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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an international campaign designed to increase awareness of breast cancer, which affects one in every eight women. In the U.S., this campaign was founded in 1985 to promote mammography as the most effective tool at preventing breast cancer. Throughout the country, participants in charity events receive imprinted promotional products featuring the well-known pink ribbon.

During fall 1991, pink ribbons were distributed to participants in the Susan G. Komen Foundation New York City breast cancer survivor race. In 1993, Estee Lauder Companies Senior Corporate Vice President Evelyn Lauder created the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She designated the pink ribbon as the symbol for the foundation. Since then, this small ribbon has become a powerful international symbol for breast cancer awareness.

People worldwide wear pink ribbons to express their moral support for women and men who have breast cancer. The ribbon is imprinted on clothing, bags, and promotional items like mugs, cups, and water bottles. It has even been designed as a magnet for display on automobiles. Charities shopping for promotional items may be able to design their own breast cancer awareness ribbon that features full color printing and an image of their choice. These thick magnets are water-repellent, fade resistant, and designed to be used outdoors.

Many shoppers are taking steps to reduce their use of plastic and paper shopping bags. Instead, they take their own reusable totes to transport their groceries. A pink non-woven customized tote will be in high demand with this crowd. It is durable enough to hold heavy grocery items, clothing, or even beach gear. The tote folds compactly and can be stored in a compartment behind a vehicle seat when not in use.

Insulated mugs keep hot beverages at the desired temperature. When a breast cancer fundraiser is held outdoors on a blustery day, filling these with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate helps keep participants going. They are attractive enough for everyday use and feature a sturdy handle and a thumb slide lid that helps prevent beverage spills. The bottom of the mug is designed to fit into the cup holder of the automobile and BPA-free material eliminates fear of contamination.

A unique promotional item with cancer in mind is a safety kit. Two packets of sunscreen, one packet of lip balm, adhesive bandages, and antiseptic and wash-up towelettes are contained in a case that fits into the glove compartment or a briefcase. Charities can have their logo imprinted on the lid of the case, advertising their support. Quantity discounts are often provided for promotional items like this, making it worthwhile for charities to order enough for events throughout the year.

Imprinted promotional products designed for breast cancer awareness feature the well-recognized light pink color. Fundraising groups imprint their logo and the pink ribbon onto these items and distribute them at events held throughout the year, particularly during October. In exchange for a donation to the cause, each supporter is provided with one or more of these promotional items.

Change May Require More Than You Bargained For

Change management is now at the height of its life cycle. It is much discussed and sought after by companies both large and small. I often wonder, though, if all the implications of the change process are fully appreciated by those embarking on the journey of change.

The Prerequisites for Change

The fundamentals of the process rest upon a strategic understanding of where the host company wants to be in the next five years or so. Such a view must emanate from a profound understanding of both the external and internal environments. It requires paying attention to far more than the technical adaptations that are imperative for survival and competitive advantage. It requires a deeper understanding of the adaptive changes that must be made on the part of the leadership as well as at all levels within the organization. It requires that management ask itself uncomfortable questions about its role and the role of others in the organization. It demands tolerance for a high level of stress. It causes previously concealed conflicts and unproductive behaviors to be exposed. Above all, it requires the ability to deal with a high degree of uncertainty in a constructive, creative and productive manner.

How Do You Maintain Stability While You ‘Rock the Boat’?

The normal functioning of the organization cannot stop while everything is changed. The economic viability of the organization must be ensured, while change is being implemented at the deepest and most fundamental levels: the attitudes, expectations, roles and reward systems of an organization. There are no ‘quick fixes’ here. The process is long-term and will not succumb to pressure. Attempts to compress the change process into a shorter span of time will only result in the breakdown of present systems when the new ones are not yet in place. No doubt such radical changes can be made, but it really means totally closing down one entity and starting a completely new one. This, however, will only work if the leaders of the organization have undergone sufficient change in their own behaviors so as to beget a significantly different organizational entity. Maintaining stability while managing change is probably one of the most difficult leadership challenges. It requires walking the ‘razor’s edge’ between sustaining the appropriate degree of pressure to change, while offering support and opportunities to release pressure.

Change Means Putting People in Charge of Their Futures

The change process requires that management listen to front-liners with a different mind-set. It is all too easy to dismiss or squash criticism when we are at the top of the power-pyramid. It is, however, true that it is the front-liner who gets first wind of changes in the external environment and also of effectiveness of internal systems and management capabilities. Very often it is those who are most critical and those who dare to speak up that have the most promise of becoming leaders. Ironically, it is precisely these individuals who become most frustrated because they are constantly bringing up issues that top managers prefer to ignore because the subjects are uncomfortable or because the issues addressed threaten the established equilibrium of the company, or because the subjects broached cause some of the concealed conflicts between managers to surface. These persons, if they have the genuine good of the company at heart, or if they happen to be experts in the field they are critiquing, can become so unhappy if consistently ignored that the company eventually looses them to competitors. People at lower levels in the organization must be involved in the change process if it is to succeed.

The Vital Steps

The vital steps of any change process involve intensive communication, coaching and supporting and training in new techniques and systems. Communication is probably the most fundamental concept of the change process. Without sustained exchange of information on all organizational planes, change will be derailed or limited to a very small group of persons who do communicate. Communication is the key to keeping the change process on the rails and moving to the desired destination. The other basic requirement for success in any change process is training and development of persons at all levels of the organization without exception. This training and development, referred to from here on as education, can take a number of forms ranging from the very subtle process of educating through meeting and chatting to formal training and development modules. Without such sustained support in the acquisition of new skills, the change program will collapse because people will find the new ways too hard. Change must be facilitated by continuous and supportive communication and a climate that encourages learning as part of daily work life.

Conclusion

When you embark on the journey of change remember to take your entire workforce along with you. Some will undoubtedly excuse themselves and not complete the journey, but those who do will emerge much stronger and more united than when they started out. The leader must keep sight of the big picture and take the responsibility of guiding to the end.