As change agents and leaders, we're frequently advocating for change.  A change from current state to future state.  The thing is, just because it's called “future state” doesn't mean the change is actually moving people, the organization, or society forward.  There are plenty of changes being advocated for that are actually taking people, organizations, or society backwards.  So the question becomes, as a change agent / leader, how much have you been advocating for the past, present, or future?  How does the answer differ for your work vs. your personal life?

What does advocating for the past, present, and future at work look like?

Advocating for the past at work could look like:

• Going back in time in your professional life to something that felt better to you, and actively trying to recreate it at work without taking into account and addressing what has changed over the years

• Supporting a leader who is doing the above

• Participating in a change effort focused on the above 

Advocating for the present at work could look like:

• Only being interested in maintaining things as they are as the known is much more comfortable than the unknown 

• Supporting a leader who is doing the above

• Abstaining from participating in a change effort as you like the way things are

Advocating for the future at work could look like:

• Seeing where the organization or society needs to go to thrive, and actively working to bring the organization and people there 

• Supporting a leader who is doing the above

• Participating in a change effort focused on the above 

Think back through the change initiatives you've led or been a part of at work, has the focus primarily been on the past, present, or future?  Where do you want your focus to be going forward?  And what is going to get you there?

Switching to your personal life, what does advocating for the past, present, and future in your personal life look like?  

Advocating for the past in your personal life could look like:

• Imposing a belief on younger generations (i.e. your children, nieces, nephews, etc.) that doesn't work for them, that was passed down to you from a previous generation 

• Protesting to resist a change (e.g. protests at the capital to reopen the country and lift the new stay at home order)

• Supporting a politician that wants to recreate the past in the country (i.e. go back to the way things were without taking into account and addressing what has changed over the years)

Advocating for the present in your personal life could look like:

• Having no desire to examine or change your belief system, and you refrain from imposing it on anyone else

• Abstaining from supporting or participating in a protest as you like the way things are

• Supporting a politician that wants to maintain the status quo

Advocating for the future in your personal life could look like:

• Realizing a belief passed down to you no longer applies or benefits your children and future generations, and replacing it with a belief that works for the future generations 

• Protesting to bring about change (e.g. Black Lives Matter, Climate Strikes, March for Women, etc.)

• Supporting a politician that wants to move the country forward (i.e. innovate and create something new and better)

Think back over the conversations you've had with your kids, nieces, nephews, and others from younger generations, have your beliefs primarily been in the past, present, or future with them?  When you've voted, have you been thinking only about what you want for the country?  Or are you also taking into account what the younger generations want for the country?  What if what's best for you, isn't what's best for the younger generations?

Call to Action

• What is one takeaway you’ll be putting into action or question that you have from this post?  Use the comment feature to share your thoughts.

• Found this blog useful or know someone this can help?  Sign up on the home page to receive the latest blog posts and share it with your network.

• If there’s a particular change agent topic you’d like to see covered on this blog, please comment.   

About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.