4i Newsletter Masthead 423

House of Change Revisited.

Four i 423 Four rooms of change

The ‘Four Rooms of Change’ model was created 50 years ago by Claes Janssen.

I’ve used it many times when coaching business leaders, and would like to share my latest iteration.

Janssen’s model is simple: individually (and collectively as a business); you are always in one of four rooms:

1 Room of Contentment
2 Room of Denial
3 Room of Confusion
4 Room of Renewal

The theory is that each room leads to another, and the direction cannot be reversed.

But can it?

At some point, you’re happy and content.

Then you discover that things have changed and you didn’t realise it – you go into denial, and often denigration: “How could this have happened? Why didn’t ‘they’ do something? What should ‘I’ have done?”

From there you decide to do something, but what? There are no options or too many options. What should I/We do? It’s so confusing.

You take a different path, maybe several, and eventually find yourself renewed and rejuvenated…and then content once again.

Contentment can quickly lead to complacency. This in turn causes staleness – and once that happens, it’s too late. You have to go through denial, confusion and renewal to get back to being content again.

The alternative to becoming complacent is to be curious.

“This won’t last forever” is the mindset to adopt. Because it won’t.

Eliminate the downward spiral – instead, oscillate between contentment and renewal by remaining curious.

As soon as you move from renewal and rejuvenation, and start to feel content, then force yourself to become curious. It’s the only way to stop the cycle.

Four i 423 2 room Contunuum

See contentment as a warning, not a destination. Unless that is, that you’re ready to check out.


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