What I've learned about transformation design thus far #55

How do we know if a transformation has occurred? The question is harder than it seems.

Self-report is pretty unreliable. I may claim transformation when I have merely been impressed. I may deny transformation when real change has occurred but is not yet conscious. Memory deceives; the narrative we tell about ourselves may not match the reality of how we have changed.

Behavioural indicators are more reliable. Do I act differently? Have my patterns changed? Am I doing things I did not do before, or no longer doing things I once did? My behaviour is observable, whereas self-concept isn’t.

Relational indicators add another dimension. Do the people around me notice change? Has something shifted in my relationships? Others often see the transformation before the transformed person recognises it.