Our boarding school headmaster, a no-nonsense army officer, was a stickler for discipline and action.
Two oft-repeated solutions to most of the complaints and excuses students would take to him were:
1. Change yourself --> adapt, or
2. Change the system --> act
We didn't like it then.
But we learnt - grudgingly at that tender age - that complaining or whining about things is a waste of time and energy.
Unknown to us, our headmaster instilled in us a strong sense of personal accountability. I was able to truly appreciate this only in my early career when this trait started paying rich dividends. It continues to do so.
Another powerful realization I have had through the years is that meaningful change - both personal and systemic - is hard.
It's much easier to choose wisely. Being thoughtful in choosing - people you hang out with, your role and organization, projects you take up, what and how you respond to situations - avoids much of the complaints and whining later. And hopefully the need for a forced change.
#career #change #management #leadership