When someone needs to change, these are the conditions that must hold. A useful lens for managers, coaches, and anyone trying to help.
1
Awareness
Do they believe there's a problem?
The most fundamental gate. If someone doesn't even acknowledge a problem exists, nothing else matters. You can't fix what you refuse to see.
2
Desire
Do they actually want to solve it?
Knowing a problem exists and wanting to fix it are completely different things. Many people are more comfortable with how things are — the situation, the pattern, the status quo — than they'd be doing the work to change it.
3
Self-Awareness
Do they see their own role in it?
Can they look in the mirror? Do they recognise how they contributed to the problem, or how they're reacting to it? Without ownership, solutions become blame games.
4
Capability
Can they figure out a real solution?
Not surface-level fixes. Not generic advice. An actual, nuanced solution that accounts for the real complexity of the situation.
5
Execution
Can they actually execute?
The final filter. Plans mean nothing without follow-through. Can they turn intention into sustained action?