As much as we talk about a future different from the past, there are always guardians of the status quo. They give lip service to change while doing everything to protect the old language. They argue against change in the form of dreams, success, new questions, habits, strengths and stories.
They argue that we have to talk about what’s wrong. They insist that it’s all about the problems, weaknesses, threats and deficiencies. They talk about how talk about new dreams, success, questions, habits, strengths and stories are denials of problems, weaknesses, threats and deficiencies. and in doing so deny the power of new dreams, questions, habits, strengths and stories.
The guardians of the status quo are enemies of the future. Their passion is the repeated past because it represents the certainty of being right. They prefer being right than better. They know better means uncertainty and want to have nothing to do with it. They have little tolerance for uncertainty.
The champions of change prefer the uncertainty of better. They seek a future different from the past. They want to dream larger dreams, make success their teacher, be inspired by new questions, form new habits, engaging strengths and based on new stories.
What’s vital is their knowing that guardians of the status quo have no power to change things to make things better, no matter how much they pretend better is critical to organizational success. They know the guardians are pretenders and in this knowing, realize their power.