Change is scary. As a general rule, people do not like it. Change creates uncertainty, and most people’s sense of personal security is built on continuity and the expectation that tomorrow will be very much like today.
When we perceive that tomorrow is going to be very different from today, most people experience fear or anxiety. Tomorrow could be worse. I could lose my job. I might not know how to do the thing that I will now have to do. Things that I love or value might be somehow worse. Depression. Global warming. Famine! Apocalypse!!
Not everyone hates change
I have repeated the aphorism that “people hate change” many times, as if it is an undisputed and universal fact. But it is not. As with everything related to the human experience, there is a lot more nuance, and a wider range of realities.
My friend and mentor (and Dstillery director) David Bell recently shared his view with me that with regard to change, there are three types of people:
- Past-clingers
- Wait-and-seers
- Let’s-goers
Past-clingers are so uncomfortable with the uncertainty created by change that they deny it, resist it, and push back against it. Their denial is a circular reference that activates the very risk that they fear, which is being left behind.
Wait-and-seers, well that is obvious. They are skeptical, but willing to be convinced.
Then there are the let’s-goers. These are the people who experience the uncertainty of change as an exciting opportunity to learn and grow.
The dust will not settle
Today, I have the privilege of moderating the following session at Velocity, an event hosted by The Athena Project in partnership with Northwestern University Medill School.
We Live in Dusty Times: How Media Agency Leaders Manage Innovation, Complexity & Fear.
Media agencies are navigating one of the most profound reinventions in their history, as AI, multimodal consumer experiences, and new forms of intelligence reshape how audiences are discovered, understood, and influenced. How are today’s agency CEOs leading through this complexity while helping clients embrace innovation without losing sight of trust, creativity, and business results? This conversation explores how leaders prepare themselves, their teams, and their clients for a future defined by extraordinary opportunity—and equally profound disruption.
It is a brilliant topic, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to delve into it with Lisa Collings of Mindshare, Domenic Venuto of Horizon Media and Shelby Saville of Starcom.
In my preparation to moderate, I discovered the meaning behind the title “We Live in Dusty Times.” It is from this (excerpt of a) post by Shelby:
⚡ Change is the new normal.
The pace isn’t slowing. And that’s okay. I was recently asked what this industry will look like “when the dust settles.” My answer is that it won’t. We live in dusty times, my friends. For our clients and our people, leading with focus, clarity, and transparency matters more than ever, even when the path ahead isn’t clear. When I’m unsure, a mix of perspective, pragmatism, and purpose has been my superpower. And I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Because my teams and clients know we’ll figure it out, together.
Are you a past-clinger?
It is unnerving to realize that we have little choice but to lean into change without a clear idea of where it will lead us, and that we cannot simply wait for the dust to settle.
It led me to an introspection exercise.
Open your mind, look in the mirror, and ask yourself whether you are a past-clinger, a wait-and-seer, or a let’s-goer. Answer honestly, and ask yourself why. And finally, ask yourself whether that is who you want to be.
Me? I am somewhere between a wait-and-seer and a let’s-goer.
I have a deep respect and even envy for the let’s-goers. They are the ones who are going to do exciting things and have tons of fun. Some may become trillionaires.
But a 20+ year career as an investor imbued me with healthy respect for risk that slows me down a step relative to the let’s-goers. In any decision, I seek conviction before I act. Conviction is the governor between waiting to see how things will unfold and diving in.
Rooting for the let’s goers
The profound value of David’s insight is not the categorization of people. It is that companies thrive when they empower and unleash the let’s-goers. Remove organizational obstacles. Give them permission to pursue opportunities. Reward their initiative, and celebrate their achievement.
The idea is that the more visibility and influence the let’s-goers have, the more past-clingers will be inspired to become wait-and-seers, and wait-and-seers to become let’s-goers. The more people we can move across the continuum, the faster we will go as a company.
I love this model for acceleration, because it does not impose the unrealistic standard that we are all going to be let’s-goers. Instead, it allows the let’s-goers to bring the rest of us along, and to be agents of acceleration.
Growth comes from change. Change is constant. So we all can and should be constantly growing. Whichever category we find ourselves in, we all ought to be rooting for the let’s-goers.