Current Mood: I had a productive day, so I’m satisfied
Current Song: Je Te Laisserai Des Mots by Patrick Watson
Mavericks. Leaders. The Fringe. Gurus. Gen Y loves these folks. We all strive to be these folks. We’re living on the edge, unhindered, unburdened by The Man. We stuck it to him, and we’re striking out on our own. We’re turning the system on its head. We’re heading full-throttle into topsy-turvy land.
Good for us. Aren’t we courageous? Clever too!
But you see, it isn’t always easy to turn the world upside down with the click of a mouse. There are people who do this. They do it well, and they gain the kind of clout (or Klout) that many of us can only hope for.
Most of us though, won’t ever be “Location independent”, have our own start-ups or do TED talks. We won’t move continents, raise a million dollars overnight or swim the English Channel (or whatever body of water people swim these days).
Most of us will work in the systems that already exist.
But this is a good thing.
You see that’s the thing about systems. We often have to work with them in order to make change.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
If you’re like me, you work with clients, big and small. Some are mavericks in their own right, and from the get-go, thrive on initiative and innovation and out-of-the-box ideas. Many don’t. Many have been around forever. There is a way of doing things.
You often need to work with them. It’s a bit like nudging them to dip their toe in the cold water, before maybe sticking an entire foot or leg in there. A word here, a phrase there, maybe the colour could be lighter?
Sometimes working with the system requires more bravery than the razzle-dazzle associated with striking out.
Perhaps we can’t turn the world upside down overnight, but we can certainly tip it. Change is change. You decide what it means to you. Working within a system, and incrementally but categorically instigating change is a work of courage.
So if you work in a system, fear not: You may not be shoving change, but you’re certainly nudging it.
