Zebras and Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle

Chapter 3

You and Your Tribe

Struggle in the Jungle

It will take time to adjust to the surroundings of the concrete jungle. Faced with a struggle for survival at one time or another, many in your tribe will want to walk (possibly run) away from the change that is about to take place. If current methods that the tribe is using have failed to produce sufficient results, it’s only natural that there must be a change.

As you certainly know by now, it is highly likely that change will initiate fear, and rightly so, in most cases. Perhaps you’re tackling a new product offering or a different way of doing business. Such circumstances require a Leader who can effectively keep members from bolting, give them a credible reason to continue wrestling with their environment, and reassure them that they will realize ultimate triumph if they work together toward a collectively prized outcome (swimming alongside them in the current of the urgent, as we described in the last chapter). As a result, Leaders must invest serious time in tasks that might seem a little like babysitting—that is, until their subordinates become acclimated enough to the environment to struggle against it independently.

In fact, the initial four to six months of the change process will likely be the rockiest period for Leaders. This is when they’ll attempt to design, develop, and initiate successful change without alienating the organization’s members individually or collectively, all while keeping them moving forward until ...