A personal change journey that has been achieved at a fundamental level enables you to experience the world differently. You’re not the person you were, and that’s a good thing. The hard work of change is now being realised.
If your relationships with others change, now that you have changed, then you’re at Step 9 of your change journey. The work of this step is to consolidate and stabilise that new version of yourself. This is the ‘Embodying the Change’ step in the Complete Step Change Wheel.
The Complete Step Change Wheel has four phases each with three steps – giving us 12 steps in the leaders’ journey. The four phases correspond to the process of human development – waking up, owning up, growing up and showing up or Discover, Decide, Develop, Deliver. Each stage builds on the last, helping you overcome obstacles to help you deliver at a new level. By understanding where you are on the wheel and what steps you need to take you can more effectively move your way through the developmental framework at greater pace.
Change is personal
This step moves beyond the change that we might be trying to drive, as senior leaders, it’s about embodying our own personal growth. We can focus on avoiding regression and building confidence in our new Self. We are now walking the walk.
The good news is that this requires less effort, not more. You no longer have to make such an effort to ‘manage’ your reactions. You no longer feel the need to broadcast that you are different. We are leading by example. We are a more grounded and serene version of ourselves. Things that used to trouble us, just don’t anymore. It’s liberating.
Others start noticing something different about us too. You might get feedback that you are calmer and seem to hold a stronger presence in the room. You find that you’re better able to create clarity, coherence and trust in your team.
A great indicator that you are at this step of your change journey is when others say to you: “You seem different,” “You’re easier to talk to,” or “Things feel more grounded.”
The benefits are real
At this stage you should find that the drama and angst that might have characterised your work and personal life has gone. Imagine a point where anxiety or depression just disappears!
That’s not to say that the only way is up. This step can lead to complacency – after all you’ve done all the hard work. However, it’s important to continue to build confidence in your new self.
You can cement this change by noticing this new version of yourself via sensing your biology. If this new version of you operates at a higher or lower energetic level, you should be able to note that. Perhaps you can identify the new emotional set point for the start of your day. At all times, it’s important to recognise and treasure where you’ve got to. It may take a while to adjust to this new normal, after all the deep work in step 8 was profound. So, rest and sit with this new way of being.
You might even start to notice the way it’s influencing others’ behaviour too – without you even pushing to do that.
What’s left?
You might think that a journey of change is complete at this point, but there is one more step to go. After step 9, when you see your energy return following the hard work up to then, the next part of the journey is about what we can do for others, and perhaps even humanity.
That’s step 10, and that’s for next time.