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6–Immunity to Change X-ray – Business Meditation 2
31 Plays3 months ago
In this second business meditation of the Unfolding Thought series, Eric Pratum introduces the Immunity to Change X-Ray, a framework developed by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey to uncover the hidden barriers preventing meaningful change.
The Immunity to Change framework reveals how unconscious fears and competing commitments hold us back, even when we’re motivated to improve. Through a guided exercise, you’ll explore your own commitments, uncover the big assumptions driving them, and learn how to test these beliefs to unlock progress.
Whether you’re a manager, parent, or someone striving to make lasting changes in your personal or professional life, this episode will help you take meaningful steps forward.
Mentioned in the Episode:
- The four steps of the Immunity to Change X-Ray: Commitment to Change, Identifying Competing Commitments, Exploring Big Assumptions, and Testing Assumptions.
- How unconscious fears and competing commitments block progress.
- Practical questions to help you uncover and challenge limiting beliefs.
Links:
- Learn more about the Immunity to Change X-Ray on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunity_to_Change
Start at the beginning of the series:
- On the website: https://unfoldingthought.com/unfolding-thought/
- YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-WyDzPVJzUqWSGGIM0lSxqk4T-TBmsrQ
- Or by searching for Episode 4, titled Unfolding Thought, in your podcast platform of choice.
Visit the Unfolding Thought website: https://unfoldingthought.com/
Join the Conversation:
Have thoughts or questions about this episode? Reach out to Eric at eric@inboundandagile.com or connect on social media.
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Transcript
Introduction & Podcast Overview
00:00:05
Speaker
Welcome to Unfolding Thought. I'm Erik Pradim. If this is your first time listening to one of these business meditations, I encourage you to go back to the very first episode of this series. There, I explain the purpose and structure of these episodes and how you can get the most out of them. Look up episode four of the Unfolding Thought podcast titled Unfolding Thought in your podcast player, or check the link in the show notes.
Exploring 'Immunity to Change' Framework
00:00:33
Speaker
Thank you for joining me.
00:00:36
Speaker
Today, I'm going to guide you through a framework called the immunity to change x-ray. This tool created by Robert Keegan and Lisa Leahy is a powerful way to uncover hidden barriers that prevent us from making the changes we know we need to make.
00:00:57
Speaker
The immunity to change framework is built on the idea that most people don't resist change out of laziness or lack of willpower, but because they're unconsciously protecting themselves from perceived risks associated with that change. It's like having one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake at the same time.
00:01:21
Speaker
In this session, I'll act as your guide, asking you the same questions I would if we were working together to uncover what's holding you back. As we go, I'll pause to give you time to think and reflect on your answers. Feel free to write your thoughts down or actually speak them out loud as if we were in the same room.
Identifying Desired Changes
00:01:45
Speaker
Now, let's begin.
00:01:50
Speaker
I want you to begin by imagining you've knocked on my office door or called me and asked for some time to discuss a change you've struggled to make in your work or personal life. Maybe it's something you've thought about for a long time, but haven't acted on or something you've tried to change, but keep falling back into old habits.
00:02:16
Speaker
For example, you've been telling yourself for years that you'll finally get that weight off, but year after year, after resolution, after diet, after exercise plan, you have yet to achieve your goal. Or maybe your colleagues keep telling you you're missing deadlines and you've repeatedly promised to get more organized or proactive, but you're not doing it.
00:02:44
Speaker
Whatever it is, pick something specific that you're ready to explore today.
Uncovering Unconscious Fears
00:03:11
Speaker
Have you got it? Okay, let's move to the first of four steps, your commitment to change. What is the change you truly want to make? I want you to phrase this as a positive commitment. For example, instead of saying, I want to stop micromanaging my team, you might say, I want to empower my team to take ownership of their work.
00:03:44
Speaker
What is your commitment? What is the ah change that you truly want to make?
00:04:02
Speaker
Now that we've identified what your commitment to change is, let's move to the second of four steps, identifying competing commitments.
00:04:14
Speaker
Despite your commitment to change, there's something holding your back. This is your competing commitment, an unconscious belief or fear that's keeping you stuck. Ask yourself, what's the fear or risk you're trying to avoid by not making this change? For example, maybe your goal is to empower your team. If you're not doing it, why?
00:04:46
Speaker
Perhaps you realize that you fear losing control or being seen as ineffective if they make mistakes. So rather than empowering your team, you have the desire or the dream, and maybe you even pay lip service to it. And yet you hold on to that control and make sure you do not risk being seen as ineffective.
00:05:16
Speaker
In your case, what is your competing commitment? What are you committed to that is stopping you from following through on the goal you identified?
Testing Assumptions through Experiments
00:05:45
Speaker
Now that you've identified a competing commitment, let's move to the third step of four, exploring big assumptions.
00:05:56
Speaker
What assumptions are driving your competing commitment? In this case, think about the deeply held beliefs about yourself, others, or the world that feel true, but might not actually be. For instance, you might assume, if I don't control everything, the project will fail. Another way to think about this question might be What bad thing do you think will happen if you do not stick to that competing commitment? What might happen if you lose control of your team or the work? For you, what are your big assumptions?
00:07:01
Speaker
Finally, let's move to the fourth step, testing your assumptions. Now that you've identified your big assumptions, ask yourself, what small, safe experiment could I do to test whether these assumptions are true?
00:07:20
Speaker
For example, if you assume your team will fail without your constant oversight, you could delegate one small task to someone and observe what happens. For you, what's one experiment you could try to test if your big assumptions are real?
00:08:01
Speaker
Now, how will you test your assumption this week? What can you do today to get a sense for whether or not your big assumptions are real? I want you to commit to a timeline for this experiment.
Responsibility & Challenges in Change
00:08:31
Speaker
Okay. Take a moment to reflect on what you've uncovered in the last few minutes. We all have times in our lives in which we want to change, but struggle to. We want to lose that weight, be better managers, be more patient with our spouses or children or any number of other things. But year after year, things remain the same.
00:09:01
Speaker
Are we people that claim we're going to do a thing but never do? If we've done something and it didn't work, are we the kind of people that blame others or our circumstances? Or do we accept what has happened and take responsibility for what we do next?
00:09:24
Speaker
If you're a manager or parent, you have inevitably encountered this in others, and more than likely, you want to help those people, but not if they won't actually do the work to help themselves.
00:09:39
Speaker
By identifying your competing commitments and big assumptions, you can take a critical first step toward unlocking your immunity to change. And it starts by not just having a goal or a dream,
Engagement & Conclusion
00:09:53
Speaker
but surfacing and appreciating that you might be committed to other things that get in your way.
00:10:05
Speaker
The immunity to change framework is powerful because it uncovers the hidden barriers we all face when trying to change. Let me explain why each step is important. Step one, your commitment to change clarifies what you're working toward and why it matters. Without this, you might be pursuing vague or surface level goals.
00:10:30
Speaker
Step two, identifying competing commitments helps you recognize the unconscious fears and beliefs that are holding you back. These often go unnoticed, but are the real reasons we struggle to change.
00:10:47
Speaker
Step three, exploring big assumptions is about challenging the beliefs that feel so true, we don't even question them. These assumptions often operate in the background, shaping our behavior without us realizing it.
00:11:05
Speaker
Finally, step four, testing your assumptions helps you move forward by running small experiments. You gather evidence to prove or disprove your assumptions, reducing their power over you and opening the door for real change.
00:11:24
Speaker
When you use the immunity to change x-ray, you gain insight into your hidden barriers in a practical way to overcome them. It's a tool for clarity, growth, and meaningful progress.
00:11:40
Speaker
If you'd like to learn more, I've placed links in the show notes. I also encourage you to email me at ericatinboundandagile.com or to reach out to me on social media. Thank you for your dedication to this. I hope you found it valuable and hope you will join me for the next business meditation.