Are You Reinventing Continuously?

This post was originally published on December 16, 2011.
 
Can you remember going by car to some exciting destination when you were a child?  Okay, maybe it wasn’t exciting, but you were in the car and you asked the question that kids have been asking since Henry Ford produced the Model T – “Are we there yet?”

 

After serving in a position of leadership, I understand the answer to that question is disconcerting to some.  But successful leaders understand… We’ll never get there. And more importantly, We dont want to get there. Once we get there, we risk stagnation. We risk getting passed by. The key to staying successful is to Reinvent Continuously.
You may be asking, “Reinvent what?”  That’s a fair question.  We generally talk about reinvention in three arenas:
Self – The best leaders are always reinventing themselves.  We must work diligently to stay current and relevant.  We must always be learning and growing to meet the ever changing demands of the people and the organization we serve.
Systems – The results you are getting today are the result of the systems and work processes you currently have in place.  If you want different results, chances are good the system or work process will have to change.  Some leaders “hope” things will get better.  Hope is a wonderful thing – however, it is not a strategy for improvement.tweet_bird
Structure – Structure should enable, not inhibit the accomplishment of the work at hand.  Structure should change with the needs of the enterprise.  When the work has become very difficult or things aren’t being done with excellence, one of the things to explore is the structure.  The right structure won’t necessarily make things easy, but it should make it easier to get the work done.
The big idea behind Reinvent Continuously is this:  Progress is always preceded by change. [GLS_Shield]
What do you need to Reinvent?

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