When I played rugby at University, I started for the first team my freshman year. Growing up with the sport in Zimbabwe had blessed me with an intuitive understanding of the game, from movement off the ball, to defense, to attack. Other players worked harder than I did, but I still managed to make the team each successive year. Then, going into my senior year, the team was given a tough offseason workout schedule. Like years past, I didn’t complete it. I had built up an image of myself as a player who didn’t need to do that work because I was better. That image was ingrained in my mind. I didn’t take into account the weight I had gained, the emphasis on fitness that year, or that I was getting older. At the first practice that season, I tore my groin and was out for half the season. I had failed to see how the team was changing and my body was changing, and I ended up failing myself and team.
Understanding change, and equally importantly, being ready to change your opinion are two sides of the same ‘mental model’ coin. Some people are better at one side than the other, but having one without the other doesn’t amount to much. If you see your environment changing, but are incapable of changing yourself to take advantage, you gain nothing. If you have the discipline to change yourself or your opinion, but you don’t understand what’s changing, you move aimlessly. The two must be practiced together.
Many leaders have written extensively on processes they have to get to change themselves or their business to take advantage of the situation. Ray Dalio’s Principles has a particularly good 5 step process on this. Below is a more succinct analysis by Paul Graham on why a strong belief in change matters.
This week look around and ask yourself what’s changing, and what you can change about yourself to take advantage of the situation. Life is a game, and it helps to improve your odds. Happy Changing!