How to not suck at change.

The hard truth is, most change fails. Whether it’s a big organisational shift or a personal resolution, all evidence (scientific and observed) points to the same thing:

We suck at change.

One of the biggest reasons is a disconnect between what we think SHOULD happen and what actually IS happening when we attempt to change.

We think we just need to identify behaviours that lead to the something different that we covert... and then expect it to just automatically happen.

But it doesn’t.

Why?

Because of the brain.

Which is designed to minimise risk.

Change is risky.

And risk kills.

I know. That’s dramatic.

Aligning behaviour to support company values or a particular leadership philosophy or a personal goal doesn’t sound like the kind of risk that could get you killed.

But the brain is a funny thing.

It developed MILLIONS of years ago and for most of human evolution, almost everything could kill us and the parts of the brain that assess risk - the Anterior insula and Amygdala, two of the older cortical areas, haven't changed really at all.

They still have the same set of old hardwired programming that automatically kicks in when the brain sniffs out anything even a little bit risky.

And while every human is as unique as a snowflake, we all have one thing in common - going back to our cave-dwelling ancestors:

We all have the same basic brain with the same basic programming.

That’s how we know every person on this planet, on any given day and at any given moment, is on a continuum between their very best and something much less than their best. That is an irrefutable fundamental truth. And every person faced with any actual or perceived threat will respond based on this entirely predictable, totally automatic programming.

Science calls it the 'fight, flight, freeze' response. We call it:

Fear, Blame, and Apathy (FBA Patterns).

Because, in a work environment, that is how it mostly manifests.

You want to change the culture. You want people to do things differently. But what you get is:

• 'This change doesn’t apply to me' (apathy)
• 'I won't change until or because of' (blame), and
• 'This will lead to the loss of something I want or the gain of something I don’t' (fear).

These 'patterns' are as predictable as Christmas music in October. ,

How the One-Page Culture Plan helps:

The 1-Page Culture Plan works with the brain, not against it. We can’t remove Fear, Blame, and Apathy (they're hardwired in the brain, remember) but we do have two nifty and deceptively simple tools that nudge the brain in the right direction:

1. When you talk about fear, blame, and apathy, honestly and safely, they lose their power.
2. We can also interrupt them and when we do, we gain focus.

How do we interrupt Fear, Blame, and Apathy?

It's simple. But not always easy. We practice Courage, Curiosity, and Care.

Later, the One-Page Culture Plan will help you systematise key habits that reliably interrupt the FBA patterns by activating courage, curiosity, and care.

BUT, even at an individual level we can simply just be more aware of the patterns and respond in more helpful ways. For example:

• When you feel the feeling of apathy, start giving a crap.
• When you feel the feeling of blame (or hear yourself), get curious.
• When you feel afraid, even just a little, be courageous.

Courage, curiosity, and care are as universal as fear, blame, and apathy, but they’re not part of the basic programming. You have to push. It takes effort.

Teams can also tackle the ABF Patterns by coming together, to talk about how each person falls into these patterns. If you’re the leader, go first. Then, gain focus by agreeing team Target Behaviours (we will come back to these in a later article).

Need help creating your One-Page Culture Plan?

I developed this approach in the trenches with the planets most ambitious and successful companies and alongside the world’s most prestigious neuroscientists.

I offer consulting, a 1/2 or fullday workshop, and coaching to I help you figure this stuff out and put it into action, fast.

Connect with me here on Linkedin...

Next edition: We explore how to uncover and unhook from collective limiting beliefs.

'1-Page Culture Plan' is a registered trademark. Copyright At Our Best and Jason Moore 2015 - 2025. All Rights Reseved.