The Transformation Model That Everyone Should Learn

What is transformation? The concept of transformation is easily understood when you view it in phases. It's important to establish some key points. First, transformation is not limited to people, groups, or things. #Transformation applies to all types of energy. This includes #thought. Science continues to establish that energy is neither created nor destroyed but only transformed. Thus, transformation is not an event but a process that takes time. Phase One = #Paradigm / #Belief / Current State / Status Quo All of these terms are synonymous in the context of the Transformation Model I am describing. Let's use the example of a team. A body of individuals that form this team is led by a leader. This leader has clarity on the goals that have been established by the greatest authority in the organization (yes, the greatest authority establishes the vision and direction of the organization). The leader has the difficult task of changing the direction of the team he/she leads. They have been operating with habits in a certain way for years. This is a paradigm. It is a belief that success is doing things in the same way that has been previously established by the organization. This is the current state of how the team is operating. However, the authority has determined a higher standard with greater goals. Without a time frame in mind, the leader sees the goal but is unclear how long it will take to get the team on board for the new goal. In order for the leader to determine the best course of action, he/she must have a clear picture of the current state. The leader must understand the paradigm to its fullest extent. Think of it as an operating system in a computer. The computer needs constant updates in order to perform at a higher level. If the operator/leader does not upgrade the operating system, certain critical functions will not perform properly in time for the attainment of the goal. Diagnosis of current habits is crucial to get to the next phase. Assuming that the leader does not contain the same habits of the team in which they are leading, then the next phase will be simple to navigate through. However, if the goal is foreign to the leader, they must go through the transformation FIRST themselves. Once again, transformation is a process and change is an event. Phase Two = #Negotiation and Acceptance The next phase is negotiation. In the transformation model that I have been working on, there is a line of separation between phases one and two. This line is a critical transition stage between the comfort zone and the tension zone. The idea doesn't reach tension until there is a realization that old habits are now obsolete and there has been an emotional acceptance of the new state (the goal). This acceptance is non-negotiable. If a team or an individual desires to grow towards the goal in mind, they MUST get through the negotiation quickly. The negotiation is a mental conflict between the goal in the conscious mind, and the emotional feeling of the status quo in the subconscious mind. Since the desire and acceptance of success have been associated to that previous state, the greater the emotional tie to that state, the greater the negotiation in the conscious mind, and the LONGER the duration. I can't stress this enough. This is critical to understand. If there is a lack of understanding regarding these phases, ESPECIALLY PHASE TWO, then morale will take a NEGATIVE turn. Not only the morale of the team, but the morale of the leader, and the morale of the organization as a whole. If the leader doesn't understand the Situational Leadership model,or the team members don't understand how to progress through the negotiation phase, the team will regress. Growth does not happen unless the entity gets through the negotiation phase and enters into the most critical phase of all the phases. Phase Three = #TheWallWithin ™ We've gotten through phase one and phase two. We have successfully accepted the current state and accepted the new goal as the future state. Why is this not the most critical of all? Here is why. Phase one was filled with habitual action, which led to results that came to fruition only because of consistent thoughts and emotional responses to an obsolete goal. Herein lies the greatest conflict. Action. Phase one is just an understanding of the paradigms that exist. Phase two is the conscious acceptance of a new idea. Action hasn't taken place with the new goal's results in mind. Action within a new paradigm takes longevity and habitual change. If habits have not been changed, then the leading authority needs to LEAD the entity into that habitual change. However, let's say that the goal is not viewed as realistic or attainable. In this case, the wise words of William Blake come into play... "Desire without action breeds pestilence" This is why transformation is not just an individual thing. It applies to every entity and is cyclical in nature all the time. I titled this newsletter the same as my website. Why is that? Perception is the ultimate authority, and it has the power to build and destroy. It may not be objective, and it doesn't matter in most cases. Back to the wall. The wall is in the upper right quadrant of the model. Still in the tension zone, it is when the path of most resistance finds itself fully manifested, and it is when the goal has made it's move from the conscious to the subconscious mind. This is when mere thought manifests into feelings with emotional involvement in the new goal. The wall will always show up in the same way. It will always be built with the bricks of past thoughts and habits. The wall stares at anyone and everyone. All insecurities and doubt manifest with pictorial representations of where you came from and how scary it looks like on the other side. This is why teams and individuals resist change. They hit the wall with no desire, little momentum, and they regress. The magnetic pull from phase one (paradigm/status quo) drew them back to their old habitual nature. However, there are a few leaders that help guide themselves and/or others to gain momentum in the form of desire and expectation. The combination of desire and expectation always equals achievement. Lastly, there is usually one thing that MUST validate progression through phase three. Decision. Phase Four = #Emancipation Think of a screw. It is typically turned in a clockwise direction to go forward. A screw can not and will not break through any barrier unless enough force is used and momentum is in a clockwise direction. The hands on a clock show forward progress by moving clockwise. So it is with the cycle of transformation. Emancipation means freedom. The freedom to think, act, and feel in accordance with the new paradigm that has been communicated. This is when everything around has taken the mold of the goal and all perception matches that end state. We have transitioned from the upper right quadrant down to the lower right quadrant. This put us back into our comfort zone and in a state of harmony. The path of most resistance has dissipated and we are now emancipated from the old way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Our results are in alignment with the goal and we have established a new comfort zone. Conclusion This is only a brief article on each phase, but these concepts are the result of countless paradigm shifts that I have experienced in and out of business. Please share any of your thoughts with the above in mind. We are all leaders. Leadership is YOU.