The local Council put a note through the door a week or so ago to announce they were replacing the worn out road surface outside my house. There was no debate about this. There was no opportunity for anyone to suggest the old one was nice and we had grown attached to it. It was happening. We were warned to move all cars out of the way and be prepared for a few days of disruption.

Sure enough on a cold day in January men in yellow jackets and machines arrived.

On day one they ripped up the old road. This was not a ‘patch up the road’ job but heavy machinery ripped and tore up the old surface. They needed some help as a few car owners had not heeded the warning. A tow truck arrived and removed any vehicles in the way.

The next day a new set of machines arrived and more workers in yellow jackets with shovels and measuring devices worked hard to lay a new road by the end of the day.

And then it was done. The machines and the people all left and the new road was up and running. It was fast, pretty brutal but the people clearly knew what they were doing. The old was replaced by the new.

I couldn’t help wonder if this is a decent metaphor for change. Do organisations spend too long debating things with people? Is there sometimes a case for completely ripping up the old way of doing things and not trying to patch things up. Should we be tougher with people who get in the way? Are companies changing fast enough or are they wasting valuable time?

Many clients are facing tough challenges and an urgent need to change. and yet seem to spend months talking about it.  Maybe they should send a delegation to watch the men ripping up the road and see if this gives them any thoughts. I know some of the change guru’s might have a problem with this. What do you think?

 Music playing in the office this week

This week we have been listening to some great female vocalists. We have been playing The Staves album ‘Dead Born & Grown’ – which contains some of the best harmony singing you will hear. Also playing ‘Asking For Flowers’ by Kathleen Edwards which has some great songs on it. The song ‘Goodnight California’ is on virtual repeat here.