This month, Agency Sales’ editorial focus is on facing change in our business and how both we as independent reps and our principals will need to change our working relationships in order to survive in the future. I can remember attending my first ever association meeting in another business almost 30 years ago now and guess what the topic was — “Facing Change.”

It does lead one to wonder if “Changes” will ever stop and can’t we just stay where we are for awhile? For the most part, it seems human nature is to resist change, simply said it is uncomfortable and disrupts routines that we have become accustomed to over time. Change is akin to a punch in the teeth — “No, I don’t want it, but I think you are going to give it to me anyway, so I guess I will put up every effort to resist it!”

I have heard some say that they “embrace” change — well, I’m not sure about you, but I, for one, do not really enjoy it all that much and struggle my way through it begrudgingly! Having said that, I have come to realize that without being prepared to at least work at it or try and observe the need for change, I would single-handedly put our business at risk. I can remember a manager whom I worked for in the ‘90s saying there was no way he was going to have voice mail on his phone as it caused too many problems for him. Hmmmm…! I was in a meeting recently with a principal reviewing a contract where it stated that any notice had to be via telex or mail, a young person in the room said “What’s a telex?” Hmmmm …! Not that long ago, many of us were saying, “Who needs a Blackberry?”Another Hmmmm…!

Recently, in a conversation about change with a colleague, he recommended reading the book Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter. It is a told in a manner that we have all known since our childhood — a fable — about penguins living on an iceberg dealing with the real-life problem of their long-term existence and how some adapt quickly and others fight it — sound familiar? I would highly recommend this easy read on a topic that affects all of us in our life both from a business and personal perspective. If you are a manager or business owner who has to deal with change, then it can give you a good method of observing the signs for change and then lessons on how to deal with them in your business.

I suggest you read it over and see if your Iceberg is melting. Enjoy, if you dare!