The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

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What Is 'Change'?

All systems Change. Complex systems are in constant state of flux.

It's hard to know how a system will change, but it's certain that it will.

Reaching a point with your business where everything is perfect and unchanging is impossible.

The more flexible you are, the better prepared you'll be when Change comes.

Josh Kaufman Explains 'Change'

All systems Change-there is no such thing as a system in stasis.

Complex systems are in a constant state of flux. There is a great deal of uncertainty in how a system will change over time, but it is certain that the system will change.

Plans that do not take into account potential responses to change are of limited value. Change is a fact of life.

Psychologically, it's very difficult to internalize that some things are random: there's no rhyme or reason to many of the things that happen in the world. Because of our Pattern Matching abilities, we tend to see patterns where none exist, and tend to attribute random changes to skill if the changes are good or misfortune if they're bad.

As a result, we're “Fooled By Randomness” - the title of Nassim Nicholas Taleb's first book.

You will never develop your business to the point that everything is perfect and unchanging. Many business owners and managers share an unexamined belief that, by moving a business from "Good To Great," it'll be "Built To Last," continuing to outperform competitors for decades to come.

It's a pleasant dream, but measuring yourself against that yardstick is unrealistic-it requires an unchanging world.

The only thing you can do about Change is increase your flexibility to handle a wide variety of different circumstances. The more flexible you are, the more Resilient you'll be when things inevitably change.

Questions About 'Change'


"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

Charles Darwin, naturalist and pioneer of evolutionary theory


From Chapter 9:

Understanding Systems


https://personalmba.com/change/



The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

Buy the book:


About Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman is an acclaimed business, learning, and skill acquisition expert. He is the author of two international bestsellers: The Personal MBA and The First 20 Hours. Josh's research and writing have helped millions of people worldwide learn the fundamentals of modern business.

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