Safe is Dangerous!

August 24, 2021

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Author: Karl Schoemer

Change creates voids. And many people respond to change by not responding at all – by waiting passively for the void to be filled before they move forward. They play it safe.

Those who fill the void stand out. They make their customers happy. They make their boss’s job easier. They increase effectiveness and make themselves more valuable. And, by the way, they are usually more satisfied and happier, less stressed or frustrated.

“Waiting to respond” and “playing it safe” behaviors are silently killing off good organizations every day. Riding the winds of all radical change is a classic paradox: Safe is dangerous. Holding steady creates more turmoil. Waiting for voidless paths creates more voids.

Making this destructive dynamic even worse is that those who wait think they are doing no harm. When you passively wait, you are slowly but surely jeopardizing the future of your organization – and, accordingly, your own job.

How You Can Stand Out:

  • Step up. Volunteer.
  • Challenge the status quo.
  • Call attention to the voids and fill them.
  • Give others detailed directions on how to fill the voids and encourage them.
  • Identify those who are filling the voids – then recognize, reward, and promote them.

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