Let there be Light

How many mystery writers does it take to change a light bulb? Two; One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.

1. How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb? One; but the bulb must want to change.

One of the earliest jokes I can remember is the one about how many does it take to change a light bulb. Simple, short and easy to remember, these jokes are often the one that most people will remember one variant or another from when they were younger. Of course, they all centre around the light bulb. Whilst most of us would think that the light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison, that is not strictly correct. There were many others who had gone before him in the process. Edison was actually the man who created a commercially viable "incandescent lamp", a success further enhanced by the introduction of a system for electricity distribution based upon Direct Current, as opposed to Alternating Current.

Prior to arriving at his patented version, Edison and his team at his Menlo Park laboratory tested over 3,000 theories to develop an efficient incandescent lamp. Finally after two years (1878 - 1880), he filed for and was granted a patent for an electric bulb that employed "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires". What is remarkable about this success is not so much the fact that he arrived at the first commercially viable light bulb that subsequently went on to inspire our opening jokes, but more the fact that the breakthrough arrived as a result of tremendous perseverance. Edison himself is quoted as saying:

"If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed.I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another way forward."

Edison and his team demonstrated remarkable resilience in pursuing their target. Resilience can be defined as "the positive capacity of individuals and groups to deal with stress or catastrophe" and is a key requirement for ensuring the successful achievement of change projects or indeed even normal business in the face of a global recession. Edison never lost sight of his goal. Neither should we, as HR practitioners implementing change, lose sight of ours. Those change goals could range from major organisational restructures though large scale redundancy events to targeted M&A events. All of which are hugely demanding in terms of both stress and workload for the HR teams involved. Success does not come overnight with such projects. In fact, in bringing about change, failure will probably be experienced at least once or twice by those implementing it. This is not a bad thing. Failure helps us learn and grow, and so should be welcomed, although not repeated. After all, "success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."

And Finally...

I leave you with a quote from Mario Andretti, one of only two drivers to win races at Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Chapionship and NASCAR.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but its the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."

All the best,

Jim