I think one of the most frustrating occurrences that I see in businesses still is refusal on the part of the business owner most particularly to consider challenging their own practices/ operations processes/ strategy in order to evolve from their status quo. These businesses very much expose themselves to stagnation and market share erosion.

There is no clearer message being passed-on by leaders all around the world (including the education sector – see the section in my first book which reveals the central theme of international school principal conferences) than “if you want to survive then you simply must be willing to adapt.” Adaptation is a necessary part of evolution, and if you want to stop evolving  and wish to refuse to be responsive to change then keep digging your toes in; because you’ll be sure to realise this destiny by doing do.

When processing stimuli (ANY stimuli – be that information, your surroundings, what people say to you, etc) do so with a curious/ questioning mind. Be thirsty to understand answers to these simple questions:

  • Why ?
  • How ?
  • What ?
  • When ?

Out of all of these the “why ?” question is arguably the most important question to ask. “Why ?” questions are about understanding implications, and call for substantiation/ evidence of purported facts.

If you accept everything in life the way it is, then what you’re saying to yourself by default is that you are 100 % happy with the world as it is, and you see no reason to change any aspect of you/ your relationships/ organisations that you are associated with/ your community/ the world. I suggest that if this is your mindset then you have “lost the will” to constructively challenge the status quo, and your life therefore has become all about “going with the flow”. 

If we don’t question the validity of the world around us and push to keep improving our world, the ways of the world as they are will remain those henceforth. I don’t believe there is any country or organisation or individual in the world currently that/ who would truthfully say that every single aspect of their life is everything that they had hoped it would be.