No One Likes Change

No one likes change.  Those who say they do are most often talking about variety (like changing cars or upgrading laptops);  or perhaps about improvements that make life easier -- though initially, even the idea of change for the better is often met with disdain.

I ran across this Networking Exchange blog post by Alan See (@AlanSee on Twitter). With projections indicating that by 1925 every adult woman in America would be needed to staff Bell Telephone’s manual switchboard system of routing calls, the company introduced the first automatic switchboard.  The change was met with skepticism and questions about the elimination of a human being from the process.  (Also see initial reactions to such innovations as the Model T or the ATM.)

In most organizations, a measure of success -- not to mention the comfort zone provided by precedent -- fights against change.  On the other hand, a measure of pain is frequently the real agent forcing change in our midst.  And delaying innovation until pain is registered does not seem to be the best strategy for survival...let alone innovation and growth.

So as team leaders, organizational management, or simply aspiring agents of change, here are two responses that, when heard (or spoken), should signal that we may be missing an opportunity to innovate.

1. The “we already do that” response.  When a team member proposes a strategy or project innovation, be slow to equate the proposal with something already in place.  I know a Marketing Director whose proposal for a strategic upgrade to the organization’s client interview process was cut short once the term “client interview” was uttered.  Her boss either assumed every interview program is the same, or that there was no need for change.  Opportunity lost.
2. The “I’ve done that job, so I understand what is involved” response.  Right.  Talk to an audio engineer about the knowledge and skills required for the job today, and compare them to the same job twenty years ago.  No matter the task, the instant we assume the way we did RFPs, tracked customer experience, or approached SEO yesterday is state-of-the-art today, we are resisting the possibility that change might be in order.

This is not to suggest that just because change is possible we should instantly embrace it.  Innovation rarely comes cheap.  Impact on budget realities, human resources and organizational infrastructure are not to be discounted.  And certainly, the mere existence of a “great idea” does not constitute smart change for the better.  But as Alan’s post suggests, the most potent change may come in increments that begin with the question, "how can we improve."

"We’ve always done it this way", or "we never did that before" -- or "we don’t invest in fixing what isn’t broken" -- these are not, in-and-of-themselves, good reasons for sticking with the status quo.  To the degree these are knee-jerk responses to the ideas of change,  they are at the heart of our inability to innovate and grow.

In many respects the marketplace moves into uncharted territory with each new day.  Those who aspire to lead must constantly ask whether there is a better way to accomplish our tasks.

Why Nothing Changes

Thankfully we've survived the campaign antics of another election season in the U.S. And the news, whether your candidate won or lost, is that not much is likely to change.

So we can relax. Fear mongering notwithstanding, two, four, even six years from now we'll find ourselves a little older, to be sure; but, apart from that, not much will have changed. The issues, challenges and debates of 2016 will be alarmingly similar. (Consider how long we've been debating healthcare in the U.S.)

The truth is whether in ones personal life, as a leader in business, or a player on the political landscape, real change -- not to mention meaningful progress -- is rooted in unselfish perspective.

The trouble is perspective is in short supply; unselfish perspective may be near extinction. And big picture vision has given way to the belief that winning is the only true measure of success.

The void isn't limited to the body politic either. We manage to turn virtually everything into a contest. From discussions with significant others to a town hall meeting examining the health of our communities, dialogue far too often gives way to a debate. And with the combination of self interest and a commitment to victory, we dig in and hold our ground as if engaged in a battle for field position.

Unwilling to give even an inch, we witness -- well, something like a political campaign. No real dialogue. No information. No learning. No compromise. And no progress.

With rare exception, here's what we seem to have forgotten: meaningful change doesn't begin with the articulation of a winning argument or even a winning strategy. It begins when individuals become more concerned with listening than talking, and at least as concerned with understanding as being understood. It begins when winning today -- whether with family, neighbors or colleagues -- is less important than teeing up the dialogue that will enable us to find solutions to tomorrow's challenges.

Because no matter the venue or the issue, lasting change does not come in a day. Or a week. Or even an election season.

At The Heart of Today's Game-Changing Marketing Strategies

Ask a dozen professionals from a variety of endeavors to define marketing and you will likely receive variations on two or three different themes. Retailers, B-to-B enterprises, service providers, Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial start-ups – and everything in between -- often view, plan and budget for marketing from unique perspectives.

But all of us, unique perspectives notwithstanding, count on our marketing investments to do one thing: contribute to a change – in awareness, in behavior, in loyalty, in habits or routines.

You may not think of or define marketing as an agent of change, but consider it. Regardless of the deliverable, from a single effort to an entire campaign, marketing is designed to instigate some type of change in the status quo. It may be about transforming a target into a client, expanding a customer’s use of your product/service line, creating awareness, or deepening loyalty to a brand. But effective marketing is, at its core, an agent of change.

Enter “Social Media”

I don’t believe any single solution is the holy grail of marketing; but the so-called “social media” options present marketers a new level of access to a critical dynamic of change – the oft overlooked (or ignored) element of dialogue.

Simply put, dialogue is the life-blood of enduring change. One-off decisions and temporary digressions can be precipitated by an event, an incentive or a compelling message. Dynamic campaigns can certainly win customers. But lasting change – the kind that lies at the heart of repeat business and customer loyalty – is the byproduct of feedback, conversations and the dialogue attendant to shared experiences. And “Social” provides a platform for numerous approaches to each of these activities.

We have long recognized the potential impact of “word-of-mouth” marketing. Get satisfied clients/customers talking about their experience with your product or service, and the marketing game changes. No longer is it the voice of the company extolling benefits; customer-originated messages have authenticity. Shared experiences resonate.

Add the element of actual real-time feedback, and you’ve tapped into the real marketing potential of social media; now you’re building relationships. And relationships trump everything. Relationship is the context for turst. Conversations that allow for questions and answers, musings, what-ifs, and even the airing of a problem – this kind of dialogue is the DNA of relationships that grow and thrive.

So when you wonder about the role of social media in a marketing strategy…or how to introduce the idea to leaders in your company…or what the best practices might be with respect to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, remember the seed that eventually gives rise to the most pervasive and enduring change your market will ever know: today’s game-changing marketing plans create shared experiences, encourage on-going dialogue, and build communities with clients and