How often do you hear the statement “That’s how we’ve always done it?” If you work for an organisation that has been around for some time with established processes, it’s almost guaranteed someone has said this to you. If you passionately detest stagnancy the way I do, you undoubtedly find it incredibly frustrating. Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” As technology and the world around us change faster than ever before, too many people are content doing the same thing they have always done without considering the potential for newer, better ways that may drastically improve their lives. The people who will succeed in life will be those that challenge the status quo and refuse to accept “That’s how we’ve always done it” as an answer to “Why?” So how can you be one of these people?
inspiration with Cynthia C Hakutangwi
Challenging the status quo is a mindset shift
When you challenge the status quo, it means that you identify new and better ways of doing things. It also means that you add value, and that’s the very basis for being successful. Challenging the status quo is a mindset shift which you can bring about by being conscious about how things operate today — and by proposing a new and better way of doing things. One of the best ways of bringing about this mindset shift is to regularly take a step back and ask a set of insightful questions. Set time aside in your diary and allow yourself to get away from your desk for 30 to 60 minutes. Go to a place where you feel inspired and where you will not be disturbed. Take a “balcony” view and observe it from afar. What is working well and what is not working so well? How could you run it in a more successful and effective manner?
You can be made obsolete
In business, if you are doing things the way you always have, you know by now that someone, somewhere is figuring out how to make you obsolete. They’re figuring out how to provide what you provide for 10% of the cost, or how to provide it 10 times as well as you do, and at better margins. Internally, the impact of the status quo is a stagnant culture that pushes away top performers. Your best employees are driven by the need to do something great. Those who create the future will do so not by doing the same things that have always been done. Business leaders such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and social leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, made their impact on the world by going against the standards. They were not afraid to question “the way it has always been done.” George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
See things better than they are
Be inspired and imagine what the future would look like if you made use of more simplified processes, new and better technology, were able to build a highly motivated team, had better relationships with your customers, and if you were able to improve the way they do business.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Learn to ask good questions
Asking the right questions can lead to eye-opening insights that are right there waiting to be found but that no one has taken the time to find out. Avoid asking yes or no questions, always giving people an opportunity to give you lots of detail. Follow up initial questions asking people for their opinion or insight. Progress from Why to How, Where, What if, and more. Don’t just scratch the surface with your questioning. Go deeper until you get to the real heart of the matter. You will also need to be willing to shift your perspective. If we never change our perspective, we will never grow.
The potential of unlimited success
When you consistently challenge the status quo, you have the potential of unlimited success, because you add an unlimited amount of value. You also have the potential to demonstrate your leadership skills, because you make things happen based on your vision. Thought leaders are not satisfied with following others or doing a “good” job. They are committed to excellence and they see things better than they are. They make their own models of how things should be and are brave enough to implement these models.
Don’t just think better… think differently
Keep in mind that even if you don’t see an opportunity for massive disruption in your existing or desired space, you can still create a competitive advantage through minor disruption. How can you become more disruptive and challenge the status quo in your industry? Begin with asking why. Asking why repeatedly will lead you to a reason for an action. If the “why” is weak, you are onto something. Searching outside of your industry or even outside of your country offers insight into how others are thinking differently about the same challenges.
Be bold and brave
Going after any firmly-held beliefs does not come without pushback. Your willingness to speak out against these principles immediately sets you apart and provides the opportunity to present other new ideas you are bringing to the field. Being disruptive can be scary. It is not for everyone. Every single leader, movement, and organisation that has ever wanted to create greatness has had to challenge the status quo. Challenging the status quo takes an open mind, open heart, and open will. To make a difference, to have an impact, and to become great, we must do the unorthodox thing. To move from mediocrity to greatness, we must venture out. To build something substantial, we must take a strong stand. To create something meaningful, we must create significance. Nothing great is ever achieved by doing things the way they have always been done. To challenge the status quo, we must take one fearless choice at a time, one brave decision at a time, one courageous action at a time. These choices, decisions, and actions transform challenges into exploration, risk into reward, and fear into determination. Start by asking yourself: What needs to be challenged? What needs to be improved? What is the greatest risk? What can I expect? What can I learn? When we challenge the status quo, we test our skills and we challenge ourselves. The gift of life is to make a difference, and the call of leadership is to say this is not good enough. We have the choice to make things better. When we challenge the status quo, we believe that our abilities will be able to make a difference. What action will you take to challenge the status quo?
Cynthia Hakutangwi is a communications and personal development consultant, life coach, author and strategist. Wholeness Incorporated Coaching offers you strategies you can implement today to become a critical thinker and pursue a significant life. E-mail: [email protected]. Facebook: Wholeness Incorporated.
