Companies that only look outward in the process of organizational change, and dismiss individual learning and adaptation make two common mistakes:

State awareness is more than just "a state of mind." It involves the perception of a wide range of inner experiences in the present moment and the impact on your behavior.

There are two dimensions of looking inward that lead to self-understanding.

Organizations don’t change. People change. Many companies move to change systems and structures and create new policies and processes but fail to address the underlying mind-sets and capabilities of the people who will execute it.

Translate awareness into organizational change. Those open eyes will be better able to spot obstacles to organizational change.

It is not enough to use various assessment tools, because we all possess the full range of qualities these assessments identify to varying degrees. You need a more nuanced approach that recognizes your inner complexity. Some questions would include:

While dealing with resistance and fear is often necessary, it’s rarely enough to take an organization to the next level. Organizations must unlock the full potential of individuals.

People who fail to notice when they are becoming annoyed, judgmental, or defensive in the moment are not choosing how to behave. We all need an inner "lookout."

Learning to look inward in the process of organizational transformation helps individuals to align what they intend with what they actually say and do, to influence others. This is known as the performance gap.

Individuals have their own beliefs, priorities, values, and fears that influence how they respond to different actions. Looking inward is then a way to examine your own modes of operating to learn what makes you behave in a certain way.