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Dealing with Change? Your Future Depends on it...

It is our nature to resist change…it makes us uncomfortable, we don’t like changes.  We like being in our “Comfort Zone”, yet as Peter Drucker wrote, “We live in an Age of Discontinuity”.

Just when you thought you knew where things were headed, real estate values increasing year after year, low gas prices…buy that big comfortable SUV, buy the investment condo, plan the European trip…BANG!  Sub-prime implosion, unemployment headed to 10%, money tightens, the dollar decreases in value.  Stress levels up?  Well welcome to the 21st Century…Shift Happens.

My Grandfather was born in 1888.  When he was growing up the primary mode of transportation was the horse and buggy as it was for thousands of years before.  Now just imagine the changes that he experienced in his lifetime.  First came the gas powered engine and the automobile which impacted everything in the next century.  Then he saw the airplane evolve from Kitty Hawk to huge 727’s in the sky.  In his lifetime he witnessed our putting a man on the moon, which had been described only in fiction.  He saw the US evolve from a farm nation to an industrial economy. People began moving to the West and the Sunshine States, several major wars fought on a worldwide scale.  All of this in one lifetime.

It is not just change but the rate of change.  Alvin Toffler describes this in “Future Shock”http://www.amazon.com/Future-Shock-Alvin-Toffler/dp/0553277375 as “an abrupt collision with the future.”   Change is occurring so quickly, in fact, that we no longer have the luxury of adapting to it gradually.  My Grandfather experienced change, however the events were occurring over a period of time.  We now experience massive shifts in but a few months, the speed is accelerating.

To deal effectively with change you must learn how to embrace it.  It begins with acceptance.  Most people believe that if they ignore change, it won’t happen.  That if they ignore change, somehow time will turn back to the way things were…the way it used to be.  Well that is not going to happen.  The most valuable quality you can develop is flexibility.  You must form the habit of remaining open-minded and adaptable to new information and circumstances.  When things go wrong and problems come up, as they often do, instead of becoming upset and frustrated, look for the benefit that is always contained in the change.

Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the most intelligent of the species that survives the longest; it’s the most adaptable.”

When you have a clear vision of where you’re going and what you want to accomplish, you develop resilience.  You develop a positive attitude and you have goals.  Your ability to function with calmness, clarity, and quiet assurance in every situation will determine your success in times of change more than anything else.  You have to accept change, improve on it, and then move on to the next situation.  The results you can achieve are unlimited.

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”  George Eliot

CoachAnovick

Paul@anovickassociates.com

201-445-2822

Developing Potential, Producing Results

Just when you thought you knew where things were headed, real estate values increasing year after year, low gas prices…buy that big comfortable SUV, buy the investment condo, plan the European trip…BANG!  Sub-prime implosion, unemployment headed to 10%, money tightens, the dollar decreases in value.  Stress levels up?  Well welcome to the 21st Century…Shift Happens.

My Grandfather was born in 1888.  When he was growing up the primary mode of transportation was the horse and buggy as it was for thousands of years before.  Now just imagine the changes that he experienced in his lifetime.  First came the gas powered engine and the automobile which impacted everything in the next century.  Then he saw the airplane evolve from Kitty Hawk to huge 727’s in the sky.  In his lifetime he witnessed our putting a man on the moon, which had been described only in fiction.  He saw the US evolve from a farm nation to an industrial economy. People began moving to the West and the Sunshine States, several major wars fought on a worldwide scale.  All of this in one lifetime.

It is not just change but the rate of change.  Alvin Toffler describes this in “Future Shock”http://www.amazon.com/Future-Shock-Alvin-Toffler/dp/0553277375 as “an abrupt collision with the future.”   Change is occurring so quickly, in fact, that we no longer have the luxury of adapting to it gradually.  My Grandfather experienced change, however the events were occurring over a period of time.  We now experience massive shifts in but a few months, the speed is accelerating.

To deal effectively with change you must learn how to embrace it.  It begins with acceptance.  Most people believe that if they ignore change, it won’t happen.  That if they ignore change, somehow time will turn back to the way things were…the way it used to be.  Well that is not going to happen.  The most valuable quality you can develop is flexibility.  You must form the habit of remaining open-minded and adaptable to new information and circumstances.  When things go wrong and problems come up, as they often do, instead of becoming upset and frustrated, look for the benefit that is always contained in the change.

Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the most intelligent of the species that survives the longest; it’s the most adaptable.”

When you have a clear vision of where you’re going and what you want to accomplish, you develop resilience.  You develop a positive attitude and you have goals.  Your ability to function with calmness, clarity, and quiet assurance in every situation will determine your success in times of change more than anything else.  You have to accept change, improve on it, and then move on to the next situation.  The results you can achieve are unlimited.

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”  George Eliot

CoachAnovick

Paul@anovickassociates.com

201-445-2822

Developing Potential, Producing Results

Tired of Looking for Work, Why Not Create Your Own Business?

Big is bad! Right now people are not having real good feelings about the “big” companies in the US. Too “big” to fail…that is the expression we often hear. Well my question is “If that is true, why are they failing”?

 

The next 10 years could be a great time for entrepreneurs. The large-scale downsizing from major companies will release a lot of entrepreneurial talent and ideas – scientists, engineers, business folks now looking to do other things. This is a Darwinian unleashing of talent into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 

In 2008 the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 3.8 million companies had fewer than 10 workers and they employed 12.4 million people, or roughly 11 percent of the private sector work force. It is my thought that this “little engine” section of the economy is what could lead us out of this recession.

 

Is it daunting to start and run your own business? Yes. The failure rate for new start-ups is very high. How do you increase your probability of success?

Do you have a vision? Do you have a mission? There is a process to take a start up through to increase the chances for success. You must clearly identify a need in the marketplace and develop a solution that you can execute with a competitive advantage.

 

It helps if you have the financial strength to last a year or longer. As you develop your idea you may find support from your potential customer base or a person who believes in you and your idea. It helps if you can sell and influence others. Believe in your idea; believe in yourself…get going NOW.

Paul Anovick

Anovick Associates

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201-445-2822

 

Dealing With Change

• Pain focuses the mind. When confronted with a “change event” it is human nature to resist or be uncomfortable with the change. We are creatures of habit; we are most secure with the status quo.

   

  How can we effectively deal with change? First, understand that change is part of life; the universe is in constant change…our lives are part of that process. The more we understand that change WILL happen, the less upset and surprised we will be when we experience that change.

   

  Sun Tze, in “The Art of War”, writes about the importance of being aware of your surroundings. Certainly, the case can be made in the early 21^st century the storm clouds of historically low interest rates; easy credit, speculative mentality and things defying common sense…would lead to trouble. As Sun Tze said, “Dust that rose in a high cloud indicated the approach of chariots”. Keep alert to subtle clues and be aware.

   

  The Satir Change model focuses on a system that recognizes the stages of dealing with change.

              Status Quo

              Foreign Element

              Chaos/Shock/Denial

              Fear/Anger (resistance/attempt to return to the late status quo)

              Acceptance/Reorder

              Transforming Idea

              Integration and Practice

              New Status Quo

   

  All stages don’t necessarily occur. The progression might not be a smooth linear one and different amounts of time may be involved with the various stages. Understand the stages and how you must deal with each.

   

  Part of the fear of change involves dealing with the unknown. Communication is always important, however, when facing change it is critical that you talk about your feelings and what you are experiencing. Your spouse, friends, religious leader, associates and coach can listen and help you confront the details of change.

   

  Identify your strengths, a good strategy leverages strength and minimizes weakness. By focusing on your strengths you may discover your purpose and develop your “transforming idea”.

   

  Change requires flexibility. The better you are able to adapt, the greater your opportunity to be successful. Learn – Evolve- Achieve.

   

  On this blog I have discussed the tools available to you, such as Linkedin, Facebook, Networking Groups, such as BNI, LeTip, Chamber of Commerce, etc. Maintain your network, stay positive, stay in motion and you will find the opportunities to deal with change successfully.

   
• Paul Anovick 
• Anovick Associates 
• Developing Potential, Producing Results 

Why The Bail Out?

As an American and a business owner, I say, “let them sink”. Let them fail and collapse as the system is designed. We are not socialist; we are Capitalist, with a Capital C. We are all responsible to keep our own house in order.

 

The government didn’t help me out when I lost my job and had to move across the country. My family faced a medical emergency, buy and sell our home, paid our bills, picked ourselves up and started over again and oh yeah, Uncle Sam said “PAY YOUR TAXES PAL!”  No free ride, no helping hand, just make sure you pay up.

 

This is the greatness of the American story.  You can be proud of your survival and ability to compete in the marketplace and create your own success or not. If it is to be, it is up to me.

 

Lehman Brothers, a major investment bank, is about to go under. At the end of last year, when this tumult was starting to crank up, I said, “What we need is a good old fashioned recession”. And here we are. Every time the government steps in to rescue these guys it only prolongs the pain. Take the hit, feel the pain, move on and then we can start to grow again.

 

It is my opinion, the arrogant, stuffed shirts, pompous SOB’s that run these companies, put us in this difficult situation in the first place. It was their greed and selfishness that chased the endless profits of the sub-prime and other shell games that they created that is now leading to the crash of the financial markets.

 

Help them, HELL NO! Look at some of the payouts these guys are still getting in the face of failure…$20+ million, it is obscene. In the past year, I received several calls a week from former associates who have been downsized, right-sized or outsourced and they are in the process of reinventing themselves and getting back into the marketplace in some field that may be different then what they have done.

 

To my friends in the financial sector, now may be a good time to think about what you want to do and how you can serve the American public. This is an opportunity to think about how to apply those skills you have acquired. Step back, take a deep breath and move confidently into the future.

How Do You Deal With Change? Your Future Depends on it...

It is our nature to resist change…it makes us uncomfortable, we don’t like changes.  We like being in our “Comfort Zone”, yet as Peter Drucker wrote, “We live in an Age of Discontinuity”.

Just when you thought you knew where things were headed, real estate values increasing year after year, low gas prices…buy that big comfortable SUV, buy the investment condo, plan the European trip…BANG!  Sub-prime implosion, oil at $133.00 a barrel, money tightens, the dollar decreases in value.  Stress levels up?  Well welcome to the 21st Century…Shift Happens.

My Grandfather was born in 1888.  When he was growing up the primary mode of transportation was the horse and buggy as it was for thousands of years before.  Now just imagine the changes that he experienced in his lifetime.  First came the gas powered engine and the automobile which impacted everything in the next century.  Then he saw the airplane evolve from Kitty Hawk to huge 727’s in the sky.  In his lifetime he witnessed our putting a man on the moon, which had been described only in fiction.  He saw the US evolve from a farm nation to an industrial economy. People began moving to the West and the Sunshine States, several major wars fought on a worldwide scale.  All of this in one lifetime.

It is not just change but the rate of change.  Alvin Toffler describes this in “Future Shock” http://www.amazon.com/Future-Shock-Alvin-Toffler/dp/0553277375 as “an abrupt collision with the future.”   Change is occurring so quickly, in fact, that we no longer have the luxury of adapting to it gradually.  My Grandfather experienced change, however the events were occurring over a period of time.  We now experience massive shifts in but a few months, the speed is accelerating.

To deal effectively with change you must learn how to embrace it.  It begins with acceptance.  Most people believe that if they ignore change, it won’t happen.  That if they ignore change, somehow time will turn back to the way things were…the way it used to be.  Well that is not going to happen.  The most valuable quality you can develop is flexibility.  You must form the habit of remaining open-minded and adaptable to new information and circumstances.  When things go wrong and problems come up, as they often do, instead of becoming upset and frustrated, look for the benefit that is always contained in the change.

Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the most intelligent of the species that survives the longest; it’s the most adaptable.”

When you have a clear vision of where you’re going and what you want to accomplish, you develop resilience.  You develop a positive attitude and you have goals.  Your ability to function with calmness, clarity, and quiet assurance in every situation will determine your success in times of change more than anything else.  You have to accept change, improve on it, and then move on to the next situation.  The results you can achieve are unlimited.

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”  George Eliot

You Lost Your Job...Now What?

In many sectors of the economy we are starting to witness the impact of a contracting job market.  When you do the math on Bear Stearns many people are affected for their lifetime effort if all of their assets were with the company.

Many years ago I said to a good friend of mine, “No company can provide you security, it does not matter how large the company anything can happen and they are not going to worry about you.  You can only be secure in the value you provide your customers and the trust you build with them.”  Now I am not saying your job is in jeopardy, hopefully very few people will lose their jobs…what I am asking is, who controls your destiny?

Each day, virtually millions of people go to work only because they have to.  They go through the motions of performing tasks they literally hate.  Not only are they miserable, but also they are less than productive.  Why do they repeat the routine day in and out?  Because they’ve allowed circumstances to stick them into a slot where they’ll remain until they experience a change in attitude or until they pass away.  They’ve allowed others to set goals for them.  They’ve fallen into the trap of conformity that destroys a person’s initiative and independence, and suppresses their powerful inner drive for self-fulfillment and satisfaction.

Are you allowing certain present circumstances to inhibit your personal growth?  Have others shaped or decided the roles you’ve assumed in life?  If you had the power, would you choose differently?  If so, you can begin to rise above those negative influences by recognizing that you do have the power to control your thoughts.  You also possess the tools to become the person you wish to become.

Are you cheering for your team to win during the “Final Four”?  What about your victories?  What do you want to accomplish?  Only the players experience the internal satisfaction and fulfillment.  Are you committed to the big game of your life?

We Need a Good Old Fashioned Recession

We Need a Good Old Fashioned Recession

Yes, when Morgan Stanley loses $10 billion in the last quarter, maybe it is time to rethink how we are doing business. We could list many companies right here, Citigroup, Bear Stearns, UBS, B of A, etc.; this is not to pick on Morgan. However, aren’t these the guys we go to for money and advice about our businesses? My motto has always been “Actions speak louder than words”.

During the past year I have had the opportunity to work inside many different types of companies and organizations. The consistent impression is fewer people doing more work, which is how we as a nation have been able to increase productivity in the past decade. The same money guys listed above believe this is the formula going forward. I disagree; the signs of strain are beginning to show. The work-life balance is beginning to push people into making alternative choices. The people who get to keep their jobs with these “Big” companies get to stress their health and existence to the point of breaking…some prize. Many people are choosing to bring value to the marketplace in their own way. The companies will be left with the mediocre while talent will go elsewhere. This is how the market works, read Atlas Shrugged.

If companies want to adapt and grow we must look at what is working…job shares, flex-hours, policies that are employee friendly. The results are amazing, when you treat people well they threat your customers well and business grows, what a concept! “YOU control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands-your own.” Mark Victor Hansen

Now is a good time for a “recession” to rethink how we are doing things. Invest in people.