Your Inner Condition & Your Interventions

I’ve written before about how in business, we tend to be over-focused on the external world. Results, KPIs, processes, org changes, etc. And this holds true often with “transformation” and culture change activities. Having worked in change management groups and initiatives, I’ve seen how even there, attention inevitably gets pulled toward external outcomes. Which is ironic, since any culture or behavior change requires inner change first in order to work.?

Outward focus with culture change is necessary, as we need to see concrete changes to encourage others to get on board. Behaviors and outcomes matter greatly. But these efforts inevitably fail if they are not balanced with an inner focus; an emphasis on inner reflection, self-awareness, and emotional self-regulation.?

Put another way, the interior condition of the intervenor greatly shapes the external outcome of the ‘intervention.’ Yet not so often do we see change initiates giving an equal emphasis on inner growth.?

“Follow this framework” they say… “Just practice the XYZ steps of Blah Blah Model” we hear… but are we ever encouraged or guided to work with unconscious biases, inner fears, or unconscious triggers?

Theory is cute, but everything breaks the moment someone gets triggered.?

With the irrevocability of gravity, human beings get triggered and react from fear. It’s a delightful part of our wiring that has contributed to countless debacles and makes us act in ways we regret. My siblings and ex’s can all chuckle knowingly at how I too enact this human quirk ??.?

This “amygdala flipping” is a big reason why things often work in theory, but not in practice. It would be easy to adopt new frameworks and habits if our psychology was not so rooted in the recursive repetition of familiar patterns. Alas, our monkey minds are unconsciously sensitive to fear, which drags us out of higher cognitive functioning and down into the mental realm of scarcity and survival.?

This is super important to understand for those of us who work to drive culture or organizational change. Not only must we “Be the change we wish to see” (thanks Gandhi ??), but we must examine our inner state before we try to catalyze others. Which brings me to this delightful quote from Bill O’Brien (former CEO of Hanover Insurance), which goes like this:

"The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener." Bill O'Brien

This quote came from Mr. O’Brien’s insights about leading transformational change in his own company and about his experiences with a model for change (yes, the irony) called Theory U.?

Theory U is a framework for cultivating authentic inner connection and guiding transformational change which first emerged in the 2000s from Professor Otto Scharmer. What I find most resonant with this model, is that it REQUIRES a person to look first within; to learn to listen and sense what’s happening in the inner world and open one’s mind / heart / will, before diving into action. This means that a person learns to transform their own mind and energy, before pushing change on others in the team or organization.

Anyone involved in driving transformation or change in their organization should learn to pay close attention to their inner world. We (people trying to drive change) get so swept up in catalyzing others toward change, that we often fail to do our own inner inquiry.?

I’ve noticed this dynamic in myself over the years. I see a need for change in an organization, and rather than spending time first with inner reflection followed by “walking the walk” myself, I lean back and complain about those “slow” people stuck in their ways. Not helpful.?

Especially with behavior or culture change, people (even stodgy old engineers) are sensitive to the energy you bring. We can tell (often unconsciously) when someone is inauthentic, stressed, confused, or full of shit. If we approach transformation or helping others with a vibe that unconsciously broadcasts a vibe of “Please don’t listen to me because I’m stressed or acting out childhood insecurities by wanting to seem important,” odds are they won’t buy in.?

It’s like rushing to climb a mountain without first inspecting our gear or even checking what’s inside our backpack. And then expecting people to follow us, when they can clearly tell that we’re not ready for the hike.?

We see this sometimes with the “martyr” archetype or the “I’m saving the world better than you” humble-bragging that is so prolific on social media. Real transformation happens first on the inside, and doesn’t need to be advertised (note the irony of me posting this ??♂?). It is critical in transformation initiatives that the intervenors inspect their inner state and motivations. Are you doing this from a desire for personal achievement? Insecurity? Fear? Frustration??Are you so exhausted by the changes you wish to lead that you're destroying yourself in the process?

Not everyone has lot's of free time, but everyone has the capacity to make time for nurturing their relationship with themselves. This is critical for the change martyr's or the social justice advocates. So often I see friends and colleagues (and sometimes myself) relentlessly pushing transformation because they feel the need to "do good" in order to be worthy.

Theory U would encourage us instead to explore those inner blind spots and to connect to the present moment, rather than reside in dogmatic idealism of how the world should be. Put eloquently by Prof Scharmer himself,

"In order to operate in the complexity of this century we have to do some inner work." Otto Scharmer

Storytelling is a big part of corporate transformation initiatives. We often speak about using stories that are personal and meaningful to help others connect to the change.

How often do we explore the stories we are telling ourselves?

If you coach, learn to coach yourself. If you push agile cultural changes, check in on your own inner agility. If you teach mindfulness, be mindful with yourself. If you advocate listening, notice how well you listen to your deepest self.

Awareness and clear intent are the foundation of clear action. Learn to first become aware of what‘s going on inside with your emotions, and to be clear with the intent - the why - for changes you wish to spread to others. Then observe how the success of your “interventions” changes as you “intervene” from a place of focus and stability.