When confronted with change, we generally do not embrace it.  We see comfort in what we are currently doing and avoid the change.  We say no to change more than we say yes.

What if you could do something that you know if you did it, you would not fail.  Would you do it?  Would you accept the change?

That was a question posed to me about a year ago by a good friend of mine.  I had some career decisions to make and he asked me that very question.  Of course I said yes, I would do it, but I had no idea how that question related to the decisions in front of me.  At least at that moment.

You see I had run operations for an engineering company that was approached by a firm and we eventually wound up selling the company to our parent firm.  About eight months into the integration I found out that they wanted to promote the person I was training to take over day to day operations to be my boss and run the expanded operations.  Essentially, I was going back to running day to day operations while I would now report to my protégé.  Change was being thrusted upon me.

I admire the CEO of our parent company as he made the decision and it was his choice.  He wanted one person to be in charge and it was not me.  One of the first clear directions I had received from an operational standpoint since being acquired.  I had a decision in front of me to make and that required me to make a change.    What if I could do something knowing that I would not fail, would I?  And what would that be?  Now I knew how that question related to me.

At the time I was reading a great book by Andy Andrews called the Traveler’s Gift.  Seven decisions that determine personal success.  It takes the subject of the story through a time traveling journey to teach him lessons about personal success.  The one that hit me the most was the battle of Gettysburg.  The Gettysburg lesson was that the decisions you make today can change hundreds of thousands of lives in the future.  The impact of your decision today and what it could mean to those around you today, tomorrow and those after you have left.  What would my decision be and what impact would it have on those around me today, tomorrow and after I leave?

I also had some conversations with some of the people from the other acquired companies and one hit me hard.  He had reached out to me on my vacation where I was soul searching my decision.  He had hoped that he still had an opportunity to work with me as he felt he could learn about leadership and did not want to miss out on that opportunity.  Would my decision impact him and those around him?

I remember it well, sitting on the deck of the cabin talking to my wife about my exit strategy when I would return to town the following week.  I had just left a shareholder meeting the weekend before with the feeling it was time for a change.  It was during one of those meetings that my future was being changed.  And during that weekend I got to meet a lot of people from the other acquired companies and found out that they were real people that wanted the same things as I did.  To work with great people and help grow a great company.  Things to consider.

Do I say no to the change and do something different, or do I say yes and possibly succeed in helping change the world for others?

You will always know what No looks likes, but what road and impact does the Yes choice bring?

I woke up the next morning and finished the Traveler’s Gift.  I had slept restlessly on the decision wondering if I should stay and help grow what we had into a great company, with great people or let my ego decide for me and move on?  Then it hit me.

If I say no and move on, I know what that looks like.  But if I stay on and help create something big with a lot of great people, what would yes look like? 

You see I could not fail, since I always had the no option even if I said yes.  If yes doesn’t work out, then the no is always there.  What’s the point of saying no to something when a yes might be a lot of fun doing?  I may not have known what yes looked like at that time, but I sure knew what no was like.  So I decided to say yes to the change in front of me, and stayed on.

It’s about a year later and we just had our shareholder meeting.  I’m now working under my former boss as his right-hand man running a division of the company that our old company resides in.  I did work for my protégé until my new assignment and helped him create strategies and integrate with the other company he is responsible for.  I helped the business leader of that other company grow in his leadership skills and I continue to work with him in my current role.  Something I really enjoy doing.  I am also working with others to help them navigate the waters on what we are building.  Developing leadership in our division.

I don’t know where I would be today if I had said no.  But I do know it would not be what I am doing today and I would not have had the opportunity to help positively impact those around me.  I chose the path where I could do something where I would not fail, for you see if you know you cannot fail, you won’t.  It’s a state of mind.  And while I don’t believe my decision to stay will impact hundreds of thousands of people, I do believe I am having an impact on those I work with.

So, if you want to choose the given, say no to an opportunity that you are unsure of.  Choose not to change.  But if you want to succeed, if you want to positively impact people, say yes to what you know you cannot fail at!

It amazes me how many people choose no.  Can you be the one who says yes?

If you do, you may be onto something here.

Allyn Vaughn

Photo by Oliver Roos on Unsplash