Are You Ready To Change?

Ooh, provocative title today!

I’ve been trying to improve my health and fitness lately, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. In fact I’ve stopped and started a few times in the past few years.

This time it feels a little different, and I was mulling on why that might be the other day. It reminded me of my favourite model about readiness to change, by Prochaska & DiClemente.

Here’s my provocation for you - think about something you’d like to change (or you’ve had feedback about), and see which phase you’re in in this model:

1. Precontemplation

“Denial is not just a river in Egypt”. This phase can go on for a long time (think years) and usually you’re not even aware that the change needs to happen or that you want to change something. You’re not even thinking about it yet and you ignore the situation, or you’ve received feedback about something but aren’t considering the change.

2. Contemplation

Awareness is starting to break through. For maybe 6 months or so you start to consider that a problem might exist and you might want to do something, but there’s no commitment to do anything about it yet.

I spent quite a while here before I was ready to move on. Note that in my case there wasn’t any specific trigger or inciting event - just a mental ‘readiness’ that wasn’t there before.

3. Preparation

Now we’re starting to move towards intention. This phase might go on for around a month, and it’s characterized by you starting to think about what behaviours you’re going to change, when, and how. This is all about exploring options and thinking about where you might start.

4. Action

Something is happening! You start to change your behaviours, or your environment to engender the desired change. Now you’re committed, and you’re going to do something. This might take days or even weeks, depending on what you’re looking to do.

For me personally this looks like getting on my bike 3 times a week and keeping to a consistent routine, as this is where I’ve struggled in the past.

5. Maintenance

For the next months it’s about maintaining the change - repeating the good behaviours (or avoiding the bad) and consolidating the gains. This is the phase I’m currently in, trying to avoid relapses and continuing to solidify my routine.

6. Recycling / Relapse

Being realistic this will always happen - it’s quite hard to really entrench new routines or behaviours so now you need to think about where you are on the above cycle again.

The good news is it’s sort of a ‘virtuous spiral’ in that you’re often able to improve over time by going back through the cycle.

Implications

So what’s different for me this time? A lot of it is about being conscious of where I am in the cycle, I think. By knowing where I am mentally I’m more able to take steps to make sure my actions, routines, and habits are where they need to be to create the greatest chance of success.

I’ve used the example here of trying to improve my general health and fitness, but the same model can apply in many contexts. You might be considering an organizational change in your team, or a strategic shift in your business goals, or a more personal matter.

Think about where you are on the cycle right now. What would need to happen to move you to the next stage? Sometimes it’s just time. Other times it could be the appearance of an opportunity or some inciting event. Whatever the case being conscious about what you’re doing will help.

The Business Context

That’s all great on a personal level, but what about when you’re implementing a change that affects your team? Whilst this isn’t specifically a model for business change, the mental cycle can still be a useful thing to consider, particularly in terms of communication and impact on your team members.

Bear in mind your team don’t have the luxury of a long time in precontemplation or even contemplation. Your job as a leader is to communicate the needs for the change effectively and as early as reasonably possible. Give your staff time to adjust to the idea - don’t leap straight into action without giving them time prepare mentally for whatever’s going on. Let them know what’s in it for them, if possible.

Also make sure you take feedback and adjust course if necessary. The different perspective might give you different ideas for your options in the preparation stage or your actions in during the action or maintenance stages.

Tell me - what would you like to change and where are you in the cycle?

When you're ready, I offer 1:1 coaching for leaders who are looking to take their life and career to the next level. Send me an email and we'll set up a time to have a chat.

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