In LVG & Co's work helping values-led business grow and innovate, we often find ourselves supporting individuals and organizations as they navigate change. This makes sense: Change is requisite for growth. 

Yet while it is an obvious and well-known fact that change is inevitable – one thing I've learned in life, is that people don’t like change. Breaks to the status quo lead to resistance, as well as feelings of fear and anxiety. We see this in our work all the time, and we’re experiencing it en masse at this current moment in history. Yet as human beings, we are also extremely adaptable. 

I grew up next to a major surf break and watched the waves roll in day after day. While I don't surf as sport myself, "ride the wave" is an analogy I began using about 10 years ago when managing my first team through a major change initiative at adidas. In the subsequent decade as a business leader, it has become a go-to reference I use nearly daily. 

To help clients navigate change and grow, LVG & Co. often calls to mind this analogy of “riding the wave”. We lean on it to discuss preparedness: 

• Research – checking the weather, the wind, currents and tides; 
• Resource allocation – grabbing the best board and right wet suit for the conditions; 
• Adaptability – remaining flexible in mind and body, knowing that each wave will be different than the last, and each day too will be different than the one before it. 

Once prepared, we go out and ride. In itself, this effort demands the temporary surrender of security, recognizing all that we can't know or control. But the process provides a proactive and positive way to navigate inevitable change – and surfing offers an exciting (and healthy) way to grow. 

Riding the wave is not about being reactionary. It is about recognizing how we harness the power of our own actions and reactions to define the outcome. It's about accepting that “nothing is constant but change”, and tomorrow's ride will be different than today's. Armed with these insights – we can continuously prepare ourselves anew, seek less resistance to changes big or small, and lean into the possibility of personal, professional and collective growth. 

We are living in unprecedented times; change is everywhere, the waves are crashing. What are you doing to navigate this time of incredible uncertainty and ride the wave?