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You can’t turn on the television, listen to the radio or even log-on to your favorite Internet news feed these days without hearing politicians speaking about our country’s need for change. Today’s various political camps have all latched onto a platform for change as the underpinning of their respective bid for the presidency.

That got me thinking about the parallels between running an intense political campaign and managing a fast-growing business. Personally, I find change appealing, especially in a nascent business like ours: If we don’t define the market and strategy for our customers, somebody else will. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do we.

Change is disruptive. The term disruptive, in this case, is good. Great companies are built on the backs of things like first-mover advantage (Microsoft, eBay, Starbucks), being disruptive to a certain category and moving quickly to fulfill the new found demand. A quickly growing company requires change to stay healthy and understand customer requirements.

Smart politicians know that simply promising change isn’t enough. The same goes for company leaders. Plans and actions are required to instill the culture of change and adaptability within your organization.

• Kill complacency in your organization.
  A good way to keep your best and brightest employees focused on moving your business forward is to modify organizational alignment, even if only for a set period of time. Just because the organizational chart from your college textbook states that it should be one way, feel free to experiment.

• Change things up.
  One thing that I like to do is to have smart team members take on additional responsibilities outside of their area of expertise for a set period of time (typically 90 – 120 days). This is a great grooming mechanism, with low down-side potential and huge up-side potential. Getting a new set of eyes on a functional area gives you two advantages: it offers the new manager additional experience in an area that’s important to your business, and it allows you to make something better than it was before.

• Get involved, Mr. CEO!
  You are ultimately responsible for making sure things work smoothly and efficiently so your team can grow the business. Change your areas of focus frequently. When you’re not meeting with prospects, customers, partners, sales reps or your engineering team, be sure to drill down into your functional areas and understand the issues, risks and plans. Ask tough questions. This is a good way to drive change.