Too often in life, we see change in a project or an idea as a failure that forces us to take stock of the situation and evaluate our decisions. At Kinetix, we’re here to tell you that change doesn’t have to equal failure. And we’re not just giving you platitudes, we see it every day in our business. Many times throughout a week, we’re forced to pivot on a project or recruiting search and take it in a different direction. Before we jump into some ways you can use to help you avoid failure in change, let’s take a look at a high-profile example in the news recently.
The journalistic landscape looks quite different today from its heyday over the past few decades. Print journalism began its decline during the economic crisis of the middle 2000’s and has struggled to return as the economic climate has improved. Our country’s most famous newspaper, The New York Times, has not been immune to those struggles. Faced with dwindling ad revenue and a declining print readership, The Times needed to find a way to pivot or risk being shuttered like so many other news organizations around the country.
As chronicled in a recent Wired feature story, The Times has no choice but to embrace digital journalism as the new frontier. Even though products such as the NYT Now app have shuttered after launching, they have continued to build a digital subscriber base and now have over 1.5 Million readers paying roughly $200 a year. With the rise of digital media, they’ve also seen an increase in the revenue digital ads can provide as print advertising revenue has declined 150% since the year 2000. By choosing to embrace a new digital platform and continuing to provide journalism of the highest standards, The Times was able to make change a success and position them well for the future.
At Kinetix, we have to address change on a weekly basis on a much smaller scale. From shifting requirements set by hiring managers to our recruiters pivoting on their sourcing efforts, no two weeks are the same. Just because the priorities or goals shift, it doesn’t mean you have to start over at square one. When an opportunity to change presents itself, take a minute to evaluate your project or idea and ask yourself if you’ll continue to head down the right path to your goal should you continue. If the answer’s no, stop and figure out if you need to pivot or start back at another step. Often times, deciding to change your track can lead to greater success in your task or goal. Don’t be afraid to change and remember that change doesn’t have to equal failure!
P.S. As one of our modules in the BOSS Leadership Training Series developed by our CHRO Kris Dunn, Change Management should be at the top of mind for many HR and Talent Acquisition leaders today. By using change agile principles seen in the software development world, we can help give practical insight into how to address, understand, and ultimately embrace change. If you’re ready for the senior-level course, drop us a line and let’s talk shop.