Leading Beyond Change

Organizations are failing more quickly than ever before, and many leaders know their company needs to change. However, most corporate change efforts are ineffective. The time has come to acknowledge that organizational change itself is an “outdated paradigm.”

Compulsory change seldom works. The kind of structural organizational change you’re seeking requires a shared transition into higher consciousness and “evolutionary leadership.” 

“The creation of an evolutionary organization is a natural consequence of leaders choosing to be evolutionary.”

You can update your organization by helping your leaders evolve so that your company can evolve as well.

Traditional change efforts often fail because leaders mistakenly view their organizations as easy to understand. 

They assume any change effort containing measurable, easy-to-follow steps will work. 

A change program should map the patterns behind your “results, organizational change, organizational culture, people, use of power, leadership” and “understanding reality.”

Leaders can select among various growth patterns when they determine how to shift their companies from conventional to evolutionary. These patterns show the realistic cause-and-effect relationships that shape the life of an organization.

“Like the law of gravity, the Laws of Organizational Dynamics are always in effect. Ignorance of a law does not excuse one from the consequences when they break it.”

1. Maps – Leaders can use graphics to depict where their organizations are and where they need to go.
2. Principles – Leaders’ beliefs and values guide their personal evolution and inform the way they evolve to become role models who spark change in other people.
3. Models – Business models grounded in data collection and analysis enable leaders to reach a better understanding of their organization.
4. Tools – Leaders can apply specific techniques to enhance their personal and organizational results.

Evolutionary leaders strive for both system improvement and higher consciousness. They lead “beyond change.”

Evolutionary leadership is the next step beyond servant leadership. It has two dimensions: “Being” – when leaders commit to evolving to a higher level of consciousness – and “Doing” – when leaders commit to individual improvement (as outlined in the SELF program) that inspires people and leads to team and systemic improvement.

“Responsibility is the key factor that will lead to successful self-organization and self-management.”

Executives and managers must become self-aware in order to help their people and their organizations evolve. They must lead beyond change, which means:

• “Beyond” – Organizations with high-energy employees and superior performance are ideally equipped to manage evolutionary change. 
• “Leading beyond” – Your company needs leaders who develop and evolve their own leadership styles to be able to move beyond conventional business operations.
• “Beyond change” – Base your new business solutions on your principles and purpose.

Leaders must be realistic, so be aware that when your brain gets overloaded, it tends to generalize, distort or delete information. 

Leaders must manage themselves before they can manage their companies. Many organizations become weak or fail because their leaders are unwilling to deal with disagreeable data. They ignore real-world trends and issues. These companies, like misguided individuals, operate in a state of denial. They accept a distorted picture and duck their responsibility to deal with reality. To succeed, companies need leaders who accept reality.

Leaders have to rise above these natural tendencies to defeat denial. When corporations – and their leaders – cling to denial, they make terrible choices. Solutions derived from these bad decisions turn out not to be solutions at all. Many times, they become additional problems.      

“Our perceptions are our model of reality and are often not as accurate as we assume.”

To learn, you must keep your mind open to new ideas. Believing you know it all kills clear thinking.

Having an “I-know-this” attitude keeps you from learning and being open to new ideas. A famous Zen koan presents this concept in clear terms. Nan-in was a Japanese Zen master who lived in the Meiji era (1868 - 1912). One day, a university professor visited Nan-in to learn everything he could about Zen.

“Be the change you want to see in the world. (Mahatma Gandhi)”

To gain knowledge, you must remain open to new information. The flip side of learning is “unlearning,” giving up your existing models of reality when they prove no longer useful. Many times, you cannot learn unless you unlearn first.

“When humanity shifts into a higher state of consciousness (i.e., inner peace, connection, abundance and collaboration, etc.), thoughts will change and behaviors will change.”

Achieving self-awareness is a vital component of your evolving self, an essential stop on your leadership journey. Becoming more self-aware can be liberating and empowering, but taking this step requires the courage and motivation to accept the challenging process of evolving.

“The most important activity for a leader is…self-evolution.”

Be alert to these important steps of personal evolution.

• “Discovering reality” – sense of curiosity, greater appreciation for the true nature of things.
• Unlearning – moving beyond current knowledge and models.
• “You are the solution” – external challenges vs. internal challenges.
• “Serving purpose” – “interconnectedness and interdependence”, move past your ego.
• “Letting go of control” – Self-aware leaders don’t always have to be in charge.

• “Increasing freedom” – You understand that everyone is a freethinking, independent human being. Working from this premise grants people the respect they deserve.
• Responsibility – Leaders must exhibit a high degree of personal responsibility to become exemplary role models.
• “Psychological safety” – People cannot operate productively unless they feel protected in their environment. Enlightened leaders provide their employees with a safe culture and a setting that accepts individual differences.
• “Equal voice” – Smart leaders let other people talk while they listen.

Be accountable for the choices that define your leadership.

When you lead beyond change, you will become aware of crucial choices only you can make. You will understand that practically everything that occurs in your sphere at work reflects on your personal leadership. 

“You can’t use an old map to explore a new world.” (Albert Einstein)

This accountability will include how you grow as a leader, important facets of your organization’s processes and procedures, any ongoing corporate changes, the way your firm treats its employees, and how the leaders you appoint and mentor also evolve.