The only constant is...

Servant Leader, if we've heard it said once, we've heard it said a thousand times. "The only constant is change." I'll admit that change is constant, but it is far from the only one.

First, the background.

As I finish my MBA studies, I'm reminded that Change Management is critical to effective business operations and successful growth. Change happens. As the adage reminds us, it is like Thanos - inevitable. How we manage that change as servant leaders is what matters.

Second, something to consider.

Change can be transactional, transitional, or transformational. Agnis Stibe (2020) wrote that the only one of these that really matters to business, is transformational change because it's the only one that is sustainable. Transformational change is also more likely to benefit from internal motivations, while transactional and transitional change tend to be temporary, externally motivated, and disruptive.

If you check the reference, you'll see that Stibe defines transactional change as simply leading to some singularly different outcome than had no change occurred at all. Similarly, transitional change is like transactional change on steroids - it leads to a period of significant change, but only in the sense that someone swaps "A" for "B" or "XYZ" for "ABC." Transformational change, however, carries the direction and magnitude necessary to produce obvious and "irreversible" shifts.

How often have we "benefitted" from transactional or transitional change? When was the last time you watched a poorly executed integration following a merger? How many times has an executive "asked" for a change to a deliverable, only to be stymied by "that's not how we do it," or "I don't see anything wrong with what we're delivering now," or "that's not how the contract is written."

As servant leaders, our role in business is to foster transformational change. Any "boss" can order a transactional change. "I want the report by noon instead of two."

Similarly, while transitional change seems better, it still lacks the clarity that comes from transforming root cause attitudes and habits. "We are reorganizing to better leverage our current skillsets against our emerging challenges."

But transformational change sticks. It starts in the bowels of the company, gains momentum through continued root cause analysis and behavioral engineering and is only truly complete when everyone in the company is "on board" with the end state.

Finally, to bring it full circle.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor 5:17, NKJV)

Christ is the ultimate Transformational Change Leader. He taught us not only how difficult transformational change can be, but the depths of commitment we, as servant leaders, must have to enact and manage that kind of sustainable, long-game change. Christ knew no sin, yet He became sin so that we could change - transform - into new beings in Christ.

Servant Leader, that's what it takes to enact transformational change in your business as well. Be like Jesus. Be the change your company needs. But be prepared to pay the cost. Transformational change isn't easy, but as we who follow Christ know, it is definitely worth it.

(Photo: quotesgram.com)