The Illusion of Stability Blinds Leaders

When you work 5 or 10 years to earn a leadership position at a successful company, you probably are not eager to acknowledge that everything about your position is temporary… but it is.

Let me illustrate what I mean with a picture that changes endlessly. I generated the image you see above - and all those below - with a program on OpenProcessing.org. The program reacts to the movement of your cursor over the image. These movements reveal the countless data points (seen as white dots) that underlie all these images.

Your company is also comprised of an enormous number of data points. They represent the movements of raw materials, assets, employees, customers, and vendors. These movements are governed by a wide range of processes and rules, as well as by events in the world at large.

When you look at your own company, it’s easy to see a stable image, like the one below. But it's different than the one above.

In fact, you work hard at creating a stable image, through the use of a logo, branding, and active marketing programs. But such an image masks a tremendous amount of unending movement.

The greater your ability to recognize that everything is temporary, the more adept you will become at managing change. In other words, the better you will be at managing.

For example, you will realize:

• Your most talented employees increasingly see themselves as free agents, who no longer trust that loyalty to the company means they will experience loyalty in return. The best are willing to leave, and to test their value in the marketplace; the worst are most content to stay.
• Product designs and processes decline in value as time passes. To maintain your company, these assets need to constantly be reinvented and replaced.
• Investors may have a fleeting interest in your company; their time horizons and interests may be very different from other stakeholders.
• Your most valuable customers are most likely to be approached by your competitors.
• Your own tenure as a leader is finite in nature, and you should treasure every opportunity to make an impact

When I first stumbled upon this program, it seemed like a fun but somewhat mindless diversion. But when you interact with the program, you get a vivid reminder that all complex systems are constantly in flux.

They Keep Moving the Cheese

My favorite parable that explains the above phenomenon is from my favorite book Who Moved My Cheese. The book [compiled from wikipedia] features four characters: two mice, "Sniff" and "Scurry," and two little guys "Hem" and "Haw." (a term for indecisiveness). They live in a maze, a representation of one's environment, and look for cheese, representative of happiness and success. Initially without cheese, each group, the mice and humans, paired off and traveled the lengthy corridors searching for cheese. One day both groups happen upon a cheese-filled corridor at "Cheese Station C." Content with their find, the humans establish routines around their daily intake of cheese, slowly becoming arrogant in the process.

One day Sniff and Scurry arrive at Cheese Station C to find no cheese left, but they are not surprised. Noticing the cheese supply dwindling, they have mentally prepared beforehand for the arduous but inevitable task of finding more cheese. Leaving Cheese Station C behind, they begin their hunt for new cheese together. Later that day, Hem and Haw arrive at Cheese Station C only to find the same thing, no cheese. Angered and annoyed, Hem demands, "Who moved my cheese?" The humans have counted on the cheese supply to be constant, and so are unprepared for this eventuality. After deciding that the cheese is indeed gone they get angry at the unfairness of the situation Haw suggests a search for new cheese, but Hem is dead set in his victimized mindset and dismisses the proposal.

Meanwhile, Sniff and Scurry have found "Cheese Station N," and new cheese. But back at Cheese Station C, Hem and Haw are affected by their lack of cheese and blame each other for their problem. Hoping to change, Haw again proposes a search for new cheese. However, Hem is comforted by his old routine and is frightened about the unknown. He knocks the idea again. After a while of being in denial, the humans remain without cheese. One day, having discovered his debilitating fears, Haw begins to chuckle at the situation and stops taking himself so seriously. Realizing he should simply move on, Haw enters the maze, but not before chiseling "If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct" on the wall of Cheese Station C for his friend to ponder.

Still fearful of his trek, Haw jots "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" on the wall and, after thinking about that, he begins his venture. Still plagued with worry (perhaps he has waited too long to begin his search), Haw finds some bits of cheese that nourish him and he is able to continue his search. Haw realizes that the cheese has not suddenly vanished, but has dwindled from continual eating. After a stop at an empty cheese station, Haw begins worrying about the unknown again. Brushing aside his fears, Haw's new mindset allows him to again enjoy life. He has even begun to smile again! He is realizing that "When you move beyond your fear, you feel free." After another empty cheese station, Haw decides to go back for Hem with the few bits of new cheese he has managed to find.

Uncompromising, Hem refuses the new cheese, to his friend's disappointment. With knowledge learned along the way, Haw heads back into the maze. Getting deeper into the maze, inspired by bits of new cheese here and there, Haw leaves a trail of writings on the wall. These clarify his own thinking and give him hope that his friend will find aid in them during his search for new cheese. Still traveling, Haw one day comes across Cheese Station N, abundant with cheese, including some varieties that are strange to him, and he realizes he has found what he was looking for. After eating, Haw reflects on his experience. He ponders a return to see his old friend. But Haw decides to let Hem find his own way. Finding the largest wall in Cheese Station N, he writes:

Change Happens

They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change

Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change

Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

Adapt To Change Quickly

The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change

Move With The Cheese

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese.

Cautious from past experience, Haw now inspects Cheese Station N daily and explores different parts of the maze regularly to prevent any complacency from setting in. After hearing movement in the maze one day, Haw realizes someone is approaching the station. Unsure, Haw hopes that it is his friend Hem who has found the way.

So my friends, stability is an illusion. You have a nice office, healthy compensation, and a full calendar. It’s easy to get comfortable, to relax, to congratulate yourself.

By all means, be proud of your success. But do not become complacent. Your success is not permanent, and neither is your company.

To lead, you must be highly cognizant of the temporary nature of all that you oversee.

Treasure all that revolves around or close to you. Be grateful for the contribution of every person, and consider yourself to be on an incessant quest for talent.