The Power to Change
October 12th, 2009 Posted in Newsletter
In The Shark and The Goldfish, Gordy the goldfish is forced from his safe, secure and comfortable fishbowl and finds himself in an ocean of change and uncertainty.
It’s a path that many of us can relate to. Change happens all the time and when it hits we’re forced to move from the comfort of the known to the discomfort of the unknown. It is during these times that we come face to face with our greatest fears—which too often sabotage our joy, confidence, productivity and success. Change turns our world upside down and leads to negative thoughts, actions and outcomes.
But Sammy the Shark has an important lesson for Gordy and for you and your team if you are dealing with change.
Change can be either your friend or foe and this is determined by how you perceive the change you are dealing with. You can make change your enemy by resisting and running from it or you can make it your friend by embracing it and learning from it.
To thrive you must embrace change. Sammy the Shark then goes on to share 5 questions we should ask ourselves and our team members to help us embrace and ride the waves of change.
1. What can I learn from this experience?
2. How can I grow wiser, stronger and better because of it?
3. What opportunities does it present?
4. What do I want now?
5. What actions do I need to take?
Just last week I gave a keynote at the Ft. Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau kick-off event. Obviously being a tourist destination the Ft. Lauderdale convention and hospitality industry has experienced changes and yet I witnessed firsthand an organization that has asked the right questions and embraced change.
1. They asked what they can learn from this experience and have become more innovative in their outreach and marketing strategies.
2. They have come together as a business community with a shared vision and focus and are more unified and stronger as a result of these challenges.
3. They are pursuing new opportunities, that they have ignored in the past, to bring more business to the city.
4. They decided what they wanted and they have put together an aggressive marketing and action plan to make it happen.
5. Now their future is brighter than the South Florida sun. 
How about you? Are you and your team facing changes? I encourage you to get together to read The Shark and The 
Goldfish and ask, then answer, these five questions. Then take action.
I’m confident when you do this you’ll realize another important lesson Sammy shares.
“Change is not the end but the beginning of something better.”
Ride the Wave,
Jon
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Tags: action, change, discomfort, jon gordon, Shark and Goldfish
2 Responses to “The Power to Change”
By Joan Tourville on Oct 12, 2009
Wonderful wonderful article on Change. Can be used both in the work place and in personal life. I printed and sending to my mother who is going through a tough time with change and I know this article will be of great help to her. Thank You. Joan
By Ruth Sanderson on Oct 14, 2009
Jon
I totally agree with your closing comment that change is anopportunity.
A mentor shared three questions with me once that I use in many situations especially around change.
What’s happened?
What’s missing?
What’s next?
I use it myself and with clients. Thanks for sharing your questions.
Regards
Ruth