“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.” — Proverbs 18:15
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Earlier in the year, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was quoted as saying that teams should think about calling up more minor league players and giving them a chance to play at the elite level. He talked about the benefits of both giving them experience as well as having them inject some energy into stagnant offenses, bringing some fresh drive and hunger for success, and how that’s good all around for everyone. It was an interesting take and one that, apparently, some MLB teams decided to try out — the San Francisco Giants being one of them.
Not long into the season, the Giants began calling up minor leaguers — partly out of necessity due to injury, but also perhaps in an effort to try out Judge’s suggestion. The team was struggling early on and near the bottom of their division, but shortly after these young players reached the major league level, the Giants began to turn around quickly. With guys like Casey Schmitt, Blake Sabol, Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and others infusing new life into their roster, the Giants found themselves suddenly in contention for the division as well as a chance for a wild-card spot. Had the team been unwilling to change things up, it may not have discovered this competitive spark that surprisingly turned its season around.
Watching this got me thinking about how we deal with change. I feel like most of us have mixed feelings about change — part of us likes it and knows it’s essential for keeping life adventurous and interesting, while the other part of us hates the way it upends what we know and are comfortable with. I know athletes especially can be greatly superstitious about change. Yet, without it, things become dull and stagnant and refuse to grow. Any individual or organization that seeks to improve must be open to adapting and adjusting how things are done.
Judge’s idea — and the subsequent proof of its validity within the Giants organization — brings up the fact that many teams, business organizations and people are afraid of change. Whether it be out of financial concern, selfish interest, image or pure ignorance, these institutions and individuals are scared to change things up. I’ve even seen it in places I’ve worked before: People are petrified to take a leap of faith and try something new.
But in reading the Bible and taking a look at the life of faith, it’s easy to see that change is a must if anything is going to mature and expand. There is a clear command to “forget the former things” and not “dwell on the past” because God is constantly doing “a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19). God doesn’t want us stuck in the way we’ve always done things. There’s a place and a time for tweaking so that people and things can continue to grow and be renewed. Resistance to change won’t get you anywhere, but openness to it will.
So whether you’re in business or coaching or even in everyday relationships, it’s important to realize that change is not only OK, but it’s also good and helpful to freshen things up a little — to welcome in new ideas, different concepts, fresh energy and infuse a little life back into the situation. After all, maybe the secret to future success is hiding within somebody or something that you’ve previously overlooked.
— Katherine Singer
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