Can People Change?

The LIVE Framework Works

“I don’t think that [the LIVE Framework] will work with our guys.”  

Leading Through Institutes’ in-person workshop participants, Jim and Chris (pseudonyms used), had doubts about the LIVE Framework. They ran a successful transportation company and felt their employees needed to be treated roughly to maintain order and keep operations running on-time and within budget. To them, every issue should be handled as a one-way conversation:  

Here’s the problem. Here’s what you need to fix. Here’s what will happen if you don’t.  

Despite their hesitation, I invited them to use the LIVE framework to diagnose disengagement and to see if applying the principles would help their company thrive.  

After some coaching, they suspended their disbelief and said they would try implementing elements of LIVE in their upcoming employee conversations.  

What happened next?  

Well, of course it worked, that’s why I’m telling you this story. But, read on.  

Jim eagerly came back to our workshop and shared his experience incorporating LIVE.  

He shared a conversation with his employee, we’ll call him Josh, that went something like this.  

Jim: Hi Josh, thanks for coming to talk. As you know, being on time to work is very important to the rest of the team and vital to serving our clients. We can’t get the trucks out until you are here and doing your job. Now what I am seeing is that you are late more often than you are on time. I don’t think you like being late, so there must be some reason this is happening. What’s going on in life that is keeping you from being on time?  

Josh: I know, I will get it fixed.  

Jim: Well, this isn’t our first conversation about this. How are things at home?  

Josh: (hesitant) Well, we are having some childcare issues. Both my wife and I struggle to get to work on time because of it, and so we alternate being late. I hate it, but that is what we are dealing with. Also, it is a long commute, as you know, so traffic gets a bit unpredictable.  

Jim: That is hard to deal with. I am sorry. Have you found a solution for it yet?  

Josh: No, not yet.  

Jim: What start time would allow you to take care of your family and get here?  

Josh: 8:45 would work, but I know that doesn’t align with what the job requires.  

Jim: How are you enjoying working here? Do you see a future here?  

Josh: (surprised) Yeah, I like the job. I don’t get along with everyone, but I like it. I’d like to keep working here and grow.  

Jim: We do need to make some changes in maintenance, and we have a position that would let you start at 8:45. Are you interested in making that change? Would that fix the personal issues you are having? 

By leading with LIVE in a conversation with an employee, Jim better understood the employee’s challenges, uncovered the reason behind their tardiness, and both left with commitments for change.  

Jim was a believer. He realized there was a better way- it felt better, it got much better results. LIVE is the better way. 

Why does the LIVE Framework work? 

The LIVE framework is instructive and diagnostic. You can use it to create the right experience, and you can use it determine why someone is not fully engaged. Let’s use it to analyze Jim’s experience with his employee, whom we’ll call Josh.   

Love 

Did Josh feel like he belonged and was accepted? No.

No. He didn’t feel that Jim cared about him. He also didn’t feel accepted by the team.  

Inspiration  

Did Josh feel like he had a future with the organization? No.  

He thought he was going to get fired in the meeting. When Jim asked about Josh’s feelings about the future, he was surprised. The question gave Josh hope and excited him.  

Vitality 

Did Josh have the energy that comes from having quality mental, emotional, and physical health? No. 

He was feeling stressed in his family life. He was feeling the stress of possibly losing his job. He was having difficulty balancing his life.  

Expression  

Did Josh have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully? No. 

He had a very defined job and was expected to show up and execute. Frankly, he didn’t care about the job beyond the paycheck. 

People don’t change. A hopeless or realistic view? 

Having worked with hundreds of similar situations over 20 years, I acknowledge that people are complex. Motives, beliefs, moral values, personal experiences, etc., all shape people and how they see the world, and ultimately how they act. I also know that if you want a person to change any of the foregoing (motives, beliefs, moral values), their current experiences must be more powerful and more consistent than their prior experiences.  

But, despite all this, people change all the time. The only way to help bring about change is to believe it is possible and then do something about it. Saying people don’t change is a sure formula for keeping things the same.  

Our co-founder, Kim Clark, shares a great story from his time at the Harvard Business School and how people can change in this video:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lww8I1_nNoA

(start at 6:19) 

I have seen people and organizations change using the Change Formula. I will spell it out below. It takes work, but activating change is not hopeless.  

The Change Formula 

There are dozens of change models out there. If you study them, you will see common elements and patterns. What I share here is simple but effective with teams and individuals. You will have insights that will add to what is here, but for brevity’s sake, here are four steps:  

1. Reset 

2. Teach 

3. Invite to the Experiment 

4. Check-In and Adjust 

   
   

The Reset 

The reset is acknowledging that a change is needed. It is signaling the end of one way of doing things and welcoming a new beginning. If the environment has been difficult, it is a time to apologize for mistakes, ask for forgiveness, ask the team to forgive one another, and invite them to try something different. It is a time to mend broken trust.   

People may or may not see the world the way you see it. Their experiences have impacted their personal worldview, for better or for worse. In the reset and throughout the process, you are inviting the team/individual to experiment and see if there is a better way.  

Teach the LIVE Framework 

If people are to believe and act differently, they must be taught. Teach them the LIVE framework. You can download the guide here. Paint the picture of a new future. Discuss each of the principles of LIVE. Ask them to picture what it might look like for them. Have them envision a future where LIVE is active in the team.  

The Experiment 

Start with a hypothesis. This is science, folks.  

Invite the team to create a plan for the team and for each individual. Make sure it is based on the elements of the LIVE framework. Keep is simple and clear. 

A hypothesis is a belief- if we do X, we believe Y will result. That means you must suspend disbelief. Invite them to give it a try.  

Change is hard, and it is hard to maintain. Change requires everyone to participate with their best efforts.   

Check-In and Adjust 

Not everything will go perfectly. You will need to make adjustments, celebrate wins, and maintain energy to move forward. This can be done in an existing team meeting and should happen frequently. Leading Through is about learning.  

Remember, to effectively change what people believe about you or your organization, their current experiences must be more powerful and more consistent than their prior experiences. 

Make LIVE come aLIVE 

The power of frameworks like LIVE is that they take simple things, things we know are true and work, and make them usable. It creates a common language, expectations, and understanding. All it takes is a leader to organize people to act.  

We hope you will be that leader. It’s time to become aLIVE as a leader, welcome this change in you.