“What if life was a place full of possibilities for us to get better at the things that we care about? Instead of a place where we need to prove that we’re great and perfect?” – Fran Cherny
If we expect ourselves to master new skills easily and in short time, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment and very likely a resistance to future change efforts. To give ourselves the best chance for growth and development, it’s important that we align our efforts with our values.
Also important and often overlooked, we need to find joy in the journey.
Fran Cherny elaborates on this concept in a humble, passionate and compassionate way in his book, Be the Change: The Art of Becoming Our Own Innovation Project. Fran situates this book as “an invitation to learn how to learn: something to help us constantly seek the best version of ourselves”.
What I enjoy about viewing myself as “an innovation project” is the idea of experimentation. I can approach any change in dynamic ways that make sense to me while caring for myself along the way. It’s a welcome contrast to how-to hacks with ‘five easy steps’.
A playful, iterative approach to progress
[20:00] “Once we give feedback to each other…the person is not going to be perfect tomorrow. And the moment we treat them in a way that … they’re experimenting, they’re trying, they’re evolving, they’re they’re progressing, interaction after interaction, we’re creating a world where it’s easier for people to change and to evolve.”
[21:10] “Let’s share what we saw someone doing better than the previous time and then getting positive feedback from the session. That’s connected to growth mindset.”
Initiating change? Include gratitude
[45:20] “Transformational change can come from a place of appreciation and gratitude for who we are right now, for what already happened to make us who we are.”
[47:00] “I was not used to doing things from a place of gratitude … I was coming from a place of what needs to be fixed. And that created a lot of tension for me, for people around me and for the people I lead.”
Resources
To purchase Fran’s book and to learn more about his approach to leadership, please visit: Francherney.com
Fran Cherny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francherny/
Fran Cherny twitter: https://twitter.com/francherny
Fran Cherny on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Fran-Cherny-106803110751503/about/?ref=page_internal
Immunity to Change: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/hgse100/story/changing-better
Axialent: https://axialent.com/
Be the Change Spotify Playlist (Libro): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/139T2Gc92soP1j21gTqBnH?si=vVAzKjrZQQSqX_cHC8iA3g
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