"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."    ~ Alvin Toffler, futurist


Change is hard, but you must embrace it if you want to be successful. You and your organization must constantly change and evolve to survive. You've heard it before: We face more change in a year than our grandparents faced in a lifetime. For us that means technology, customers, markets and competitors.

However, most people-even entrepreneurs-choose death over change.

In Change or Die, Alan Deutschman asks, "What if you were given that choice? We're talking actual life and death now. Your own life and death. What if a well-informed, trusted authority figure said you had to make difficult and enduring changes in the way you think, feel and act? If you didn't, your time would end soon-a lot sooner than it had to. Could you change when change mattered most?"

The Bad News
Although we all have the ability to change our behavior, we rarely do. Research shows the odds are 9 to 1 that when faced with the dire need to change, we won't. How many of you made, and stuck to, a New Year's resolution? We are several months into the New Year. How's it going? Will you make it through December? The odds are you won't.

The oft-cited definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. We know we should change, but habits, attitudes and behaviors make us regular practitioners of insanity. What is the answer for businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals wanting to create and maintain a competitive edge? John Kotter, a recognized leadership expert, said, "The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture or systems; the core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people."

There you have it. To change your results, you must change your own and others' actions.

The Good News
Change is possible and the formula includes common ingredients. So what's the secret to significant, sustainable change? It's not tough to do, just tough to maintain.

Deutschman's Relationship, Repeat and Reframe model includes:

• Building relationships with someone or a group who believes in you and who you trust.
  
• Utilizing the new relationship(s) to learn, practice and master new success habits and skills.
  
• Beginning to look at things in ways that would have been foreign to you before.
  

To have, you must first become. Rarely do people consider what they have to change about themselves to meet their goals. To have a six-figure income, become a person with skills and capabilities worth someone paying you that amount. For a great relationship with spouse and children, become someone they see as worthy of the relationship. To have a single-digit golf handicap, become a golfer with the skills, discipline and attitude required for that level of play.

If, when faced with death, only 10 percent of people will make sustainable change, how can organizations hope to make change stick? Too many people look for a fast fix. Change is a process, not an event. To have the business and life you want, the best thing you can do is become someone who learns, unlearns and relearns-faster than your competition.

Allison Darling is president and founder of ManagementConcepts Inc. Since 1994, Kansas City-based ManagementConcepts has helped visionary leaders achieve measurable, sustainable improvement in revenues, customer loyalty and profitability. You can reach Allison at (913) 649-4833 or