TOOLS

Immunity to Change

Drs. Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey believe that there’s a powerful logic inside of each of us that prevents change that we say we want. Not only that, but they offer an easy-to-use method that reveals that logic. Then suggests a way to shift it so we attain our desired change.

Unlike tools that attempt to root out laziness the Immunity to Change model finds that most people have two sets of goals. The ones we claim out loud — what Kegan & Lahey call our Noble Goals; and the ones that we don’t claim because we’ve lost sight of them: the Competing Commitments. The trouble with the Competing Commitments is that they’re often stronger than any of our Noble Goals.

Why? Because they’re rooted in guaranteeing our survival. They compete with any effort that seems to threaten our safety. (Imagine someone trying to have a more diplomatic persona…who has a hidden “competing” commitment that says “Eat or be eaten! Law of the Jungle!”)

Drs. Kegan’s & Lahey’s method is an effective means of revealing the Competing Commitment…and then finding safe and practical ways to test its usefulness in every situation. Once the Competing Commitment comes out of hiding, it once again becomes an option, rather than a frustrating hindrance.