A smattering of words on the matter of change

The change process is at the heart of coaching. Whether it’s a proactive desire to change, for example to develop more nuanced leadership skills, or the need to be adaptable in our increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world due to circumstances and dynamics shifting around us, we need flexibility, resilience and to be able to trust our capacity to learn and adapt.

Is it ever too late to learn? 

In short, no. Whilst it used to be believed that everything cognitive goes steadily downhill after our early twenties, neuroscientists now know that the brain’s capacity to make new connections (known as neuroplasticity) is lifelong. True, in mid-life we don’t learn or retain information at the same rate as we do in our earlier years but the good news is that it really is never too late to change.

By means of what is known as Hebb’s law*, neurons that fire together wire together. In other words, the more particular neurons connect with each other, the more long lasting their connection to each other so that what at first takes effort becomes less so with repetition. In other words, particular states which we experience become traits over time. 

Mindset

A separate but connected concept related to our capacity for change is mindset, something written about extensively by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dwek in her book of the same name. According to the theory, we are all more disposed to either a fixed or a growth mindset. Those with a fixed mindset believe that abilities are innate, whilst those with a growth mindset take the view that skills can be developed with application and hard work, with intelligence and talent being just the starting point. This growth mindset view lends itself to a love of learning and leads to greater resilience in the face of setbacks.

Whilst we all tend towards more of a fixed or a growth mindset courtesy of our parentage and early conditioning, we can adopt a growth mindset and neuroplasticity helps explain how we can change our brains in this way. Simply believing we can achieve something makes it more likely that we will do so. And the more we approach challenges with this growth-orientated mindset, the more the neurons involved wire together and our mindset trait itself is changed. 

The Paradox

Finally, another concept that can be useful to bear in mind when thinking about change is one drawn from Gestalt psychology and known as the paradoxical theory of change, first conceived by Dr Arnold Beisser in 1970. The theory goes that in order for us to make any authentic, sustainable change, we must first be fully who and how we are now, however uncomfortable that might be. 

This makes sense to me. To use a rock climbing analogy, we need to find a firm footing where we are before making a concerted move in a different direction. Similarly in the workplace, the temptation can be to try quick fixes if something isn’t working, whereas often what is most needed first is a full, honest assessment of the current situation and peoples’ views of it. 

As Einstein put it, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask.” Clever Einstein.

* After Donald Hebb, in his 1949 book The Organization of Behavior