When learning to look inward in the process of organizational
transformation, individuals accelerate the pace and depth of change
dramatically. In the words of one executive we know, who has invested heavily in developing these skills, this kind of learning
“expands your capacity to lead human change and deliver true impact
by awakening the full leader within you.” In practical terms,
individuals learn to align what they intend with what they actually
say and do to influence others.
Erica Ariel Fox’s recent book, Winning from Within,5 calls this
phenomenon closing your performance gap. That gap is the disparity
between what people know they should say and do to behave successfully
and what they actually do in the moment. The performance
gap can affect anyone at any time, from the CEO to a summer intern.
This performance gap arises in individuals partly because of the
profile that defines them and that they use to define themselves. In
the West in particular, various assessments tell you your “type,”
essentially the psychological clothing you wear to present yourself
to the world.