Breaking Out of the Fear Box: Applying Business Strategy for Personal Transformation

One of the frustrating parts of trying to be a visionary is being seen as such in the places where people think they know you the most. It can be hard for others to appreciate what we have to offer, especially when they place us in a particular box which we can’t break out of. How we are seen can get in the way of what we have to contribute. As a result, our contributions, ideas, and vision can be ignored until they wither.

Likewise, it can be hard to create change when people do not see the need for change. The well-trod path often is the easiest to follow. This can be said for organizations as well as people. Whether it be at an individual, organizational, or societal level, change and transformation is never easy. This is true when such change is necessary.

Andy McDowell thinking about transformation

Andy McDowell spent one part of his career trying to help organizations change. He knows first-hand the frustration of not being heard despite the need for people to listen. Trying to convince executives of a new direction, but knowing there is going to be a lot of resistance because they are stuck in their ways. Seeing failure on the horizon if action isn’t taken, but knowing that decisive and transformative action is unlikely to take place. It is a story that many can relate to.

After a career helping businesses launch and transform, he decided it was time that he did the same. The loss of his job at Boeing led to the opportunity to reinvent himself. He envisioned how he wanted his life to become, what changes he wanted to make, and how he wanted to help others. His big idea was using the same principles that he used to help organizations change, but now aimed at helping people. If organizations wouldn’t adopt these methods, maybe people would.

One of the factors limiting the ability of companies to change is that they did not spend a lot of time introspecting or strategizing. Rather, organizations spend more of their time reacting and doing without a long-term plan. In a life that feel to move more quickly than we can handle, reacting is sometimes all that we can do. Also, a long-term plan requires more contemplation of what where we need to go and whether we are on the right path. This orientation is not surprising given that it mirrors larger cultural tendencies. The first step forward is to look inward, and American culture is not one where looking inward comes easily.

To help assist people on this journey, Andy has created a framework based on what he has learned from business transformation. Like with businesses, fear can be the biggest limiting factor in our lives. The key is to get out of the ‘fear box.’ Fear is one of the biggest inhibitors for change. Doing what we know can feel more comfortable, even when it leads to outcomes that we know are not in our best interest or what we desire. We have to discover things about ourselves that we love, to see the value and worth in who we are, and then we can begin to move in the direction of growth rather than stagnation. Ultimately when we take these steps to change and transform, we can stop reactively acting, and start proactively living.

Listen to the episode with Andy McDowell here: https://experiencebydesign.simplecast.com/episodes/transformative-change-and-organizational-experiences-with-andy-mcdowell