- Change Institute
Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.
- Walt Disney
The secrets of a Change Agent:
- Patience. Take the time to know and understand what needs to change and why.
- Listen. To everyone. You never know who has your next great idea.
- Be decisive. Make no room for paralysis by analysis.
- Be positive. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walt Disney
- Passion. Have passion for the purpose not the process.
- Nil desperandum (Never despair) – Horace. Don’t give in or give up.
- Trust. Yourself. Your team. Your customers. Your ideas.
- Know What You Know. Understand the Knowledge Matrix and the secret of The Gold Mine.
- Boldly go. Not rashly. Not recklessly. Not disrespectfully. Boldly.
- DON’T PANIC! No matter how bad things may be, PANIC will always make them worse.
Change Agents who use these secrets have a built-in Change Agent Decoder Ring. They are the leaders of change. They see the butterfly in the caterpillar. They are the ones folks turn to during difficult and turbulent times. They are not afraid, or at least seem to be brave and bold and inspire confidence, the greatest secret of making dreams come true, in those around them. Change Agents cross the Delaware, free the slaves, lead a million man march on Washington D.C., walk on the moon, and see opportunity where others see failure.
Copyright © 2010 by Mike Reardon. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content or graphics without express permission by the author is strictly forbidden. Excerpts and quotations are allowed only if a link back to MikeReardonOnline.com is included.
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Love it. Great list.
Thank you.
I have no idea yet where I’m going with this Change Institute thing. Just thought I’d put the car in drive and see where it took me.
You know what that’s like, dontcha?
Hi Mike,
Have you read Covey’s book, Speed of Trust?
I believe that the corporate environment- especially in this economy- must re-build trust into their culture if they want to be successful.
My passion is to help make the corporate environment a better place to live and work- after spending nearly 20 years on senior leadership teams.
I love your list. I also love your philosophy.
My husband is from Boston- so I also love your sports teams- the Red Sox and Patriots! They say “the way to man’s heart is through his stomach”, but not if he is from Boston…
I will keep up with you on your blog…my blog is launching soon.
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for your comment and welcome to the blog.
I completely agree that trust needs to be rebuilt. It is 7th on the list, but the list is not in sequential or priority order. The sequence and priority are situational. The list is also not complete. As I work through, I plan some posts about how situations impact what the focus and priority need to be.
I haven’t read Speed of Trust yet, but I really enjoyed 7 Habits and The 8th Habit, so I’ll have to add that one to my reading list.
Best wishes for a successful launch of your blog, I’ll be sure to check it out.
Slainte,
Mike
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(delayed reaction) Yeah, seems that the car ought to be in the drive. Never know when ya might need it.
Mike,
This list was thought provoking for me. Not always, but at times I struggle with 3 and 7. Going through something right now that relates. Not sure why I am struggling because usually I just hop in, sink or swim.
Donna
Hi Donna,
When someone who is usually decisive hesitates, there sometimes may be a good reason. It might be that your unconscious mind hasn’t told the your conscious one what it knows.
The danger is that it could also just be plain, old-fashioned indecision paying one of its occasional visits.
That’s why trust is so critical. Trust what you know also means trust your intuition. Just be sure to check it’s ID.
What was it Reagan said? Oh yeah, “Trust but verify.”
If it’s indecision, c’mon just jump in.
If it’s intuition, trust your gut.
Hope this 5 cents worth of cracker barrel wisdom helps.
Thanks for following my ramblings!!
Yes, 5 cents is 3 cents more than usual. You are so right, I get it.
Donna
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