You may be surprised to learn that this is a quote from Nelson Mandela; he certainly isn’t known as a quitter. For the most part, those of us who serve as change practitioners are not quitters either.

While the circumstances we face are certainly not as harsh and unrelenting as those Mandela faced, we can find then challenging, even as we seek to persevere. Yet as Traverse Bradbury wrote in Six Things You Must Quit Doing Today to Be More Successful, “sometimes quitting is necessary to overall success.” Here is Bradbury’s list.

  1. Quit doubting yourself.
  2. Quit putting things off.
  3. Quit thinking you have no choice.
  4. Quit doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
  5. Quit thinking everything is going to work out on its own.
  6. Quit saying “yes.”

It is likely that some, though perhaps not all, of these are present as you undertake your work as a change practitioner. And, each of them has the potential of significantly undermining not only your success, but the success of the changes—and the leaders—you are supporting. As you look at how you may further your professional development, perhaps the answer is not in more training, but in looking in the mirror, identifying, and then working on, those things that you need to quit.

About the Author: Brian Gorman

Brian Gorman is a transformation coach who supports individual and organizational change, sharing his “lessons learned” to ease others’ journeys. He is a workshop facilitator, public speaker, and author of The Hero and the Sherpa, a chapter in the Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (Springer Publishing). Brian also creates blogs, articles, and videos about the change journey. From 2016 to 2023, Brian served as Managing Editor of Change Management Review™, where he curated articles, contributed original writing, hosted podcasts, and collaborated with guest authors. Over five decades, he has worked with individuals and organizations—including Fortune 100 companies—gaining deep insights into universal patterns for navigating change. Brian holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Syracuse University, an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas, San Antonio, and an MA in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. He is an ICF-certified coach, an active member of its NYC chapter, and belongs to the Forbes Coaches Council and the Gay Coaches Alliance.

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