What drives change?  At a discussion last week at the Nonprofit Summit about what organizations were doing “beyond business as usual” this year, the point was made that the common denominator motivating most of the changes described was the economy.  It really made me pause to think of how true it was that deep, bold or meaningful change rarely happens when things are running smoothly.  The point was also made that “the complacent gazelle is the one who gets eaten in the Serengeti.”

Most of us can say that the economy has driven us beyond business as usual.  I hope we can also say the changes have been successful and helped us survive.  But can we take what we have learned from this time of great change and not become complacent when at some point we are finally granted a little respite?  How can we incorporate some of the lessons we have learned from what has driven change and how to successfully implement change?

Quite honestly, we’d probably all appreciate a lazy day on the Serengeti right now, but let’s hope we have learned enough from our wild and woolly days to make sure that we survive and thrive there.

Keep up the good work,
MAK

Mary Ann Kristiansen
Executive Director, Hannah Grimes Center
mak@hannahgrimes.com