Wisdom In Leadership
By Les Mottosky
What's better than being human?
Sure, there are plenty of curses; we're the biggest (and only) polluters on the planet, we limit our capacity for love, we're addicted to consumption, drama and violence. But none of these stand a chance against the greatest of all human gifts. This is our ability to not just change – or even adapt – but to transform. Before we go deeper let's take a peek at the difference between these...
Change: is the action to modify or alter
Adapt: is about changing to fit conditions
Transform: is to change fundamentally in form or nature
Humans are the only critter we know of that consciously choose these actions. For the most part, the other biological kingdoms rely on reactions programmed into their DNA. Bears hibernate, sunflowers face the sun and worms emerge from soil in heavy rainfall.
But us? We can choose to free ourselves from our pre-programmed responses. No matter how deep the programming goes. Sometimes it's a decision. And sometimes it's a decision to get help. Maybe that's a friend. Maybe it's a professional. And maybe it's a chemical ally.
A decade into the 'Third Wave of Psychedelics', science (and some governments) are learning certain substances combined with specific therapeutic modalities can transform mental/spiritual conditions (like severe PTSD) that are resistant to therapy. On a longer timeline, even structured micro-dosing protocols are being reported to help create personal transformation.
Substances aside and included, the opportunity to transform is always only a mental 'click' away. This ability to make a decision and leave a series of ineffective (but comfortable) old patterns behind is the greatest gift. And it's exclusive to humans.
The reason so many of us don't take advantage is because we don't understand the nature of decision. The latin root of 'decide' means to cut-off. As in to make a choice with such finality that it removes all other options. We conflate decisions with choices. But a decision is the commitment to a choice.
It's this lack of commitment that makes transformation so challenging. A decision of consequence is almost always a case of stepping into the unknown. So when we enter that, doubt, confusion, distraction, habit, reaction, perfectionism, fear and other states take hold. These are the enemies of commitment.
In Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art he brilliantly summarizes this conundrum: "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance." This resistance is maintained by our unkept commitments; an inability to live our decisions.
Until we comprehend and embrace the gift that is the ability to create ourselves anew, we'll continue to be tortured by a splintered internal life.
Transformation is the difference between the existence we're stuck in and the life we want.
A tool that can embolden our decision to transform is an idea so simple, it seems rhetorical. This question applies equally to individuals and organizations. Read, consider – and most importantly – answer this question completely (there will likely be many reasons):
Why continue to choose the comfort of my history, when I could be creating my destiny?
TAGS: #Wisdom In Leadership #Adaptation As Innovation #Transformation Creates Innovation #Radical Reframe #Alignment Matters
Les Mottosky
Adaptation Strategist // I help organizations turn creativity into their competitive advantage by aligning leadership, culture and strategy to unlock adaptive innovations.
Ask about the Clarity Engine Process.
Members Discussion