Is it change? Or is it noise?

How can you tell the difference between mere noise, and a profound change headed your way? Your gut instincts may not always be a reliable gauge. It takes a long time for most people to become an executive leader. If you are typical, you were raised and trained in a different era, with different expectations. You see things with different lenses. So what can you trust? You can trust first principles. Ask yourself what you know about the reasons that changes are happening in this environment. Then ask yourself about what is being proposed--how does it fit with the roots of the changes in health care and your organization? The three change filters presented here can help you to figure out if it's change or just noise. Ask yourself: (1) what are the changes occurring in the health care industry; (2) is your organization ready for change; and (3) how likely is it that your organization will easily adopt this particular change? These three filters together will help you decide what is a truly important change, how ready your organization is for change, and whether it will adapt to this change with ease or difficulty.