Influenced by globalization, increasing outsourcing of American jobs through unfair international trade agreements, competition from rising economies of countries like China and India, seemingly never-ending wars (Iraq and Afghanistan), recently record oil prices, an economy weakened by a downturn in the US housing market (resulting in a shaking finance sector and a deep US recession), Americans and the organizations they work for are being forced to shake things up if they want to stay afloat.

Look at what's happening to America's once dominant auto and banking industries. GM, Ford, and Chrysler are asking for federal funds to try to stay in business, while Wall Street heavyweight Lehman Brothers has folded. It seems that the world is in chaos. Well the truth is, that it is, but what many of us refuse to acknowledge is that it always has been, we have just turned a blind eye to that because humanity is afraid of accepting the fact that we cannot control all aspects of our existence. Even science, cannot control anything, but rather tries to understand life and events through trial and error. Control and stability in the natural world does occur, but not how we perceive it. Humanity's desire to have the world and its events conform to our worldview is a losing battle, that just brings about despair, heartache, and destruction. But, what if we embraced that change/chaos is constant and that we can at best try and predict change by analyzing trends?

A key concept that humanity has to acknowledge is that change/chaos is the only constant in life, therefore being able to predict and adapt successfully to trends that allow for change is essential to survival and success from the individual to the organizational level.

I invite you to listen to what Harvard professor John Kotter has to say about change. After all, aren't all of the issues that I outlined to begin this piece caused by changes in the marketplace or world conditions?

You, I, and our organizations must shift our thinking from safety and stability to one that embraces the notion of change/chaos as the only true constant in our existence.