Managing Change

I used to think it was because I’m in a classic low-tech industry, but I spend a lot more time sorting out internal problems than I do coming up with ways to incorporate the latest wrinkle in envelope folding. Most managers do not manage change. Change takes them by surprise. What we’re actually managing is the conflict wrought by change. When we hold budget meetings at our company, every department has the same request: We can bury those hotshots across town if you just give us more resources. But before you can beat the guys on the other team, you need to have your own people on board. Good managers have to sort out the conflicts. You can’t just allocate resource and set policy by the numbers. Otherwise you wouldn’t need a manager – an accountant could run the company.

— Harvey Mackay, Beware The Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, Lesson 25

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