Twenty-five years ago, I learned a wonderfully simple model summarizing the four stages of a change process, whether personal or organizational.

• Awareness
• Breakthrough in knowledge
• Choosing a breakthrough in thinking
• Demonstrating a consistent breakthrough in behavior

Here’s the point: Unless thinking changes, behavior will not change—long term.

Changing behavior, as most of us know deep down, is hard work. In my research on personal and cultural behavior change, it takes a visceral, very uncomfortable wrestling with one’s current belief system—ingrained, unconscious axioms developed in reaction to life experiences up to age 20. It then takes the stark realization (awareness) that these beliefs are perfectly designed to produce the results one is currently experiencing, both personally and professionally, and that have probably served one well... up until now.

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