The answer is yes. The reason why some change efforts fail, is a little more complicated, but worth understanding in order to overcome it.
Have you ever started an exercise routine that only lasted two weeks? Or swore to yourself that in the new year there would be a new you?
Some attempts at making a change can feel like we have one foot on the accelerator, and unconsciously, the other foot on the brake! We might arm ourselves with new knowledge and workout wear but still fail to make a lasting change.
We all know real change is hard to achieve, but what many of us don't know is that,
"True development is about transforming the operating system itself, not just increasing your fund of knowledge or your behavioural repertoire." –Kegan & Lahey
What's involved in "transforming the operating system itself?" Well, more than simply knowing what we want to change and attempting to change it.
Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey reveal their empirically proven change strategies in their book, 'Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization.'
Kegan and Lahey's systems thinking approach involves a four-step process of mapping out underlying blockages to change, enabling people to understand why they behave in a way that is contrary to their goals.
A distinction is also made between technical and adaptive problems, where some things we want to change can be categorised as a 'technical problem' requiring perserverance and keeping track, while others are better treated as 'adaptive problems' that require deep reflection and understanding from a more developed mindset.
In the adult development framework known as 'Complexity Of The Mind' Kegan and Lahey focus on three stages: the socialized mind, the self-authoring mind and the self-transforming mind. This theory of mental complexity measures our ability to inspect and manipulate our perspective as well as our capacity to hold a muti-frame perspective.
The closer we are to possessing a self-transforming mind, the better equipped we are to face adaptive challenges. While not everyone develops a self-transforming mind, those in the worklplace with a higher level of mental complexity outperform those who operate at a lower level of development.
When it comes to leadership, intentionally developing mental complexity can significantly accelerate a team's capacity for change. True change calls for deep self-reflection and strong support to succeed.
For expert guidance through the change process join our Mindset Transformation Program in Sydney. Enquire today.
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