There is a famous quote, often mistakenly attributed to Gandhi, that states, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” This phrase invites us to be authentic, to treat others as we wish to be treated, and to walk our talk. While this is a noble cause, we must ask ourselves: does such an attitude truly solve the many problems we face today? What if the way we treat others is not the way they want to be treated or does not create the most healthy social dynamic?
The late Dr. Don Beck, who continued the work of Professor Clare W. Graves, used to challenge his students with the phrase, “Do the change the world needs.” This was an invitation to look beyond our personal desires and what makes us individually happy, to see what is genuinely needed to make the world more whole. Beck utilized Graves’s work, now known as Spiral Dynamics, to help us understand that people can have vastly different worldviews, values, and visions of what they want the world to look like.
Graves described how the accumulation of problems in our modern world can only be solved by a way of thinking that grasps this complexity and respects the diversity of cultures and people. This emerging worldview, which Spiral Dynamics refers to as “yellow,” transcends personal needs and national boundaries to create a world that functions for everyone. It recognizes humans as part of the ecosystem and seeks solutions that ensure the entire system operates harmoniously.
From this yellow perspective, leaders and change-makers intervene in ways that suit the situation, rather than their personal preferences.
The ValueMatch Spiral Dynamics Fundamentals training takes participants on both an internal and external journey, exploring this new perspective and how it can be applied in leadership and change-making role
