PATTERNS FOR SUCCESS
The Art of Change: Success
Sections 49–56: Change, Renewing, Shock, Stillness, Development, Underdog, Success, Unknown
How do you handle change? The Art of Change provides timeless answers to this eternal question. It is a modern reading of The Book of Changes/I Ching — a guide for sustainable success in turbulent times. Discover solutions for your current situation by exploring the relevant sections and considering how you can apply the change patterns in your context. All parts. Other reading formats.
49. CHANGE
Lead by example
communicate for meaning
then act with timing.
In drastic change, how might we …
… prepare before starting?
Initially, prepare to secure beneficial conditions and avoid risk.
… take action at the proper time?
Wait for suitable conditions; then, start the changes step by step to secure the trust of your stakeholders.
… prepare based on stakeholders’ needs?
Prepare carefully with your stakeholders and attend to their needs to secure trust and understanding.
… implement changes based on trust?
Your stakeholders will support the change when they trust you and understand the benefits to their future.
… secure trust based on integrity and capabilities?
Show integrity and capabilities in action; people will trust you.
… lead by example?
Be the change you want to see and people will follow you.
50. RENEWING
Capabilities
are renewed from people’s needs
just like craftsmanship.
When renewing, how might we …
… remove before we renew?
Remove practices, tools and behaviours that are obsolete before introducing new plans.
… stick to our purpose?
Stick to your purpose and principles when facing resistance to avoid getting sidetracked.
… match people’s capabilities with our needs?
Match people’s abilities with the organization’s needs to optimize outcomes and prevent waste.
… match people’s capabilities with responsibilities?
Match skills with responsibilities for better outcomes and lower risk.
… secure alignment for autonomy?
Use coherence of purpose to enable autonomy for actions and decisions.
You can have high autonomy in actions and decisions (“how”) based on high alignment on purpose (“what” and “why”) as shown in the illustration below. Hence, this is not about balancing alignment and autonomy; you go
beyond the trade-off and achieve both high autonomy and high alignment.
… balance integrity and flexibility?
Keep your integrity while remaining flexible in actions and decisions.
51. SHOCK
In shock: keep calm, act,
use fear to avoid danger
as during earthquakes.
In shock, try to …
… keep calm and carry on
Breathe slowly to stay calm and keep things running smoothly during danger.
… recover what was lost later
Avoid rash moves to regain losses which may worsen the situation immediately. Instead, focus on preventing further losses and recovering what was lost later.
… adjust as needed
Shock induces fear which results in caution and the need for adjustments.
… react to danger
React to danger to adapt to the new situation or you will get stuck. Avoid overthinking and start acting. Breathe in slowly through your nose to keep calm.
… keep grace under pressure
Keep your balance and integrity to resist risks and threats with grace.
… take precautions
Balance yourself and do what you believe is correct.
52. STILLNESS
Find timely balance:
move and stop, keeping just-right
like in the mountains.
In stillness, how might we …
… wait before the beginning?
Restrain your impulse to move forward before knowing the situation and the direction — to avoid danger.
… keep our integrity?
When leaders deviate from purpose, help them change, change yourself or leave.
… act based on context and timing?
Do what fits the situation at a given time, i.e. carry out appropriate actions and decisions depending on the context, e.g. acting to reduce or remove a conflict.
… know when to restrain ourselves?
Keep calm and avoid acting on doubts, fears or negative thoughts to avoid risk.
… speak at the appropriate time?
Know when and how to speak to avoid confusion. Be brief, precise and convincing. Think before you talk since the words spoken are hard to take back. Let less experienced people speak first to secure diverse perspectives and avoid groupthink.
… keep calm
Balance your emotions and desires with tolerance, caution and patience to model the behaviours of a psychologically safe environment.
53. DEVELOPMENT
Forwards with patience
stepwise, guided by purpose
slowly like a tree.
How might we progress by …
… following advice?
Ask for and follow advice to avoid risk, particularly in the early stages of a mission.
… developing capabilities?
Grow your capabilities in a psychologically safe environment for maximum leverage.
… securing the present position?
Rather than advancing, secure the present position and offer protection.
… finding time to recover?
When feeling pressured, taking time to rest and recover preserves energy for the future.
… integrity?
Maintain your integrity while remaining flexible to overcome challenges. Integrate perspectives to form a new orientation.
… leading by example?
Your actions and progress serve as inspiration for others.
54. UNDERDOG
Expected: follow;
surprise: go beyond process;
just like in marriage.
When lacking influence, how might we …
… do our best?
Do what you can to contribute with the abilities, resources and people available.
… keep our integrity?
You can contribute with integrity even with limits on capabilities and formal authority.
… aim realistically?
Aim for realistic outcomes to avoid disappointment.
… wait until the time is ripe?
Wait for a suitable time before taking action to avoid risk.
… act according to context?
Act according to the situation and avoid competing with others to prevent overreaching.
… act according to expectations?
Act according to expectations and build your abilities and understanding of your stakeholders’ needs and expectations to avoid misunderstandings.
55. SUCCESS
Acting to learn fast
for sustainable success
in nature’s cycles.
For sustainable success, how might we …
… find compatible collaborators?
Identify people who share common values and outlook for quicker progress.
… act with integrity?
In chaos and confusion, maintain your integrity to secure trust.
… persevere when blocked?
If you are blocked, e.g. because you lack management support, stay committed until the conditions change to save energy.
… collaborate with capable colleagues?
Collaborate with capable colleagues for improved understanding and a larger impact.
… get help from people with diverse capabilities?
Attract people who complement your capabilities for improved outcomes.
… stay open?
Stay open and curious to avoid complacency, isolation and risk.
56. UNKNOWN
Open, flexible
on journeys to the unknown
following purpose.
When going into the unknown, how might we …
… focus on the essential?
Focus on what is essential and avoid trivial matters; sacrifice a few small gains so as to obtain a large gain.
… act with integrity?
Acting with integrity builds trust and helps secure the capabilities needed.
… be flexible?
Prepare for unfavourable conditions, be adaptable and follow advice to build trust and secure a following.
… match capabilities with needs?
Match capabilities with needs based on context and timing to avoid wasting your capabilities.
… adapt to local conditions?
Adapt to local conditions to establish trust for a network of influence.
… stay humble?
Stay humble and avoid overconfidence to maintain the support of your stakeholders.
The Art of Change: All Parts
Pick section(s), ponder patterns, change, learn, repeat!
Contents: A summary of all parts
Introduction: Patterns for Success
- Sections 1–8: Turbulence, Flow, Growth, Learning, Waiting, Conflict, Competition, Collaboration
- Sections 9–16: Nurturing, Mistakes, Balance, Obstruction, Fellowship, Power, Modesty, Excess
- Sections 17–24: Following, Renewal, Attitude, Observing, Resistance, Image, Division, Cycles
- Sections 25–32: Flowing, Capabilities, Nourishing, Overload, Danger, Knowlege, Resonance, Perseverance
- Sections 33–40: Retreating, Strength, Progress, Darkness, Teamwork, Opposition, Difficulty, Removal
- Sections 41–48: Decline, Surge, Determination, Alliances, Teaming, Rising, Adversity, Energising
- Sections 49–56: Change, Renewing, Shock, Stillness, Development, Underdog, Success, Unknown
- Sections 57–64: Influencing, Joy, Dispersal, Restraining, Integrity, Exceeding, Completion, Incomplete
Glossary: Explanation of key terms
Acknowledgements: Standing on the shoulders of giants
Sources: Where to learn more
Other reading formats: Hardcover, paperback and PDF
This text is provided as Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International by the author, Erik Schön.
