Without continual growth and progress, words such as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Today's session hit on the topic of drivers of world change and how to manage them.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
-John Wooden
Adaptability is one important step to success. Success in what? In this ever-changing world. When adapting to change, we must first dare to accept and try, without the fear of failing. As the quote says, its okay to fail, but failing to change is not okay. Drivers of world change include a whole range, like climate change, technology, governance etc.
This was written on the board once more in today's lesson:
There are essentially 3 ways to cope the change:
Option A: Make it happen
Option B: Respond when it happens
Option C: Be "surprised" when it happens
'A' makes the leader, by being proactive, one initiates the change. 'B' is for the reactor, who can adapt to the situation and in certain ways makes one the leader as well. 'C' is for the plain ignorant and blur sotong, who never knows what is going on, and can only fall behind further and further into a deep spiral.
First presenter was Kang Sheng on the 12 Pillars of Change. Followed by Nadia on NGOs and MNEs, and how NGOs should put MNCs in check by stepping in. Lastly for the first session was by Lucas on Web 2.0. After the break, Xun Kai presented on Positive Deviance, and Kai Lin on How Great Leaders get Results-the traditional role in management vs Ghosn's cross-functional approach.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
- George Bernard Shaw -
I feel that this quote pertains well to Xun Kai's presentation on Positive Deviance. To be the unreasonable man makes you the positive deviance. We need more of such positive deviances in the world to drive change. If everyone were to be a follower who follows blindly, then who do we have to lead us?
We then watched a video on this guy who started dancing like a fool in front of a big crowd. Everyone just watched him until the first brave soul stood up and joined him. His actions sparked off a whole change in the environment which ended up with everyone dancing together on a random day like that! It takes guts to be a leader, but it definitely takes more guts to be the first follower. Yes it is true that a leader needs guts to dare to step out and be that first guy to say 'I need to change things around here' (just like Xun Kai's Positive Deviance). However, it takes a big step for the first follower to dare to try out that new idea as well, without fearing failure or resistance from other potential followers.
The pessimism-time curve that prof showed us was pretty cool. It relates to our everyday life. For example in our first year in SMU, we get pretty excited about starting uni life for the first time-uninformed optimism. But when the projects start coming in that we hit the informed pessimism stage and we complain about SMU life and the workload. Then we come to the informed realism part where we decide that we have to embrace such changes in our life, for the sake of moving forward, getting a good GPA and hence career or future, and so we take it into our stride and move on. And finally, we get to completion.
In life, in society, in the world; we all go through changes. It is how we face it and manage it that counts. Whether or not we embrace changes, or we want to be the laggards and sceptics that only changes at the very end (when there is no other choice).
These are the two models we learnt today when a decision is made to change:
1. Tradtional model: freeze-unfreeze-refreeze
2. Modern model: continuous monitoring and renewal (about being constantly aware and fine-tuning the new ideas always. Need to have clear goals and be flexible)
Obviously, the modern model is what we all strive for to achieve now. Thats what new leadership is about.
I would rate today's lesson a 9/10. There were many presenters today, and many avenues for discussion topics. A whole new insight to drivers of world change and it certainly broadened my perspective. However due to the time constraints, we couldn't discuss more about the 3rd presenter, Lucas's questions on the link between perfect information vs moderation, and anonymity vs open communication; which I thought was pretty interesting.
Drivers of world change: I need to take the lead to make things happen.
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