You succeeded. The strategy worked. The approach was the right one. The skills were the right ones. The mindset was the right one. And then, the world changed. The strategy that worked is no longer working. The approach that was right is no longer right. The skills that were the right ones are no longer the right ones. The success has become the source of the rigidity, and the rigidity is the source of the failure. The willingness to unlearn the success is one of the most important, and most under-discussed, character traits in modern professional life. The trait is mental agility, and the trait is one of the most reliable predictors of long-term success.
Mental agility is the willingness and the capacity to update one's own beliefs, skills, and strategies in light of new information, new contexts, and new challenges. The willingness is the source of the adaptation, and the adaptation is the foundation of the long-term success. The willingness is rare, and the rareness is one of the most significant sources of professional and personal decline in modern life.
What Mental Agility Is
Mental agility is the combination of three components: recognition (the ability to see that the current approach is no longer working), release (the willingness to let go of the current approach), and renewal (the capacity to develop a new approach). Each of the three is the source of the agility, and the combination is the foundation of the long-term success.
Research on adaptive expertise by David Hatano and others has shown that the most successful professionals are the ones who develop both routine expertise (the capacity to perform the current task well) and adaptive expertise (the capacity to recognize when the current approach is no longer working and to develop a new one). The combination is the source of the long-term success.
Research on learning agility by Michael Lombardo and others has shown that the most successful leaders are the ones who score high on the four dimensions of learning agility: mental agility (the capacity to think through new problems), people agility (the capacity to work with new people), change agility (the capacity to handle new situations), and results agility (the capacity to deliver in new contexts). Each of the dimensions is the source of the long-term success.
Why the Unlearning Is So Hard
The unlearning is hard for several reasons. The first is the ego investment in the success. The success that worked is, in a sense, part of the self-concept. The unlearning is the source of the identity threat, and the threat is the source of the resistance.
Research on self-justification in cognitive dissonance theory has shown that the brain is highly motivated to justify the past investment. The justification is the source of the resistance, and the resistance is the source of the rigidity.
The second reason is the habit strength. The successful approach has been practiced so many times that it has become automatic. The automaticity is the source of the speed, and the speed is the source of the difficulty of the unlearning.
Research on neural pathways has shown that the well-practiced approach has built deep neural pathways. The depth is the source of the automaticity, and the automaticity is the source of the difficulty of the unlearning.
The third reason is the social reinforcement. The successful approach has been socially reinforced by the recognition, the rewards, and the relationships. The reinforcement is the source of the resistance to the change, and the resistance is the source of the rigidity.
The fourth reason is the lack of feedback. In some contexts, the approach continues to produce results even as the world changes. The continued results are the source of the false confidence, and the confidence is the source of the delay of the unlearning.
The Costs of the Rigidity
The costs of the rigidity, the absence of mental agility, are significant. The first cost is the cost of the missed adaptation. The person who is unable to unlearn the success is unable to adapt to the new context. The missed adaptation is the source of the professional decline.
The second cost is the cost of the lost opportunity. The person who is unable to unlearn the success is unable to see the new opportunities that the new context provides. The lost opportunity is the source of the personal cost.
The third cost is the cost of the relationship erosion. The person who is unable to unlearn the success is unable to engage with the new people and the new perspectives. The missed engagement is the source of the relational erosion.
The fourth cost is the cost of the self-deception. The person who is unable to unlearn the success is, in a sense, deceiving themselves about the continued effectiveness of the approach. The deception is the source of the cognitive dissonance, and the dissonance is the source of the personal cost.
The Stages of Unlearning
Research on unlearning in organizational behavior has shown that the unlearning process typically involves several stages. The first stage is the recognition, the recognition that the current approach is no longer working. The recognition is the foundation of the unlearning.
The second stage is the disconfirmation, the exposure to the information that disconfirms the current approach. The disconfirmation is the source of the cognitive dissonance, and the dissonance is the source of the motivation to change.
The third stage is the exploration, the search for a new approach. The exploration is the source of the new learning, and the new learning is the source of the change.
The fourth stage is the integration, the integration of the new approach into the existing repertoire. The integration is the source of the new competence, and the new competence is the source of the long-term success.
How to Cultivate Mental Agility
1. Practice the "beginner's mind." The beginner's mind is the willingness to approach the familiar situation as if it were new. The approach is the source of the openness, and the openness is the source of the new learning.
2. Seek out the disconfirming information. The disconfirming information is the source of the recognition that the current approach is no longer working. The seeking is the source of the motivation to change.
3. Cultivate the diverse network. The diverse network is the source of the diverse perspectives that are the foundation of the recognition. The cultivation is the source of the engagement, and the engagement is the source of the new learning.
4. Practice the "post-mortem" of the successes. The post-mortem of the successes is the source of the recognition that the success was partly due to the context, not just the approach. The recognition is the source of the humility, and the humility is the source of the unlearning.
5. Build a practice of "deliberate experimentation." The experimentation is the source of the new learning, and the new learning is the source of the new competence. The practice is the foundation of the agility.
6. Tolerate the discomfort of the unfamiliar. The unfamiliar is uncomfortable. The tolerance is the source of the engagement, and the engagement is the source of the new learning.
7. Celebrate the unlearning. The unlearning is not a failure. The unlearning is the source of the new growth. The celebration is the source of the reframe, and the reframe is the foundation of the agility.
When the Unlearning Is Not the Right Move
It is important to say clearly: not all unlearning is appropriate. Some successful approaches remain successful, and the unlearning would be a form of premature abandonment. The honest self-inquiry is whether the disconfirming information is real and significant, or whether it is noise. The inquiry is the source of the appropriate response, and the response is the foundation of the long-term success.
The Takeaway
Mental agility is one of the most important, and most under-discussed, character traits in modern professional life. The trait is the source of the long-term success, the relationship quality, and the personal growth that are the foundation of a meaningful life. The trait is rare, and the rareness is the source of the cost. The trait can be developed, and the development is the foundation of the more adaptive, more effective, more meaningful engagement with the world. The next time you find yourself relying on the successful approach, pause long enough to ask: is this still the right approach, or is this the habit? The answer is the foundation of the unlearning. The unlearning is the foundation of the new growth. The growth is the foundation of the long-term success.
