We are all aware that the world around us is changing very quickly. In fact, the rate of change is continually increasing. As a result, individuals, organizations, corporations and even entire cultures are struggling to keep up.

As individuals in organizations, we can no longer assume that the role that we have today will be the role that we will have in 6 months or a year.  We can't even assume that the organization we work for today will be around or want us around in 6 months or a year.  We know that the technology that we are using today will be sliding towards obsolescence after a year or less.  So how do we deal with this change so that we are not only able to keep abreast of it but are able to get ahead of it and move ourselves and our organizations towards continued success?

Renowned authors, Alvin and Heidi Toffler’s latest book entitled Revolutionary Wealth provides innovative ideas on how changes in society, government, culture and business are transforming our lives in this century. The Tofflers have compared the rates of change of major institutions in North America to cars speeding along on a highway. They have rated nine institutions with a “change” rate of speed between 0 and 100 miles per hour as follows:

- 100 miles per hour – American business

- 90 miles per hour – Non-governmental organizations

- 60 miles per hour – American family

- 30 miles per hour – Labor unions

- 25 miles per hour – Government and regulatory agencies

- 10 miles per hour – The American school system

- 5 miles per hour – Intergovernmental organizations (IMF, WTO, etc.)

- 3 miles per hour – Political structures in the G8 countries

- 1 mile per hour – The law

Overall, the ratings should not come as a surprise as businesses are typically quick to change and adapt when compared to legal or political systems. However, if businesses are changing at 100 miles per hour and they are having a hard time keeping pace with change then everything else that is changing less than 100 miles per hour is falling substantially behind in our changing world.

This rate of change observation was further corroborated by James Canton in his recent book “The Extreme Future” where he postulated four factors that will define the future;

1. Blinding rate of change that touches every aspect of your life.

2. Complexity of the change and of the interrelationship of currently unrelated forces.

3. Risks – new risks and higher risks will impact all aspects of life

4. Surprise – both good, bad and difficult to imagine surprise will become commonplace and will challenge sensibility and logic. 

Canton goes on to say that anyone can influence their future and deal with this extreme change by;

1. Defining a future vision – a clear vision of where you are going

2. Building a strategy to implement your vision.

3. Obtaining tools to persuade people to commit to a shared vision and strategy

4. Effective execution.

So what does this have to do with our individual Strength Zone®?

Well for starters, I believe that Canton is dead on with his four step formula for dealing with change. His first step – Define a clear vision of where you are going – cannot be completed properly without clearly understanding what your strengths are. How can an individual properly determine a future vision for themselves if they do not understand their strengths and how and to what end they should be applying these strengths?

This would be like pointing your car down the freeway, getting up to 100 miles per hour (the current rate of change) and realizing that you are driving in a fog so thick that you cannot see any lines on the road or any road signs. You will either slow down very quickly and proceed at a “safe” speed (well below the current rate of change) or you will crash and burn!

I am not going to describe a vision casting process here as there are many established processes already existing. Refer to books from John Kotter, Bill Hybels, John C. Maxwell or Jack Welch for starters. What you need to know is that the first step in dealing with change is to clearly understand what your strengths are (Values, Personality and Talent Strength Zone®) and then use these as a basis to build a vision for your future. 

The how, what, why and where you will apply your strengths to realize this vision becomes the implementation strategy which is Canton’s second step. Here you have to build a plan to realize your vision. Pay particular attention to your strengths and weaknesses and then ensure that you bring others in to work with you in implementing the strategy in areas where you are weak. You can build a simple point form strategy or an elaborate written plan. The format and size of the plan is irrelevant as long as the plan is concise enough to step you from where you are today to your future vision.

The third step – obtaining tools to persuade people to commit to a shared vision and strategy – encompasses many different aspects but the most important aspect is communication. You cannot be successful in your strategy unless you understand how to communicate properly to individuals and groups of people. This has everything to do with Values and Personality, two areas of your Strength Zone®. You need to ensure that your values are clearly articulated and modeled and you need to ensure that you understand the communication strengths and weaknesses of your personality type. You can take this knowledge and couple it with the knowledge you have of the communication strengths and weaknesses of other personality types and build a message that is attractive to each individual on your team.

The final step is execution….effectively acting on the previous three steps. It does no good to build a vision and strategy if you do not take steps to execute on this strategy. This involves getting up off the couch and actually living your strategy. You can increase your chances of success by understanding your Personality Strength Zone® and what sort of work environment you find stimulating and then ensuring that you stay in this environment.

I believe that using your Strength Zone® to work through these four steps will greatly increase your chances of success in all areas of your life in dealing with the extreme change in our current world.