Without change, organizations and people become complacent and do not grow.  They may survive but will struggle to thrive.  Effective leaders seek out, initiate and manage changes to support internal environments based on external demands.  A person's ability to embrace and implement change is critical for growth and to maintain a competitive advantage. Organizations will prosper and individual effectiveness and happiness will increase. Think about this - what changes have you made in your organization, professional career and personal life over the past three to five years?  If you have not made any changes over the past few years, you are not reaching your optimal potential.  You are not growing.
 
Yes, change is hard. It brings confusion, conflict and fear, which make people resistant to get out of their comfort zone.  Everyone is hurried these days and wants things to be nice and easy. On the flipside, change spurs the need for creativity and problem solving which can bring about continuous improvements and combat complacency.
 
The most effective way to drive change and growth is to implement a plan based upon a vision, values and strategies. These guide daily decisions, which drive behavior.  Decisions that are based upon a vision, values and strategies are more easily understood by everyone. When they are consistently demonstrated and send the same messages, they tend to be more long-term focused. This philosophy enhances both organizational and personal livelihoods.  What are your organizational, professional and personal visions, values and strategies?
 
Since cultural behaviors are driven from the top down, the next critical factor is whether or not you and top management are committed to making the change happen.   Some changes may have to slowly evolve. Do you have the staying power? Can you walk the talk? Your behavior and commitment combined with the proper use of tools and resources will give the direction that others will follow. Your knowledge and behavior make the critical difference between success and failure.
 
Identifying, clarifying and committing to these critical success factors is particularly important in today's environment of rapid change and instant communications.  Why?  Because you can't control outside forces, you must get better at maximizing yourself and your internal forces. This means there are things you will have to do differently.  It means you must improve your skills, behaviors and attitudes to develop new ones that are more likely to elicit the results you need and want.  Many of the old ways of doing things will not work in the future. 
 
Frequently, resistance comes from a fear of the unknown, losing control, power or influence; but mostly, it stems from a reluctance to leave the level of comfort with ways that are familiar. Resistance can be overcome through effective leadership, emotional intelligence and communication best practices. Leaders must create a positive culture where embracing change and innovation are the norm.

Whether you need to make changes in your organization, professional career or personal life, you must realize that letting go of the past, makes room for a brighter future.  Just as you mastered your current ways of operating and being, you will master new ways that are even better in the long-term. Once you do, you will say to yourself, "I wish I did this a long time ago."