A while ago, I wrote a post that distinguishes between evolution and revolution. I wrote this, because I’m constantly thinking about doing radical things, and know deep down it’s the only way to both enjoy life, and be successful it in.

The world isn’t without risk, be that in our personal lives or in business. So, why do we hide from them so often?

Then I wondered, is it because of visibility?

We all know, if we take a second to stop and think, that live is full of risk – just walking across the road, something we do every day (if you’re not glued to your car) is risky. But we go ahead and cross – why? We do it because, like the chicken, we need to get to the other side. We take these risks so often, that we come blind to their very existence.

Are you so blind to the risks you take each day, that when it comes to taking new risks – you get scared?

Take a risk, or money down the drain?

Some people associate risk with disaster, taking a risk equates to throwing money down the drain in some instances; but why?

All well run businesses work well, because they plan well. They think about what they are doing and invest in well thought out ideas. They play the game, they make the game – they disturb the norm. The experts do it differently, and they do it daily.

So, how do the not so well run business do it? Well, lack of planning for a start – bad execution, poor research, blind assumptions, or by ignoring the people who know – i.e. the customer or the shop floor sales assistant.

Are you so bad at planning, so miserable at executing your ideas that you get stuck?

Are you such a poor thinker, that you can’t ask the right people the right questions?

Are you such a dreadful listener that those around you can’t support you no matter how hard they try?

If so, what exactly is it you’re doing running a business? If you have these problems, and you’re not bringing in people to solve them – are you really going to be around for long?

You wouldn’t make big business decisions on the flip of a coin, but nor would the big innovators that you see today.

When you innovate, or create a revolution, or throw out the rule book, or write your own – you take risks. But what you don’t do is take stupid risks. You have faith in what you’re about to do, but that faith is not blind.

There’s only one way to take away the fear of change, and that’s to enjoy the rush.

Do something special, do something different. If not for your business success, if not to secure a new contract, if not to capture a large market share – do it because it’s fun.

If you need help, go to a theme park. Get on a rollercoaster that feels dangerous, but has been well designed.

That what you need to do – make it feel dangerous, but design it well.

There two related concepts are quite separate if you need them to be – in fact most people, especially in business, don’t bother thinking about the distinction.

Business thinking is about just that, thinking. Many business people are driven by panic and evolution seems to be latched on to this by some.

Evolution is the steady incrimination and change of something. That’s not to say that whatever is born of evolution is the best option – just the speed at which it goes. Or, importantly, the steps it takes.
Evolution requires steps, steady, well placed, firm steps. One step after another, without skipping – at least not making a habit of it.

Revolution is much more of a burst. Steps are leaped over, and resistance is almost always strong and determined. That determination is found on both sides of the fence, the call for and the augment against.

Many business people, quite rightly, get a bit shaking when talking about revolution. It’s high risk, and the potential for high returns doesn’t always mitigate the stress.

Here’s the thing though.

A lot of businesses seem to mistake evolution for revolution. They see the slow, small steps of change and start to get worried. They panic, and say, “No - leave it how it is”.

If you’re in business, and see opportunities for change, and you find yourself saying “no”; it might be prudent to think about whether said change is evolution or revolution. If it’s not radical, it’s not hard to dip your toes in, if it’s not an explosion of differences – it’s not too difficult to put things back how they were.

You don’t always have to fight the change.

I’ve decided to make a new theme for my blog. The old one was nice, but I didn’t make it myself.

I wanted to make something to organise my work a little more like I wanted it to appear. Thus, you’ll find my new ‘beta’ layout here now.

I’ll be making a few modifications, but essentially what you see is what you get.

Obvious if you ask me.

Changing, for the most part, is a tiny step by tiny step kind of an affair. We just get on with things, cross our fingers, and hope that we’re going in the right direction.

That’s what we do as people.

Businesses aren’t people though – apart from the odd witty phrase that suggests otherwise, we have no reason to be mistaken about that fact.

Were we to continue with the metaphor however, we can see could say this:

If you’re going somewhere new, and you want to make a good impression, do you:

· Dress up?

· Make an effort?

· Buy a new pair of shoes?

If you’re meeting someone important, do you:

· Comb your hair?

· Sit up straight?

· Brush the lint off your trousers and the dandruff off your shoulder?

At an interview, do you?

· Care about first impression?

· Do you care about presentation?

· Or make an effort to speak clearly, and intelligibly?

Now, let’s get back to business. How many businesses do you know, that aren’t trying to go somewhere new? Or that aren’t trying to make a good impression?

How many customers do you know that aren’t important to the businesses that crave them?

How many businesses do you know that aren’t constantly involved in a game of first impressions?

In fact, how many do you know that aren’t doing a combination of all the above?

What about yours?

Change is an obvious thing in our personal lives, and we are quite often struck by surprises – even highly successful and intelligent people. This obviousness leads to it being an oft ignored subject; bar the odd stint of buying self-help books that go along with our new year’s de-resolutions, of course.

In business however, can you afford to ignore change? Sure, you might miss a few beats every so often, but it is your job – to ride the change, or predict it and to react to it, or at least to the fact that you may have missed it.

It’s not about trying to understand worldviews in their entirety. It is about, finding those world views that mean something to you, that are your worldviews, or the views of the people in whose world you want to be successful in. Find those micro-worldviews and tap in to them, and most importantly – when the world spins, revolve with it.

It’s not just about making a change, a big step, or new look.

An insurance company I used to work for had [has] this problem. When attempting to change the legal scripts that get read out to the customer; they tried to make them sound, well – less legal.

After the lawyers have been in, things can sound, well just plain aggressive. Things can sound boring, and dull. Lawyers have certainly not been known for being inspirational with words, at least not on mass.

After a while, I was drafted in to put a bit of creative juice into the project. We worked hard, to fight the autocracy and bureaucrats, to make it sound better. Finally, after a long hard slog, we got there.

It was sounding beautiful, eloquent, and delectable even.
Sure, it wasn’t perfect – but it was in a land far, far away from where it began. Progress!

Of course, then what happens?

Off they trot, the creative people, “ok, we have it from here” say the management. They’re released from their cold sweats, and are no longer panicky about some creative having them by the balls. Boy do they hate it when creative people are on a roll. So, the second they can take control back – they jump. Pounce might even be a better word.

They see the positive change, and run with it. But old habits die hard and slowly as more “progress” is made, little bits change for the worse. Soon, those little bits add up. Soon, there’s a whole lot more jargon. Soon, it starts to sound harsh, and brass. Alas, the product changed, but the culture did not – and it’s the culture that guides everything. After only a few months, the product is heading right back when it came from, the comfort zone.

You have to change the culture, or it’ll come right back and bite you in the ass.