In the course of my work I often spend hours upon hours doing research on various topics for discussion. My focus is usually on analyzing those organizations and persons that have made an impact in the world. I figure it's a good place to start when trying to find the secrets to success and leadership in the rhelm of general management. In one such research endeavor, I came quite unexpectedly on a Japanese term and definition which struck a chord in me. The term is "kaizen". Literally Kaizen means: change (kai) to become good (zen), but it is largely recognized as a life philosophy for continual improvement.

Change is often considered an obstacle

The connection for me was easy, as one of my challenges in leadership training is to address the issue of change as an obstacle personally and professionally. Change is one of the things that we as social creatures seem conditioned to repel at every instance. It is often met with skepticism, anger and often a lack of enthusiasm. Even with these responses change refuses to go away, and it is something that every business and leader must go through to remain competitive.

For a leader, change as an obstacle creates two pressing problems. First a leader must be able to accept the need for change for personal or professional improvement. Secondly, a leader that cannot manage change will be hard pressed to lead his/her organization through coming organizational changes.

The problem is not change itself, but the perception that a change in a normal routine will cause you untold and unnecessary harm. It will affect the way you perform your job and jeopardize the security of knowing the specific action related to that job. As a leader, you must be able to see beyond this perception to the benefits of the intended action. Only through change will you begin to set in motion the successes of your life.

What we fail to realize, or maybe recollect, is that we have been changing ever since we were conceived and we continue to adapt, to accept the changes that come with time and experience. Now, you're probably saying that this previous statement is not really fair or accurate, we all get old. The truth is, it is more accurate than you will probably ever admit. Consider for a moment; we have changed and continue to change physically, emotionally and intellectually over the years. And with all of these changes we still find a ways to continue. Sure you can't heal as quickly as when you were a teenager after a vigorous physical workout, but you adapt to new routines and lengthen your recovery period. Emotionally we have managed to deal with all of life's hurdles and intellectually we process information differently than we did 5, 10 or 15 years ago.

The reality of our situation is that change is a necessary element of life. An element that we continually master and should not be afraid of. Next time you encounter change in your life whether personally and professionally consider the following stages that one can go through to make change work:

1. Breakdown the fears that surround the target of change.
2. Identify the goals of the intended change and objectively access.
3. Accept the changes and train yourself to implement the intended changes.
4. Incorporate the change into your daily routines.

The objective in this process is to lower your barriers to change, to allow your mind and body to reprogram themselves with the changes that you have decided. Once you have completed the reprogramming process, the changes should now become the norm.

The conclusion?"get over it!". Change is something that you have mastered all of your life. Don't let it be an obstacle for you to realize your goals.

"The top 5% create the desire to do the things they need to do, when they need to do it, whether they like it or not" - Fred Sarkari