Have you ever been on the brink of a new challenge or even an opportunity, and you get hit by a wave of self-doubt and fear? Whether moving into a new role, starting a new relationship, or just beginning a new hobby, stepping out of our comfort zone can readily trigger that nagging inner voice that tells us “You can’t do this. This is a mistake. Go back!”
In conversation with several of my executive coaching clients recently, these old whispers of the inner critics sowing doubts in your personal capability has been a strong theme. Finding the adaptability muscles to move out of the familiar of what’s worked before and into unknown and uncertain territory doesn’t necessarily come easily.
Unlearning is one of the 15 dimensions that contribute to your Adaptability Quotient, which is an assessment framework I use to support organizations and team to level up their performance, engagement and effectiveness. Author Barry O’Reilly, author of Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results defines unlearning as the “process of letting go, moving away from, and reframing the mindsets and acquired behaviours that were effective in the past, but now limit our success.”
Think of unlearning as cleaning out your closet. Just as we need to periodically go through our clothes and get rid of items that no longer fit or are out of style, we need to do the same with our beliefs and practices. It can be hard to let go of items that we once loved or that we’ve had for a long time, but clearing them out creates space for new, more current items that fit our current needs and style. Unlearning can be a difficult process, as it requires us to challenge long-held beliefs and ways of working. But it is necessary for innovation and growth in any organization.
Here are a few strategies and questions you can use to help you strengthen your ability to unlearn and create success.
1. Challenge Your Assumptions
Strategies and approaches that worked in the past become obsolete and ineffective when the pace of change is so relentless. Bring a beginner’s mind to your challenges. Explicitly identify the assumptions that underlie your decisions and actions. See if they are still valid in the current context. Identify potential biases and blindspots that may be limiting your perspective. Just because something has always been done a “certain way” doesn’t mean it’s the best way.
2. Make Intentional Choices of What to Let Go Of
Reflect on past strategies and have a discussion with your team about what worked and what you would do differently moving forward. The framework of what you need to “Start, Stop and Continue” doing is a great format for a discussion that invites different perspectives. If there are practices or methods that are no longer getting you the traction you need, stop and refocus on what is getting you results now. As Confucious said, “The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither.” Winnow out the distractions so you can focus on the deliverables.
3. Cultivate an Ecosystem that Values Unlearning
Unlearning requires a willingness to experiment to find what does work. Trying out new ideas and being willing to turn failure into a learning opportunity for the next iteration of strategy is invaluable. Having a culture and workplace ecosystem that invites questions, innovation and a willingness to take a risk to try something new is critically important. Psychological safety and being able to offer feedback and learn from one another go a long way to create the conditions that support unlearning so it becomes embedded and valued within the team.
If you’re interested in ways to help your organization unlearn and build its adaptive capacity, let’s connect!
