Leo Tolstoy, the Russian novelist, famously wrote, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Tolstoy’s dictum is a useful starting point for any executive engaged in organisational change.
After years of collaborating in efforts to advance the practice of leadership and cultural transformation, we have become convinced that organisational change is inseparable from individual change. Simply put, change efforts often falter because individuals overlook the need to make fundamental changes in themselves.
Building self-understanding and then translating it into an organisational context is easier said than done, and getting started is often the hardest part. It is hoped this article will help leaders who are ready to try and will intrigue those curious to learn more.
Organisations don’t change—people do
Many companies move quickly from setting their performance objectives to implementing a suite of change initiatives. Such organisations focus on altering systems and structures and on creating new policies and processes. To achieve collective change over time, actions like these are necessary but seldom sufficient. A new strategy will fall short of its potential if it fails to address the underlying mind-sets and capabilities of the people who will execute it.
Look both inward and outward
Companies that only look outward in the process of organisational change, marginalizsng individual learning and adaptation, tend to make two common mistakes.
The first is to focus solely on business outcomes. That means these companies direct their attention to the “technical” aspects of a new solution, while failing to appreciate the “adaptive work” people must do to implement it.
The second is to focus too much on developing skills. Training that only emphasises new techniques rarely translates into profoundly different performance outside the classroom.
What is looking inward?
Looking inward is a way to examine your own modes of operating to learn what makes you tick. Individuals have their own inner lives, populated by their beliefs, priorities, aspirations, values, and fears. These interior elements vary from one person to the next, directing people to take different actions.
Interestingly, many people are not aware that the choices they make are extensions of the reality that operates in their hearts and minds yet it’s crucial that those who seek to lead powerfully and effectively look at their internal experiences, precisely because they direct how you take action, whether you know it or not. Taking accountability as a leader today includes understanding your motivations and other inner drives.
This article focuses on two dimensions of looking inward that lead to self-understanding. They are profile awareness and state awareness.
Profile awareness
An individual’s profile is a combination of his or her habits of thought, emotions, hopes, and behaviour in various circumstances. Profile awareness is therefore a recognition of these common tendencies and the impact they have on others. Finding ways to describe the common internal tendencies that drive behaviour is a good start. We now know, however, that successful leaders develop profile awareness at a broader and deeper level.
State awareness
State awareness, meanwhile, is the recognition of what’s driving you at the moment you take action. State awareness is harder to master than profile awareness. While many senior executives recognise their tendency to exhibit negative behaviour under pressure, they often do not realise they’re exhibiting that behaviour until well after they’ve started to.
Close the performance gap
When learning to look inward in the process of organisational transformation, individuals accelerate the pace and depth of change dramatically. In practical terms, individuals learn to align what they intend with what they actually say and do to influence others.
This is referred to as closing your performance gap. That gap is the disparity between what people know they should say and do to behave successfully and what they actually do in the moment. The performance gap can affect anyone at any time, from the CEO to a summer intern.
This performance gap arises in individuals partly because of the profile that defines them and that they use to define themselves. In the West in particular, various assessments tell you your “type,” essentially the psychological clothing you wear to present yourself to the world. Contact us to learn more.
