Reinvention or same ol’ same ol’ … you decide
There are so many opportunities to change how we do something, although not all of them bring happiness or success. There are times when I crave novelty and other times when a “tried and tested” approach works perfectly fine. That said, I err on the side of adventure, creativity and opportunities to disrupt. Not out of some sense of negativity you understand – my open-mindedness is entirely down to spreading success and positivity.
All too often I try to understand the other point of view. The one that says “tried and tested” is best. I admit to a certain impatience that’s borne out of other people’s resistance to change although I work hard to influence their position. Let’s face it if we didn’t change and move forward, we’d still be rubbing two sticks together to make fire! On a more serious note, and turning to the modern world, we’d not have progressed to the AI debate, would we? Scary it may be, yet we need to get with the program, don’t we?
This soapbox rant all began last week when I wrote about same ol’ same ol’ approaches to recruitment marketing and touched on job design, “It’s interesting to discover how many unfilled vacancies there are which we’ve been loath to discard or change for the better”. But it’s not just about recruitment, is it? Resistance to change transcends just about every element of our busy lives, whether that’s at home or at work.
Trust me I’ve been there myself. Mostly I love the excitement of change and transformation, although just occasionally I’ve found myself saying something like, “it’s all fine, we’ve done the best we can, there’s nothing left to change”. Then, I remind myself that there’s always something that can be done better, quicker or cheaper. Remember those references to scientific management (Taylor) and the Japanese influences of Kaizen? It seems an age since I pawed over those textbooks to improve myself.
I must admit to borrowing this reinvention idea from Donny Osmond. He was being interviewed on “This Morning” and gushed about his 60 years in showbiz … and yes, I hung on to his every word (temporarily at least). He’s explained that he’s continually reinventing himself to remain popular. Such confidence in his own ability and strengths – it was infectious. No need to worry, I didn’t buy tickets to his upcoming tour, but his notion of reinvention stayed with me. Well, he has kept going for more than half a century, and the white skin-tight flares (with matching teeth) are still pulling in the crowds it seems. And his music has evolved. It had to, really, didn’t it?
So, you understand my interest in Donny Osmond is entirely down to his love of reinvention, bravo! If only I could get some of my business clients to transform or reinvent their approach to better suit their market. To evolve their marketing approach or their job design principles, and to update their critical needs (job criteria) will keep them ahead of the recruitment game. How often have you spotted a key or high-profile role being promoted … and then again, and then again? It begs the question, “what’s wrong with that job?”. Who stops to consider whether there are several vacancies? And how often is there a rethink?
There are so many incremental changes to be made on the way to reinvention or radical transformation. And I’m not advocating radical for everyone. I’d like to think that my musings about Donny or my weight loss success gives you some encouragement to make some small and helpful changes. Maybe I’ve even managed to inspire you to consider every single new vacancy as a fresh and exciting challenge.
When it comes to the importance of great job descriptions, I realise that I’m a “scratched” record, although I’d like to add adverts and job posts to the record collection. But even more fundamental is a job which aligns your organisation’s needs with what the market can offer. Go on be brave – if it hasn’t worked, try something new … and then something else! And then, Lets Talk
