Change is only hard when you are the victim of it. Lead the change, and it’s fun!

Article by PP Tony Heyward, Assistant Rotary Coordinator

If you speak to business leaders about a business journey, the topic always ends up in a discussion about change. Leaders talk about a challenging time whey had to change to save an organisation or company, but the majority are all about change when you are a victim rather than a leader of it.

The secret to leading change is to ensure your organisation is on a journey where change is forever constant but exciting, you are leading it, and your people want to see what happens next.

While this may seem logical, many leaders don’t discuss progress in terms of a journey to achieving something. Thinking of your organisation in this way will ensure that the key desired outcomes created, reflect progress to achieving your organisation’s purpose.

Being on a journey naturally creates great qualities within an organisation.

How often do we hear in Rotary about change and how hard it is, that members don’t like change and it is too difficult? In my experience when you are leading the change and driving it, people love it, and is totally easy. Change that is difficult is change that is imposed on you.

As Rotarians, in our great purpose-driven organisation focused on delivering unique and innovative programmes, always moving forward and improving, we are the leaders of change, not the victims of it.

Change is growth, if you’re not changing, you’re not growing. People who are growing and learning new things never get set in their ways, as they never get that opportunity.

When people are learning new things that help them grow professionally, they will be inspired and will work and increasingly volunteer to continue that learning.

If you’re not changing, you’re being left behind, our communities are changing, and it is likely to be faster in this new COVID world.

Potential members want to be working with an organisation that is always evolving and exciting to be around, and that is why Rotary’s journey will never be finished.