“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”~Anita Roddick
Often when working with middle managers we hear about how “wrong” the leaders of the organization are, or how mismanaged the organization is, or, simply, how many problems they face in their daily work life. There often seems to be a sense of, “I have huge issues that need fixing around me… and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
When the conversation flows in this direction, we invariably bring in a challenge. “Yes,” we say, “there are certainly many issues that need to be addressed and you are understandably frustrated. But, to think that there is nothing you can do about it, that’s where you’re wrong.” We challenge our clients every day to be change agents – to be the ones to stand up for their beliefs and values, to be the ones to bring in the very aspects of leadership and management that they feel are currently missing from their organizations.
A mosquito does have the ability to keep us up at night, and each person does have the ability to start and/or support a true change effort. To truly make a difference. Perhaps thinking we’re too small to make a difference is merely an excuse, perhaps it’s a result of not truly understanding our own power. Whatever the reason, it’s not completely true. Each one of us can make a difference if we are willing to try.
Find the place in your life where you’ve said “No” because you felt you would be ineffectual and take the first step towards doing something.
Where have you let yourself off the hook from taking a stand or an action by thinking that you were too small and that whatever you did wouldn’t matter anyway? Where do you need to use your power and make a difference?
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