Page 68 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

Change Your Thinking about Change 59

Change
Thriving
Problem

Change
Surviving
Problem

Survive change. Or thrive on change. It's all a
matter of perspective and self-motivation.

Michael Dell changed the rules of how PCs were sold. He caused
problems for his competition that took years for them to neutralize.
Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines causes problems for compet-
ing carriers every time he enters a new market. When Southwest
entered my home market of Providence, Rhode Island, they caused
many other airlines to change their fare structures, change their routes,
and even caused US Airways and Delta to launch subbrands in this
market, with MetroJet and Delta Express, respectively.
Oh, sure, when you change things it also causes problems for you,
but you’re going to be dealing with problems every day of your life;
they’re the raw material for accomplishment. We discussed that earlier.

You can either deal with someone else’s problems, or you can deal with
problems on your own terms.

Dell and Southwest set the bar just as high for themselves as they
did for the competition. The main difference was that they knew it was
coming. They were prepared. It caught the competition flat-footed.
When you make the changes, you are leading as opposed to follow-
ing. According to the old business adage, “If you don’t make dust, you
eat dust.” You can play on either side. In fact, you must play on one side
or the other. Just to survive, you have to play on the left side. Those
who truly play on the right side of this formula are the ones who thrive.