Don't Wait Till - The Shit Hits The Fan!
Over the last seven years, on my YouTube Series, The End Of The Day With Ray! I have not held back in my thoughts regarding the industry I love!
Those friends of mine who sell, supply and service office equipment. It is amazing how things change, especially when the shit hits the fan!
Many of my episodes have brought out the cries of those who wish things could stay in a false comfort based on a different time.
What is rewarding to me is when my warnings become a reality! This awakening of warnings is what gives me purpose and passion to continue.
Unfortunately, the results are usually extremely painful when any disruptive reality is imposed on those comfortable with the status quo.
As the industry's actors continue to awaken to the realities of its true disruption, their actions will determine the tenure of their continuous relevance.
All industries face disruption and even extinction. However, people have a clear choice to become obsolete.
It seems that when the (shit hits the fan) is when we see those who were silent or complacent to the status quo quickly become vocal and proponents in highlighting all the arguments to defeat the status quo they once found comfortable. So, why do so many wait till the shit hits the fan?
Today, the world moves at incredible speed, and keeping up will always involve some pain. Unfortunately, too many move at what I call, "comfortable speed, a pace that avoids all pain—right to the death!"
When an industry is facing severe disruption, some of its actors will put themselves in hospice, awaiting their defeat as comfortably as possible, and others will put themselves through the needed pain to win a marathon toward relevance.
Many actors within a disrupted industry fool themselves into thinking that only their organization's top leader can decide on hospice or the marathon. This is false thinking for any individual who wishes to remain relevant, with or without leadership's permission.
I believe many of the detrimental challenges a business has faced are a result of the second and third leadership ranks, who sit in comfort and refuse to challenge those who sit above them on the chain of command ladder.
Why is there so much fear in rank-and-file leadership to challenge or initiate needed conflict? My quote below sums up my answer to that question.
"Never allow your instincts to be defeated by your perceived desperation."
All of us should lead ourselves through our careers based on reality and never allow our leadership to control or stifle our thoughts or convictions.
I see many folks who sit in fear of a perceived outcome and hold themselves back from exercising their convictions, which they perceive will lead to a conflict they feel they can't win.
Unfortunately, it's not about winning an argument; it's about starting a needed conversation to realign leadership teams' vision and mission with current realities.
When leaders do not allow the needed conflicts, the team they lead will fail, and all the perceived desperation in the minds of the individuals on that team will become a reality. They will quit or be terminated!
Don't fall victim to your own complacency. Don't fear a perceived outcome more than needed conflict for change. Don't fear the unknown dangers in uncharted waters more than the dangers and risks of only navigating the complacent waters you know.
True leaders will welcome conflict, and for those who don't, it's better to recognize it quickly, leave them in their hospice environment, and run the marathon toward your continuous relevance.
Ray Stasieczko Host of The YouTube Series - The End Of The Day With Ray!
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