Blending old and new – how do you find balance?

I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, a city that is a mix of rich history and cutting edge technology.

Yes, it is called the “Rocket City” and is home of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. But it also boasts a vibrant historic district with an emphasis on protecting the heritage.

I recently visited my mom and did my morning run through the Twickenham and Old Town districts. As I jogged past homes with historic markers from the late 1700’s and 1800’s, some with huge white columns, sweet front porches, and quaint gardens, I thought about the history behind those walls. But I also wondered what high tech wonders were hidden behind there as well.

In any business or organization, it is important to find a balance between “this is how we’ve always done it” and “jump on the bandwagon of the latest craze.” The challenge is to make sure you are keeping the best of the old, while blending the right amount of new. How do you keep it fresh yet functional?

• Keep what works – determine those processes that have worked well in your industry, business or organization. Protect those. No sense in changing something that is working well, unless you can make it better.
• Respect your customer base (or donor base or volunteer base) – it’s great to move into social media or other technology, but if you have an older customer base unfamiliar with computers or email, don’t do away with other forms of communication and leave them out. Find a way to continue to serve them.
• Stay on the cutting edge within reason – while it’s exciting to try out every new technological toy, be reasonable and upgrade when you need to and can afford it.
• Create excitement around your changes – when you do decide to add new features or processes, communicate it effectively. Give plenty of notice, and explain that “we’re improving your experience” so people get excited about the new and don’t feel a sense of dread.
• Test, test, and test some more – be sure your new process or technology will work without a glitch before rolling it out. There’s nothing worse than having to apologize because you moved too quickly. You will lose the trust of those you serve if you don’t do your due diligence.
• Honor your past – the past is what got you where you are, so don’t discard it. Find a way to value the people and processes that led to your success.

Your organization will stagnate and fail if you don’t continue to find better ways to do business. As fast as the world is changing, leaders must be able to keep up. The challenge is to advance at the right speed and in the right areas to continue our success.

How do you blend the old and new for your business?

 

Can you maintain your routine without being disrupted by change?

Photo courtesy of mksystem (Creative Commons)

It actually feels like fall in Tennessee today – there’s a chill in the air, the leaves are just starting to turn, and I could see my breath as I ran. Over the last few weeks, life has been changing, and it’s an adjustment that’s a little unsettling.

Routines are comfortable, and changing seasons can bring unwelcomed interference with normal schedules and priorities. As summer ends and school starts, I find I am impacted by the changes, even though I don’t have school-age children.

One of the most obvious differences is an extreme increase in the amount of traffic when I run in the mornings. Many days I wonder why on earth so many people are out and about so early!

There are also all sorts of new programs on the calendar at work and church, so becoming overbooked is a real possibility.

I have found a few ways to counteract the new busyness and still maintain my routine:

• Balancing – as new activities start up, I’m paying attention to my schedule and making sure to balance time engaged with others with my time for personal development, reading and study.
• Embracing – instead of staying focused on the bad things (I cringe as I drive through a school zone), I’m embracing the good (hearing the marching band practice after school stirs my soul).
• Maintaining – instead of adjusting the time or distance I run in the mornings, I’m just fine-tuning my route to less busy roads.
• Protecting – I am carefully protecting the most vital parts of my routine, like my morning writing and running time, and reading time in the evening.

While I cherish the time spent at home during the summer, it is exciting to be involved in new activities to learn, serve and enjoy. Supplementing my normal routine with a few additional activities helps keep me fresh without disrupting completely.

How do you preserve your routine in the face of change?

 

Change is on the way

Nashville set an all-time record with a high of 109 degrees yesterday, so I set out to run this morning a little earlier than usual, hoping to beat the heat.

One drawback about being out that early, I discovered, is that no one has yet cleared the spider webs from the path. I was jogging happily along one stretch of sidewalk with bushes on both sides, and ran through a MASSIVE spider web – face level. Whoa, that was a surprise.

So after that, I changed my tactic and waved my arm in front of my face where bushes were on both sides of the sidewalk to prevent another impact. (I’m sure anyone going by wondered what I was doing, but who really cares, right?)

That got me to thinking about change. So many people avoid or fight change. Whether at work, church, or home, we like the comfort of things the way they are. But honestly, in our world today, everything is changing so fast, we do ourselves a disservice by avoiding it.

What if we learned to embrace change?

Change doesn’t always have to be scary or bad. Just the simple change of waving my arm, while looking silly, did prevent me from a repeat face collision with another spider’s overnight work.

I bet that if we developed a new attitude toward change, and encouraged those around us as well, we could make improvements in our lives on all levels.

Just one small adjustment can make a difference that will lead to additional incremental advances. And before you know it, you may have developed a new habit.

• Organization: take a few moments to put things where they belong the first time – hang up your clothes when you change, put the mail in your inbox instead of the kitchen counter, etc.
• Fitness: get up a few minutes early one or two days a week and walk – then add a day, then add a little distance.
• Healthy eating: replace your snack of a candy bar with an apple or handful of nuts, or grab a bottle of water instead of that soda. What about having one vegetarian meal a week instead of meat every night?
• Spiritual: Before you check your email in the morning, read a chapter in the Bible and spend a few minutes in prayer.
• Family: Tell your spouse, child, or other close family member that you love them, out of the blue, when they aren’t expecting it.
• Friends: Decide to send one or two emails a week to a friend just to say you’re thinking of them.

Change doesn’t always have to be big and traumatic, but it can lead to huge improvements if we learn to embrace it.

What little change will you make today? What do you think it might lead to?