Happy Friday! As I was wrapping up for the day, I came across this insightful post by Chris Walker. I have never heard of Chris before and grammar aside, I appreciate his post on change. Here are some of the highlights:

• The world has changed. Things go faster, communication is more easy. Technological advantage is only a week in advance of the copy cat. Satellites watch us, the stock market pre-empts our decisions. Good practice is becoming more the norm, and we are struggling to keep up at a human level.

• However, if you read a book about life in the 14th century, you’ll see the same observation. There is always an observation that the world is changing and humanity is struggling. What people don’t realise is, that this struggle to keep up is of vital importance in nature’s plan.

• We evolve. You might not know it, you might not care about it, but everything is changing, and therefore everything evolves. People worry about water, atmosphere and resources, and they become part of an important balance between consumption and conservation. Human resistance is as much a part of nature’s evolution as
technology is. It’s an underlying principle that sits beneath our emotional opinion. All the world evolves, specie die, things become extinct, business go bad, new ones start. And here’s the key, those business, and the people within them that evolve, sustain profit. And those employees that evolve sustain employment. And those individuals that evolve stay healthy, and those relationships that evolve, stay together. Evolution is the key to sustainability. The ability to grow, in the right direction, is a powerful asset for anyone in all walks of life.

• It is a different world. Technology has replaced some mundane tasks, people need to evolve because what used to be the mechanics of work is now automated. People are employed to create more, think better, work less and do more. It’s a world where time spent at work is no measure of the profit, value or contribution a person makes. It’s a world where nasty, compliant, worried, clock watching managers have no real place. And it’s a world where employees who prefer emotional self gratification are not going to be able to create inspired work at the level of international competition.
Brains are being superseded by genius, hearts and inspiration.

• When people can’t inspire themselves, they need a new job or some serious coaching in order to free the organisation to grow.


Change is inevitable and our motivations are only the beginning of that shift. Change viewed as progress or evolution reminds us that we are people of possibility. Once we allow ourselves permission to be inspired and to dream we eventually learn to dream big. We are not our jobs, cars, homes, designer fashions, or other labels of status. As human beings we are immeasurable and when inspired can do almost anything. In a Web 2.0 world it’s no longer
“change or die” but rather “be inspired to evolve.”

If we agree with Chris that dreams are the inspiration that fuels us, then day dreaming is vital to our success. As you work with your attorneys, staff, and coworkers, do you inquire about their dreams? What do you do to spark inspiration for others? What inspires you?

This last week I found inspiration watching the world come together and compete in the Olympics. Whenever so many people around the world unite around a single moment in time, I can’t help but be inspired.