Logistics Management

Ask WHY CHANGE before asking WHAT to change.
December 12, 2007

Why go through the pain of change? There are many reasons to make change, some good, and some bad, and all good.

I can hear it already, “Wait a minute, how can change be good, bad and then all good?”

Motivation for change can be born out of bad causes. The need for change created from bad judgment, from an untenable situation, from mistakes made by untrained or burned out people, from poor performance by carriers, vendors, associates, or from people with bad intent that mean to do harm. 

Motivation for change can also be born of good intent, to make improvements to processes and operations that are already good; the Good to Great move. Strong organizations push continuous improvement, an ongoing series of planned change that continues to define the strategy of the company, develops new tactics and keeps a sharp edge on the precision of execution.

So why do you want change? What is the condition in your life, in your organization, in your community that is driving the urge to change? Asking that question is fundamental to decide what needs to be changed. Change without a defined need is a wasted effort. Change without a goal, without direction, just leads to wondering and confusion.

Let’s examine the “why” question.

I will share a personal effort to illustrate my point. I have two daughters, one 5 years old and one just turning 3. Both are high energy kids that really need both parents involved in their lives. My wife has a good job that she needs more flexibility in time to become the career that it once was. As a retail logistician I am working in a job that will consume time if not planned and managed. The WHY for change is that my family needs me to step up my contribution to our collective life by being available to spend more time with my girls at times that allow my wife to adjust her work schedule. Knowing the why helps define the solution, I need to create a more flexible schedule in my business life so that I can contribute more time to my family needs.

Now it is time for all of you to think and answer the question: WHY do you want to make a change?

Posted by on December 12, 2007 | Comments (0)