Let Change Make You A Better Leader

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

Heraclitus

Only fragments of writing from Heraclitus have survived. This ancient Greek philosopher from the city of Ephesus still left us with something interesting to ponder.

He held a view called the Doctrine of Flux. He believed that everything was constantly changing.

Can some writings from 540 bce help us think better and lead more effectively? I think so.

The River

Your environment is always changing. The people in your team, the requirements of the project, the world around you.

Nothing is the same.

What worked last time might not work this time. The equation looks the same but the slight variances will give a different outcome.

There is a saying on Wall Street, people can’t tell the difference if you are wrong or early.

Maybe something you tried didn’t work but now it will. Maybe it worked in the past but now it wont.

The person who has been a cantankerous fool who has stifled your every attempt to help him might say yes today. The river is always changing.

You

You have changed. What you could do and what you now can do will be different.

Your skills, your understanding, your empathy, it will all be different.

What you can deal with will have changed. Maybe you are fresh and feeling great and nothing bothers you.

Perhaps you had food poisoning and slept terribly and have no tolerance for anything today.

You will be different in every interaction.

You are always changing and that is a good thing.