Challenge the Status Quo

When we challenge the status quo, we test our skills and we challenge ourselves and others towards improvement. I have worked in office where I have asked "Why is it done like that?" and too frequently the answer has been in the region of "That´s just the way we work", or even worse... "That's the way it's always been done".
These are the answers of people who do not understand the reason why. If you cannot articulate the understanding, then you don not know it well enough. 

Krav Maga Online challenges the status quo!

Looking back, i see one of my own challenges against the status quo started in my teens when I was attacked in my local park by bored thugs. I wasn't critically harmed, but the experience did shake me up and I decided to learn how to fight back. The status quo at the time said it took years to become a black belt and have the fighting skills… surely there’s a faster way to learn? With a lot of experimenting with different styles over the last 25 years, mastering one, and learning directly from as many experts as I could, I can now confidently teach self defence skills that are easy to remember in hours, NOT years.

A more mainstream example of a status quo challenge would be from Apple. Who change the tradition in the music industry of consumers being album buyers to singles with their iPod and “a thousand songs in your pocket” campaign. They did it again with the telecommunications industry when they dictated to the networks what the new iPhone would do and what those service providers would have to accommodate for.

Always be asking...
​"why do we do it like that?"

Even if the answer is totally obvious, you should still put the question out there. Questioning brings the answer to the forefront of the mind. This is particularly important in matters of safety. But when the answer isn’t obvious, and when the reasoning is not clear there is an opportunity for improvement and optimization. ​

Lose the fear of the unknown. Open your mind and open your heart to have the courage to question. Sometimes we are afraid to ask if we do not understand. Often we do not want to stand out at the one who doesn’t know the answer, appear stupid, or oblivious to the obvious. So lose the fear and ask the question. Improve your understanding by learning. Procedures are in place for a reason, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect. New thought, technologies and process develop on the basis of people questioning why and how. When we challenge the status quo, we can start to believe that our abilities will be able to make a difference. We can develop with the inspiration and willingness to take bold steps forward.
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Every single leader, movement, and organisation that has ever wanted to achieve greatness has had to challenge the status quo. But some leaders are afraid of the challenge because it would mean they would need to entice improvements, to assemble advancements and to dig deeper into development… a difficult and time consuming task. But real leaders are not looking for personal advancement, they start the movement that drives development and continues momentum and meaning long after they have gone.

Review tips:

• Lose the fear of questioning. 
• Constantly be learning and growing
• Nothing great is ever achieved by doing things the way they have always been done.
• Inspire and encourage others to take a chance
• Be willing to risk and take bold steps

Don’t just challenge for challenge’s sake; give thought so that the best learning experience can be derived. We have the choice to make things better and we have an obligation to challenge the status quo. So when we meet that obligation, we start to inspire others to do better and think bigger. 

Krav Maga Online challenges the status quo!
​I´m very proud of this, it´s not easy, but it's helped a lot of people.

A little inspiration...

I really admire and enjoy the works of Simon Sinek. If you haven't read the book Start With Why, I strongly recommend that you do. At least see the TED talk he made, visit the blog page below, I wrote a short review on the book.

Start with why