By
Simphiwe Makapela
Change, being the kind of force that
it is, men and women, young and old, Black and White, Asian and Indian - have a
thing or two to testify about it. They know it when they see it. Sometimes they
lead it. Or, at most times, they manage it. When the going gets tough, they try
to avoid it.
South Africa is almost 20 years into
democracy. The world at large, is just a hair over a decade into the 21st Century
and within those periods, both in South Africa and globally, change has been at
the centre of both frustration and progression. Companies in all corners of all
industries are engaging in Transformation Programmes. Graduates who've been
unemployed for long stretches are embarking on the entrepreneurial route.
Individuals, at the risk of spreading themselves too thin, are faced with
having to juggle 2 jobs in one day. The education system is constantly under
construction. Change is there. Its in black and white. Its real. Everywhere you
go, everywhere you look, every normal person you see - is trying to make sense
out of it. Every Saturday of every month a young couple gets married in one
street and in the other corner, its an old lady's funeral. Professional
Futurists, together with Economists, are doing all that's within their
prognosticating prowesses to understand and predict where the world will be.
Perhaps, even, both witches and prophets alike - whether through divinity or
divine revelation, are so much into what will happen next. The question is: Can
you see all these things? Can you see all this change around every aspect of
your life? Its happening. Its real. Change, more than ever before, is now the
new order of the day. Change is the new black.
If four drivers came to a robotless
four-way stop at exactly the same time, whose turn is it? The red sports car?
The black SUV? The green rusty school bus? (that looks like a house in the 15th
century) - What about that Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle with a 1800cc engine and
a 240mm rear tire? Whose turn is it?
Of course, without thinking about it
twice, we know that's its the guy who'll decide to take off first. At that
moment, it will be his turn for the simple reason that under such conditions,
it isn't the size of their mode of transport nor its color that counts simply
because vehicles have a tendency to be as good as their drivers.
Back to the four-way stop: There comes
a time where your ability to respond quickly to opportunities regardless of
age, skin color nor creed - can be your only source of comptetitive advantage.
It is somewhere in the 19th Century
where it was first believed that "let he who says it can't be done, not
stand in the way of those who are doing it." But along came Harry Forsdick
in the 21st Century who boldly stated that "We now live in a fast moving
world of change such that the man who says it cannot be done, will generally be
disrupted by someone doing it. Again, it is Christofel Wiese, the man
behind Shoprite stores who said, "Whenever you encounter a very successful
business man, do not assume that they only had a great business plan but its
simply because they had a great opportunity and quite frankly, they were the
right person for that opportunity."
When it comes to opportunities of any
kind, we always ought to pay homage to what linguistics have termed
"Positioning Yourself." What this means in effect, is that in these
Corporate lastdays, its not enough to be at the right place, at the right time
and being in the presence of the right people who have the right resources. The
litmus test lies in the issue of being the right person. Progressive change is
lubricated when an individual facilitates a merge of all of the aforementioned
"rights." When the right person meets the right people, change
happens in the environment concerned.
WHEN CHANGE MEETS RESISTANCE
A few months ago a friend of mine
related a story of how, 13years ago, a lady approached her mother with a
business idea. The lady, being a high school teacher - and my friend's mom, also
working for the government, were faced with this gigantic decision of
abandoning their salary-promising jobs and pursue this Real Estate idea while
running families simultaneosly. Now here is the crux of the matter: My friend's
mom, being the only breadwinner in the family of 5, she, out of fear, doubt and
no contingency plan should all go south, turned the offer down. The lady then
took the rejection like a "man" and pursued the idea solo. To cut the
sad story short, its 13 years later, The lady is still alive, not as a school
teacher. My friend's mom is still alive - still working for the government.
Something else is alive ... The idea. It grew into a multinational Real Estates
firm trading in all 9 Provinces of SA and about 10 other countries around
Africa.
Its a sad story for my friend. Its a
lesson for all of us. When change meets opportunity, possibilities are endless.
But when opportunity meets resistance, we may find ourselves kicking our own
behinds after a lapse of time.
ADAPTIVE
INTELLIGENCE
It was in the year 1995 when Bill
Gates suggested that the internet was a relatively useless fad. His thinking
sustained him until it became clear that the internet of things held tremendous
potential. Gates, the great billionaire, humbled himself and listened to his
employees and adapted for the sole purpose of gaining ascendancy.
Adaptive intelligence, in the purest
sense of the term, is the ability and courage to forget and do things
differently. While discipline and obedience to the status quo got us here,
erecting a strong edifice of our adaptive quotient will enable us to gain
ascendancy and take heed in the fact that nothing stays the same for too long.
My last sentiment: Expect the
unexpected. Plan for the best. Prepare for the worst. Adapt ... Or die.
