In my life as a soldier and citizen, I have seen time and time again that inaction has dire consequences.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
In an organization that is unwilling to change, find the opportunity to talk and interact with people - figure out why they don't want to change. It could be habits. It could be people's personal equities and reputations are defined by the role they're in or the process they've mastered.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the reasons behind people's resistance to change in an organization.
Stanley A. McChrystal highlights that in organizations resistant to change, it is crucial to engage with individuals to uncover their motivations and fears. This resistance can stem from established habits, personal investments, or the identities people have built around their roles and routines. By addressing these underlying factors, leaders can foster a more adaptable culture.
In practice
In a leadership meeting when discussing team dynamics, this quote can illustrate the necessity of understanding team members' resistance to new processes.
In my life as a soldier and citizen, I have seen time and time again that inaction has dire consequences.
I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal or abandon their comrades.
I was raised with traditional stories of leadership: Robert E. Lee, John Buford at Gettysburg. And I also was raised with personal examples of leadership. This was my father in Vietnam. And I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal, or abandon their comrades.
When you go through some controversy and you see your face on the news in a negative way for 48 hours... you doubt yourself. And your friends make the difference. They become a safety net that come in and say, 'That's not the case.' And the relationships that you've built... come to the fore.
The basic DNA we've got to implant in leaders now is adaptability: not to get wedded to the solution to a particular problem, because not only the problem but the solution changes day to day. Creating people who are hardwired for that is going to be our challenge for the future.
If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.
I am willing to release old negative beliefs. They are only thoughts that stand in my way. My new thoughts are positive and fulfilling.
Living through times of rapid change can be exhilarating, but it also can be very difficult.
I feel like the sixties is about to happen. It feels like a period in the future to me, rather than a period in the past.
If we do nothing, we still get to a post-carbon future, but it will be bleak. However, if we plan the transition, we can have a world that supports robust communities of healthy, creative people and ecosystems with millions of other species.
What could be heavier and more impenetrable than a rock, the densest of all forms? And yet some rocks undergo a change in their molecular structure, turn into crystals, and so become transparent to the light.
During my youth, the idea of moving from Lebanon was unthinkable. Then I began to realise I might have to go, like my grandfather, uncles and others who left for America, Egypt, Australia, Cuba.
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