How to Have to Sustained Transformation

It hit me the other day.

There’s always been some “transformational” idea or process that comes our way.

In the 60s, you had to be into “plastics.” In the 70s, we were told getting away from butter into margarine was “healthy.” Or in the 90s, we needed to invest in Total Quality Management. 2010s, we should eat a plant-based diet. 2020s, we should be “vulnerable.” The trends pass and something new emerges.

But how do you have sustained transformation?

You name the self-help process and we’ve probably all tried it, but it “didn’t really work for me.” Yeah, maybe we even had success with it, but it didn’t last.

So, what is it that makes for an organization or person to have transformational change that’s SUSTAINED?

After 30+ years in business, I have come to experience first-hand that to have sustained transformational change, we need to be more energy aware. Meaning, are we continually aware of what type of energy is being used to execute the transformation?

In the graphic, you’ll notice a brief characterization of the 7 energy levels. If we are “powering” through the transformational change at level 2, we’re doomed to fail. We’ll burn out on the “new” diet. Or we’ll grow tired of all the additional effort to follow a top-notch business model.