Change is constant

One of the sure things in life is change. The world moves on, with or without you.

Sometimes, change is so slow you may barely notice. Other times it comes on so rapidly, you need to run just to keep up.

Before I entered real estate as a career, I was a management consultant, with the privilege of working across Canada with for-profit enterprises, not-forprofit agencies, and numerous government organizations from First Nations to the feds.

Now, let’s get this straight, nobody calls in a management consultant when they are having fun.

The people asking for your help need to achieve new outcomes, and whether they admit it or not, how things are presently being done needs to, wait for it, and change.

As the old saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”

My approach was quite simple. Ask the client what their goals were, getting them to prioritize the three to five most important, then watch how their teams went about attempting to meet those goals.

Often, the answers were right there in front of the leadership group but for some reason overlooked.

Most of the time, the talent necessary to achieve the desired outcomes was also in the workplace already but simply not empowered.

So, my first objective was to “seek to understand.” When people realize you appreciate what they know to be true, they become more open to listening to you about potential optional ways forward.

Yes, there were times when one or more individuals were part of the problem and had to be moved out of the way as they could not adapt to what was required for the team to progress.

Often though, all it took was the implementation of a taskbased system which, when agreed to and applied by all team members, brought consistent success.

If you study top performers in any enterprise, I am quite confident you will find they have repeatable systems in what they do, how and when they do it.

Not that there isn’t any room for individual creativity. On the contrary, having consistent standards others can count on brings harmony to any relationship, and allows for flexibility to address unique challenges when required.

Think of it like a recipe. An experienced cook has already taken the initiative, tried various ingredients and methods, probably failed once or twice, and eventually came up with a plan that works.

All you need to do is follow instructions and voila, your friends and family think you are a good cook as well!

There are no real shortcuts to success in any enterprise. It is the methodical application of proven strategies and adapting to new challenges with an openness to change.

Vern McClelland is an associate broker with RE/MAX of Lloydminster and an active partner in his family’s livestock operation. Comments on this article are welcome either by emailing vernmcclelland@remax.net or calling 306-821-0611.