Quote: On Guarding the Past Against the Future

“Each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the past.”  Maurice Maeterlinck  I love this quote, since it seizes on the issue of how hard it is to get others to come along with you in making a switch.  Change is difficult to achieve precisely because of people vested in the past and what was and is.

 

These “guards” are vigilant in their duties, especially when they think that a change might impact them and; their authority, responsibilities, influence, position, knowledge, or anything else that diminishes them in any way. 

 

The guards are armed with: words like spears made for throwing, emails like arrows that fly through the air, swords that slash with innuendoes and mistruths, and then shields that they hide behind so they cannot be seen. 

 

Leading change is not for the faint of heart.  Like going into battle, one must recognize that the outcome for the individual is rarely known.