Welcome to the Heart of Europe

Change is not easy. It stands for leaving the comfort zone, a new orientation, hopefully for the better. Two things coming together, future and past merging like traffic after a highway exit. Like two people getting together, giving one another shelter on a rainy day, as Tina Turner used to put it. You may want to go to the very end of this page right away to check out our experience with total dependency... in a truly hairy situation!

(Un)problematic Change

Dylan Dynamics. We find new mountains to climb all the time. Most change happens ongoingly and so seamlessly that it is hardly noticeable. Over time, the questions may be the same, but the answers may have changed. The call for change has been often reflected in song. Dylan's snarled advice to senators, congressman, mothers and fathers not to stand in the way for "The Times They Are a-Changin" has become an anthem of change far beyond the Civil Rights Movement, it was originally connected to. Full of emotional pain and unspeakable despair, Ozzy howled that it's too late now for he let his woman go and is going through "Changes". Bowie stuttered "Ch-Ch-Changes" as he turned and faced the strain of reinventing himself after discovering that times may change him, but he can't trace time. It all gets down to the same point: Flexibility is requested from us these days more than ever. Be it the openness to adopt new practices, as we attempt to "catch our train" in order not to be left behind in the past. Or be it the open-mindedness to evaluate new options, and then come to the conclusion that we need to support them or fight against them, depending on whether they represent healthy or unhealthy development.

Overall Life Focus. While many people are generally reserved towards turnarounds in their lives, one may be surprised that some changes may open doors you didn't even know existed. Willingness to change just as overall motivation to perform goes hand in hand with the general attitude towards life. Is a person actively striving for success, or is he or she rather and first of all confined to avoid failure? One factor is the personal background and history, how often people have fallen flat on the face in an attempt to break out of the own limitations, and how successfully those who have initially failed have managed to pick themselves up again and move towards new horizons. In times of cost reduction, one should not forget that good workers may be more expensive, but will pay off in the long run. As one may put it: "If you feed peanuts, you will get monkeys, who may drive you bananas."

"The only constant is change"
(Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, around 500 BC)

Show and Tell. Change impacts can be classified by their effect on people, process, technology and last but not least culture, the latter addressing compliance with values, principles, norms, expectations, attitude and behaviour. Attention is often not so much put on big changes but a "change to my kingdom" that causes reservation up to resistance. Managing change has a lot to do with communication and persuasion in order to spread a new idea and win supporters for the new cause, which in some cases also may repeat itself, just as history does... and fashion. Maybe the circumstances vary, but in its kernel it may be based on the same idea, or follow a quite similar approach or just sound familiar. However, on-going transformation of our environment from a current into a future state, hopefully the desired one, is needed, as it lies in the nature of survival to adopt proven best practices for staying competitive. We may even lead by example and drive change, after applying a reality check to minimze unforeseen impact. But then again, how can we be sure about the right approach?

Hesitation's Root Cause. Maybe, if, could be, possibily, not sure, questionable, by variable, more or less, it depends... Do you recognize these non-committal statements from your environment, whenever they come to speak about future plans that may impact you and do you have a problem with that? Maybe then it is time to change that environment, if that could be possible more or less, depending on the circumstances... Or are you hesitant as well? As part of positive thinking, we should approach challenges and opportunities rather than just seeing problems. Problem Management theory for Service Support outlines that not every incident, every upcoming issue perceived as a disruption of the regular way things function, may become a problem. Sometimes the resolution of things becomes routine, as work-arounds may already exist for known errors. In other cases detail analysis is necessary to determine and isolate the underlying root cause, in order to identify and install a permanent solution. Just remember: Don't fix what's not broken!

What represents change better than a move? Enclosed is the before and after image of our living room: From a storage room full of boxes, lit by a naked light bulb, to a living room with decent furniture completing the interior. Now don't tell me, before it looked better... and yes, there is a small Maya the Bee lying on the floor! Stray toys always manage to make it into the picture, I guess.

Repetitive Innovation. At the same time be open to innovation and don't be afraid of change, which occurs on a daily basis. As a French proverb puts it: "Plus nous tournons en rond, plus nous restons les memes - The more we change, the more we stay the same!" Sometimes it may be hard to leave the comfort zone of the routines one is used to. "Never change a winning team," is one of these quotes often used to justify motionlessness and standstill. And it is true that too hastily performed change can mess up everything and paralyze even more than it sets in motion. It is clear that too much change though isn't healthy, when things should be given time to settle rather than getting confused once more. But you don't want to be the one either, who always says no, who is blocking and preventing things from happening. You'd rather be the driver and become part of the future you helped shaping, don't you?

A Tale of Time. It is better to change early on out of a position of strength than waiting up to the last minute, when it might be just too late. For ultimately, life is progress, is evolvement and is change! Just as you would start smelling, if you don't change your underwear regularly or take that shower before each Christmas, there are other things that would outlive their usefulness, unless being periodically renewed and rethought. In concerts, Georg Danzer would tell the following story: "Once upon a time there was a man, who wanted to stop the march of time. So he went to the hills outside of town and screamed: 'Time stand still!' Along the way came a rider and said to him, 'If that is your wish, it shall be granted you.' And he drew his sword and stabbed it into the man's chest. To the dead he then said: 'There is only one time, your time! And its nature is change. Who doesn't want change, doesn't want life either.' Then he rode on."

Lamb or Wolf? In times of change, is it better to wait and pray that "this cup may pass from me" and attempt to prove one's added value by convincing through hard work? Especially, if you "work for food", every salary counts. Keeping low profile can help certain situations, following the motto of a modest colleague, who would usually introduce himself by saying: "I am a small poor, innocent employee, feel so lonely far away from home, a stranger in the city." Or will those, who remains in motionless repose be led to the slaughter like a gentle lamb? Afterwards one is always wiser, it is just a matter of question how much risk one is willing to take beforehand. Is it better to give up and content with the fact that things are not looking good? In this case, one may take the decision to proactively close the current chapter of life in order to start pursuing different long-term goals.

Loophole Advantage. Some may cleverly make full use of regulations, which were obviously established for people in real need rather than those taking advantage of legal loopholes. Others will leave the sinking ship and may even manage to grab some bacon to take along on the way out. As expectations for fair play turn out to be one-sided, isn't any drowning person obliged to lash about as the waves close over his head? Ultimately, there are answers one can only provide to him- or herself, as the result of a detailed risk assessment or out of a deep emotional impulse. People may decide to stay on in order to keep continuity in an environment that has become dear to their heart. In other cases, departure and a fresh new start may be the best strategy. And then you find yourself once more writing back that most well-meant and yet so stale sentence: I wish you all the best for your future life.

Carelessness or Quality. Some folks put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform, a self-imposed burden that can get them close to break down and burn out. Others find themselves in a constant struggle, forced to swallow anger and disappointment that is potentially causing them stomach ulcers, which may break open at some point. Yet others seem to jump through life like a young puppy, lacking any kind of concern and reservation. While they depend on others to clean things up after them, at the same time they may be doing incredibly well in selling their own performance. Cleverly, they are there on the spot, whenever a new opportunity opens up. Quality standards are claims that can differ a lot. The term quality itself is derived from the Latin word "qualitas," describing character, property or nature of things.

Less and Better. Just as one cannot be "a little pregnant", half-hearted commitments should be avoided by all means and we should focus on "doing less better". While there may be differences in perception of quality, quality assurance strives to guarantee a level of superiority and excellence. In a rapidly changing environment job security is becoming rare for those adapting slowly or resting assured on previous achievements. They will be left behind by others, who find the energy to constantly prove themselves over and over again. The source of this energy may be various, but for sure has to do with the ability to clear one's mind in the evening or on the weekend and distance oneself from professional and private stress. One might then focus on alternative interests and hobbies, such as getting exhausted over sports, playing games with or taxi for the kids, relaxing over reading a book or listenting to music, or letting loose creative energy by taking or painting pictures, researching and writing, or even designing and compiling a webpage, if it helps.

Change can be a rocky road to walk, like that staircase to a certain temple. Which could use renewal as well, by the way...

Analysis Paralysis - Excuses to Slow Down

Diversion and Delay. Some people are not very decisive. They attempt to sneak out of all that smells like judgement and commitment and appear to avoid absolutely anything even remotely connected to accountability. "We have to analyze it more", is a good excuse to avoid premature misjudgement and buy more time for making up one's mind. The other day I read an article in a science magazine under the headline "The unconscious often makes the best decision". The harder one may be thinking about a major choice in life, the worse the decision may get.

Analysis and Decision. For most people it goes without saying that difficult decisions need to be considered carefully. As much information as possible is collected in order to understand the bigger picture and be in a position to make the perfect choice. We twist our minds thinking about what would be if things were decided one way or the other. What is the best and worst case scenario for the future? What is the SWOT analysis on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that may influence our decision? Considering all possible circumstances and potential risk, one-time chances are easily delayed and dismissed. Apparently, we tend to think about things too much. Analytical review is very helpful, but thinking things over and over (and over and over) again may not only be tiring but rather lead to what we know as analysis paralysis, a common disease? Instead, complex choices that are made unconsciously tend to greater accuracy and a higher degree of following satisfaction.

The Pareto Principle, better known as the 80-20 rule, originally established to explain the uneven distribution of wealth in Italy at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, says that in many cases 80% of the potential value can be achieved from just 20% of the effort. When you plan to replace your systems, you may find that standard software only meets 80% of the requirements. You better reserve some time up front to challenge the earned value behind non-standard processes, which are there "because it has always been that way". For you may end up spending 80% of your time on customizing those remaining 20% of functionality, which make a business truly distinct.

Trust Yourself - Trust Your Inner Self

Good Gut Feeling. The conscious mind can process up to seven pieces of information simultaneously. It can handle about 40 to 60 bits per second, equivalent to the information flow during reading. Its strength is not speed but precision in the analysis of facts, but its biggest weakness is that it is quickly overwhelmed. When we list a number of pros and cons to visualize the facts, we often do not consider those impulses and feelings, which are beyond words to describe. The unconscious can handle almost unlimited information with a processing speed of more than ten million bits per second. Following the method of pattern recognition, the unconscious often makes the best possible decisions, even if we may not be able to explain the rationale behind our choice afterwards.

Emotional Intelligence. People tend to be happier about spontaneous decisions, as opposed to those following lengthy review, consideration and calculation of all possible results. Maybe they are just proud about themselves, as they may feel that they have "always known it deep inside". It may also be that our gut feeling is often right, initially, as it points us towards optimal opportunities we shouldn't miss by considering hidden drivers, which cannot be easily put into words. The best solution lies in the middle, as so often. Rather than approaching a topic completely blank, following initial research it is advisable to allow the unconscious a reasonable amount of time to select the best option. But let's restrain from more words now and make room for our emotional intelligence, if any...

Military Change Program. A decision can pave the way for change. And it has to do with decision making power. Will the others follow? Will they help together to make the change successful and the transition smooth? Believe it or not, even the most looked forward to change may not always be pleasant, as it actually occurs. Which reminds me of an anecdote from the days of military service. The soldiers had filed a complaint that their clothes were smelly after weeks in the field. There was a big cheer, when their commander announced the good news that they would get to change their underwear. He continued: "John, you change with Jack. Francis, you change with Joseph... and so on."

In order to keep up with progress, one constantly finds himself in need to ensure not to miss that train and keep up with the pace of change. The above pictures remind me of the Scorpions lyrics: "Wake up man, it's late, but not too late... and catch your train." Now and then it helps though to take time to lean back and remember good times with good company.

Story of an Emergency Haircut

Headwind Effect. It had been a nice sunny morning and I left my car window open while driving... Half an hour later I didn't recognize myself any more in the rear mirror. Immediate action was required in form of finding a water pipe to get my hair down and calling my barber for an emergency appointment to spare the frightened public. Time for another change... one in appearance!

Music Variety. As I called the hair saloon before opening hours and nobody would pick up the phone, I felt like that guy singing: "I am standing in the cold and waiting for a taxi, but it doesn't come, doesn't, doesn't come..." Then again I gave colleagues a ride between the office and the hotel. One morning I received a special juke box request, as one commented my previous music selection in the car: "Yesterday you played 'No Coke in Cola-land' (by STS) and today 'The car won't start' (by Roger Glover). Don't you have less depressing songs for a change?" As I responded by selecting the title music of "The Muppet Show", he sighed: "I guess, I asked for it!"

Total Dependeny: A Hairy Situation. One day I experienced total dependency on a woman. Asked on the next day, whether I enjoyed it, I would reply: "Part of it." Which part? "When it was over!" But it was not what you may think... It all began with my packed schedule between two business trips. I managed accomplish everything from dentist’s visit to parent’s evening at school up to submitting a paper for a course. Just one thing didn’t work out: An appointment to get my hair cut. So I decided to go on the first working day in Poland, after hours, with the help of a local colleague, who would translate for me. I was completely in her hands, but luckily she didn’t order that Mohawk haircut. When the hairstylist started her work, I suggested my colleague to go shopping in the meantime. "I will stay and watch", was the reply. "Better than TV", I thought. The event went by very successfully and I was very thankful for the experienced help. The total dependency became a discussion topic over breakfast, but I was glad to feel human again… with my short haircut.

The next page is about your true Personality Profile.