The Greek letter Delta is the symbol for “change” in mathematics. For those of you who remember algebra, the way to calculate the slope of the a line was to divide the change in the “y” coordinates by the change in the “x” coordinates. Delta y over Delta x.
Delta is basically a triangle. If you look at the logo for Delta Air Lines, its primary shape is a triangle. The airline took on its name when moved from its beginnings as a crop dusting service in Macon, Georgia to a new headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana, and identified itself with the Louisiana Delta, an area of land that is always changing due to erosion from water of the Mississippi River and sedimentary deposits.
Interestingly, though, in another branch of mathematics, geometry, the triangle is the most stable of geometric shapes. To continue the airline analogy, older airports had their runways designed in a triangular shape to help reduce crosswind difficulties in an aircraft’s takeoff and landing. Airplanes have their wheels aligned in a triangular fashion, with a set of wheels under each of its wings, and a set under the nose of the plane to give balance and steering.
Isn’t it ironic that the symbol for change is also a shape that is associated with stability. Perhaps the lesson we can learn is to remain stable, some type of change is still necessary. No change, therefore, doesn’t necessarily mean stability; it can lead to stagnation, and stagnation leads to decay. While decay can also be viewed as a change, it’s a change that usually isn’t a desired one. If change is necessary to maintain stability, then it is certainly needed to enable opportunities for growth.