The beauty of a Monarch butterfly is obvious.  Its colors are often described as spectacular, bright or brilliant.  The Monarch butterfly symbolizes the successful transformation of the caterpillar into a dazzling display of nature.   All too often, however, people are in awe of its beauty and only see the butterfly in its final stage.  People often forget that it was once a caterpillar that had to go through a metamorphosis consisting of four stages before it reaches its final form of development.  People and organizations often want to resemble a butterfly.  People want to develop themselves or have their organization achieve a higher form of development.   To successfully achieve this development people need to go through their own metamorphosis. 

Change is one of the most common ideas that people and organizations say they want to implement.  In today’s technologically driven and hyper-competitive global economy people, have realized that success for their self, business, school, community or other organization to depends upon their ability to think differently and change. 

Blogs, articles and reports are filled with accounts of people talking about the need for change.  The way to create this change, so many people declare, is to be innovative, creative or original.  The reality is, however, while people talk about change very little actually has occurred during the last few years.  Old models of doing business, managing employees and educating students have only been slightly modified and require a far greater commitment to change. 

The metamorphosis that the caterpillar undergoes often eludes even the most well intentioned person or organization.  Despite the desire to create change time and again people and organizations fail to think differently and implement the change necessary to achieve their next stage of development.  Committees are formed, meetings are held, budgets are allocated and a great deal of time is spent on discussing the need for change.  In the end there is little progress.  Why is this?

Have you recognized the need to change on a personal or professional level? 

What have you done, if anything, to undergo your own metamorphosis? 

Do you believe you are finished changing or is it a work in progress? 

Are you so focused on the beauty of the butterfly, the end result of your change that you fail to devote the required amount of time, energy and resources? 

Are the people in your organization resistant to change so much that they knowingly or unknowingly obstruct even the slightest form of change?   

Consider using MEAPA’s free on-line resources to help you work towards thinking more effectively, taking action and achieving the personal and professional growth needed to undergo the metamorphosis of change required to succeed today.