Begin In the mirror

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”

Thomas Kempis (1380 – 1471), German-Dutch Christian author

To kick off a series on change — this is a great place to begin.

Look, we’d all like to change other people, right? I mean, they must be the problem! Otherwise, it would have to be … Oh, rats. Remember, change will only occur when the fear of change is overcome by the pain of remaining the same. This would be the pain part …

Which brings us to the topic of influence and its role in bringing about change.

If we’re struggling to get buy-in, action or the desired outcomes from others, we might be attempting to dictate change rather than lead it. Dictating change might be faster, but leading change will make it more permanent. Dictators impart change by using a clock. Leaders use their compass.

Change can be hard work; in fact, it usually is. When we begin in the mirror, and seek to lead via influence more than mandate, we might be surprised how quickly others become as we wish them to be.

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About the Author

As a 24-year veteran of financial services technology, Steve has served in a variety of sales and marketing leadership roles with Fiserv, Metavante / FIS, and Acxiom Corp., among others. At SHAZAM, he’s responsible for setting strategies and leading SHAZAM’s sales, client engagement, ... read entire bio