Approach
We have developed an original set of 5 “meta” mindsets that have in practice come up in virtually every organization and system we have worked with. These mindsets are a powerful and profound lens that can help us understand the underlying drivers of a culture in any complex organization of system.
Shifting these 5 mindsets significantly accelerates the transfiguration process – and thus the evolution of your organization or system.
This is the first step in many cultural transfiguration processes – believing that change is possible. This first initial step can be the hardest. Seeing a different possible future builds a readiness to change. Perhaps certain leaders already have this mindset, but sustainable change does not happen until a critical mass of individuals personally make the shift.
This shift is at the core of much leadership development literature, coaching and personal development programs. And is called by different names – socialized self to self-authoring, victim to mastery, below the line to above the line. In psychology it is referred to as the shift from an external to an internal locus of control. In many ways, this shift fuels the other metamindsets shifts.
Fairness is one of the most universal human values. It is the essence of the American Dream – the idea that anyone can reach prosperity and upward mobility through their own objectively assessed work. A fairness mindset creates meritocratic and transparent systems that provide the invaluable safety and stability.
Economics is the science of assumptions, and the core assumption is that we live in a world of scarcity. Demand always exceeds supply. This sets us up for a world of market competition, in which businesses make self-maximizing decisions. The alternative is to make symbiotic choices of mutual benefit – resolving the prisoner’s dilemma.
The final shift has to do with identity. Do you identify yourself with your physical body, your family, your tribe, nation, humanity or all life everywhere? Many wisdom traditions point to the golden rule – treat others as you want to be treated. This shift supports every employee to do his or her part, from the perspective of the greatest benefit for the whole.
