“Gradually, and then suddenly.”

This beautifully insightful piece of dialogue taken from a 1926 Hemingway novel captures something universal about change.

There are those who plan, prepare and seek out possibilities to manage change and there are those who do not.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about why some people change and others don’t. And in this little snippet from Hemingway I think we have some important clues.

Gradual isn’t always gradual. And how things are right now might to be how they are tomorrow.

Let’s start with the first one. The gradual nature of some change is a bit tricky or rather gives a space for us to believe it will stay gradual.

This ‘gentle’ pace sometimes lends itself to inaction. The consequences seem mild. We decide to stick with things how they are.

And secondly making decisions based on today rather than how they might be tomorrow is no easy feat.

How do we know where things are going? Who has that crystal ball?

Certainly not me, but we can see change as an opportunity and something we might take part in actively.

How would we like things to play out? What can we do to be a few steps ahead instead of a more reactionary approach?

As a strategic thinker seeing ahead has been something I am called upon to do.

And with the right perspective on change gradually can be not so sudden after all.