{"id":204,"date":"2011-06-02T02:22:50","date_gmt":"2011-06-02T06:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/facilitativeleadership.wordpress.com\/?p=204"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:37:17","slug":"change-or-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/change-or-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Change or Die \u2014\u201cIt is NOT the strongest of the species that survives . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

Change or die? Most people do not change their minds\u2014rather, they make a new decision based on new information.\u00a0 Sometimes the things they look at change as well.<\/h2>\n
\"Change<\/a>

Change or Die, The Business Process Improvement Manual<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Every morning a gazelle wakes up.\u00a0It knows it must run faster\u00a0than the fastest lion<\/em> or it will be killed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Every morning a lion wakes up.\u00a0It knows it must outrun\u00a0the slowest gazelle<\/em> or it will starve to death.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle<\/em> when the sun comes up . . .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

. . . you’d better be running.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0 Unknown<\/span><\/p>\n

Change or Die –\u00a0Darwin<\/h3>\n

Change is stimulated by decisions. Groups make higher quality decisions than the smartest person in the group because groups create more options. Any group or individual presented with more options is known to make higher-quality decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most change is incremental or evolutionary rather than revolutionary.\u00a0 Yet, by harnessing one degree Fahrenheit, steam power ushered in the industrial revolution.\u00a0 Today\u2019s revolution is both digital and dynamic, it is \u201cin-formation\u201d. With anything in formation, change is inevitable, only growth is optional.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is NOT the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u2014 Charles Darwin<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Change or Die –\u00a0The Tao<\/h3>\n

Some of the best books about facilitating change do not mention the term or role of a “facilitator”. Take Dr Wayne Dyer<\/a>‘s book for example, “Change Your Thoughts<\/a>, Change Your Life.”<\/span><\/p>\n

We have always argued that effective facilitation begins with clear thinking, and that unclear speaking or imprecise writing is indicative of unclear thinking.\u00a0 Dr. Dyer’s transliteration of “The Tao”, is also called “Living the Wisdom of the Tao.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The 17th verse begins and completes as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Change<\/a>

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

With the greatest leader above them,<\/span><\/p>\n

people barely know one exists . . .<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0. . . The great leader speaks little,<\/span><\/p>\n

He never speaks carelessly.<\/span><\/p>\n

He works without self-interest<\/span><\/p>\n

and leaves no trace.<\/span><\/p>\n

When all is finished, the people say,<\/span><\/p>\n

“We did it ourselves.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Change or Die –\u00a0Being Facilitative<\/h3>\n

One can easily substitute the term facilitator for a leader or include the adjective “facilitative” in front of the term, as in “facilitative leader.”\u00a0 Modern, facilitative leaders create an environment that is conducive to productivity, where all of the meeting participants feel that they have a personal responsibility to contribute and own the outputs, and the deliverables.\u00a0 Clear learnings that we can import from Dr. Dyer’s treatment of the 17th verse also include:<\/span><\/p>\n