Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and the ability to satisfy them. ~ Henry Steele Commager


I'm not sure about you but I've been pounded over the head with the word 'change' so much that I'm afraid to even use it in a sentence. Our elected officials promise to bring change to our government. Our corporations will change the way they do business. Technology will change the way we view the environment. My daughter vows to change her attitude. It goes on and on. This past week I received feedback on my midyear review that almost made me change the way I go about my job. The feedback was very clear, very direct, and certainly created a renewed sense of urgency. What my boss was looking for is exactly what Mr. Commager identified as the source of change. Progress is what my boss was after. Progress is also what our government, corporations, environment, and yes our parents are ultimately hoping to achieve. In order to progress at anything we must first educate ourselves on what we want the end result to be and then be daring and bold enough to act on this new information. Change for sake of change is a complete waste of time and resources. Progress for sake of progress on the other hand implies a step in the right direction and an increased capacity for learning.

My challenge to you this week is to not get caught up in the rhetoric of change. Examine a particular project or process that you a currently involved with and renew your focus on the end result. Whether you are gearing up for students to return to the classroom, or contemplating making an adjustment to your personal circle of influence, keep your eye on where you want to ultimately end up. Try not to get lost in the act of doing things differently for risk of losing sight of why you are recommending something different in the first place. Few leaders survive very long if they are known for 'shaking things up' without a clear vision and explanation to the reason behind it.

Alonzo Kelly
President
Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals
www.tmulyp.org

"When I was tired, I slept; When I was hungry, I ate; and when I had to go, well, ya know, I went". ~ Forest Gump "So you just ran?" ~ Lady at the bus stop "Well, Yea!" ~ Forest Gump

The movie Forest Gump has some of the best lines ever written in a movie. While everyone remembers his box of chocolate references, one of his best lines was part of a dialogue he had with a lady on a bench while waiting for the bus. It’s a simple instruction on achieving incredible results through disciplined focus. I suppose our Olympic athletes also provide this same lesson by being the best in their country at a specific event. Rather than trying to be decent at all things, they choose to be excellent at a few. I wonder what I could accomplish if I chose to focus on changing one part of our community at a time rather than all of it at once? If on Mondays I feed the homeless and Tuesdays teach children to read, could I actually end homelessness by teaching kids to read on Mondays and Tuesdays? I'm not sure of the ultimate result but I do realize that I'm cheating both groups if I'm not completely focused on either. If it were my career we were talking about, I would have to ask what I think I could accomplish with my team if we focused on being excellent at a few things rather than decent at a bunch of stuff. These are tough questions but necessary to address in order to take my personal and professional development to the next level. Forest Gump slept when he was tired, ate when he was hungry, and went to the bathroom when he had to. But at the end of the day there was never any doubt what his energy was focused on; he was running. Nothing else. And that's why he was able to run from coast to coast.

My challenge to you this week is to commit to completing one task this week with an excellent result. Don't turn in a good report, turn in a GREAT report. Don't complete a task on time, complete the task BEFORE its due. Don't just play catch with your children or pets for sake of spending time, play with them so much that they can't take it anymore! If we can commit to focusing on one task and completing it without distraction, we will begin to realize what we are truly capable of. When you're tired, rest, and when you're hungry, eat. But after each of those necessary breaks, resume your focus on excellence. If we can do that, our combined excellent efforts will produce extraordinary results!

Alonzo Kelly

President

Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals

www.tmulyp.org