “None of your business. But trust me, they were going to be fun!”) I hop out of bed, eager to get started. But first, a quick e-mail check. Yes, this is a blatant violation of the rule Julie Morgenstern talks about in her book Never Check E-Mail In the Morning, but I’m a “throw caution to the winds” kind of guy. Besides, checking e-mail first thing in the morning is kind of like a mini-Christmas, every day. You never know what Cyber-Santa is going to leave in your Inbox. Sure, most of the time it’s junk, but honestly, isn’t there a tiny part of you that gets excited with the anticipation that, just maybe, this will be the day that that long-lost fantasy girl or boy from high school finally comes to their senses and decides to reconnect with you? And so, eternal optimists that we are, we check our e-mail in the morning. Read More…

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So I was out to dinner last night, and two guys at a nearby table were discussing Sunday’s Grammy awards—specifically Paul McCartney’s performance of I Saw Her Standing There with Foo Fighter (and former Nirvana drummer) Dave Grohl on drums. This led one of the two to say “Well, Ringo never really was much of a drummer. But I guess he was an okay timekeeper, and that’s really all the Beatles needed.” The other one agreed. At that point, I’m pretty sure I was visibly shaking, and it was all I could to keep from setting fire to their table. Read More…

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Along with the rest of the world, I just watched Barack Obama become the 44th president of the United States of America. No matter what your own personal political views may be, there can be no question that this represents a monumental and fundamental change in our nation’s history. And I’m reminded once again that change, in and of itself, is nothing to be feared. Rather, change is a necessary and natural part of progress, of growth.

Yes, change can be scary. In the current economic environment, many have seen their financial situations change for the worse. So what’s the proper response to this change? More change. Not “change-for-the-sake-of-change,” but purposeful, intelligent, focused change. Why? Because it’s only through change that we truly develop and achieve character, leadership, and yes, prosperity. Read More…

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