Responding to Change

In many cases, we need to innovate because we must respond to some kind of change.

This change could be something we perceive as bad and we want to fix.  It could be something we don’t know whether it is bad or good.  It could be something we know is good, so we need to seize the opportunity. Change is natural and so can be responding to it with growth and innovation.

One thing we don’t want to do is just stay the same, not respond to change, and wither or become like that unused, dusty cassette tape you have.  Not doing something when innovation is needed is often the worst option.  As we know, change is always happening and is increasing at a rapid pace, making innovation important on a continuous basis.

The Frog Metaphor

I’ve heard a metaphor story that relates to our need to respond to change. Let’s think about why we need to take action to change by looking at the frog.  Frogs like water.  This frog is in a pot of water at room temperature.  In this pot, the frog is comfortable, so he’ll hang out there.  But if we take the frog out and put it into a pot of water that’s boiling, it’s a shock.  The frog will jump out of there right away!

Now, let’s put the frog back into a pot that’s at room temperature, where the frog is comfortable.  If we turn on the burner to slowly heat the water, increasing the temperature slowly but surely bringing it to a boil, what happens?

Sooner rather than later, the frog becomes frog soup.  He never saw the clear-cut need to jump out of the pot.  He never had a direct signal to change, and it crept up on him gradually.

Always Be Innovating!

This is why we need to always be innovating.  We may not always get thrown into a pot of boiling water and need to jump or respond but I think many of us can feel the heat as it creeps up. In this case it is better to react sooner rather than later. We need to always be thinking about innovation by rooting down and branching out in our lives; by generating new ideas; by responding to change.

Don’t conduct the frog experiment at home…but do conduct the oak tree experiment…always growing and changing through the seasons by rooting down and branching out. Innovation is a powerful thing. It is also a natural thing. We are designed to grow and change.

This article is taken from the online video-based program Program Innovation. Sign up for a free sample workshop from the program here, see details on the full program at ProgramInnovation.com, and see other programs, speeches, and more at DarinEich.com.