This is a summary of the book titled “Leading Beyond Change -  A practical guide to evolving business agility” written by Michael K. Sahota and Audree Tara Sahota and published by Berrett-Koehler in 2021. As productivity consultants they propose “Shift314 Evolutionary Leadership framework (SELF)”  that advocates learning what happens in your organization by listening “to the voice of the system”. It’s the next step in your personal leadership journey and for your company.  They link effective change to awareness and accountability.

Most changes are ineffective but by encompassing results, organizational change, organizational culture, people, use of power, leadership, and understanding reality. Evolutionary leaders lead beyond change. They must be constantly realistic and open to new ideas. They are empathetic as human beings and are accountable for their choices. It is crucial to focus on achieving "organizational evolution" instead of routine change programs. This requires a shared transition into higher consciousness and evolutionary leadership. Traditional change efforts often fail because leaders mistakenly view their organizations as easy to understand. The "Shift314 Evolutionary Leadership Framework" (SELF) is a strategic approach to seek evolutionary change. The SELF program consists of four aspects: maps, principles, models, and tools. Maps help leaders visualize patterns and understand the difference between traditional and evolutionary change patterns. Principles guide personal evolution and inspire change in others. Models provide a better understanding of the organization through data collection and analysis. Tools allow leaders to enhance personal and organizational results. Evolutionary leaders prioritize employees' safety and interests, even prioritizing their safety and interests over shareholder interests.

Evolutionary leadership focuses on system improvement and higher consciousness, leading "beyond change." It involves two dimensions: "Being" and "Doing," where leaders commit to individual improvement that inspires people and leads to team and systemic improvement. Responsibility is the key factor for successful self-organization and self-management. Organizations with high-energy employees and superior performance are ideally equipped to manage evolutionary change. Companies need leaders who develop and evolve their own leadership styles to move beyond conventional business operations.
Leaders must be realistic and accept reality, as their brains tend to generalize, distort, or delete information when overloaded with sensory data. Companies need leaders who accept reality and its consequences to deal with challenges effectively. Open-minded and humble leaders accept that their thoughts may not accurately reflect reality, and are tough-minded enough to question their own models.
Achieving this mindset requires faith in oneself and the process of growth. To learn, keep the mind open to new ideas and avoid believing you know it all. A famous Zen koan teaches that believing in one's own knowledge can hinder clear thinking and openness to new ideas.

The best leaders evolve as aware human beings, embracing self-awareness, emotional awareness, and enlightened wisdom. Self-evolution is crucial for leaders, as it allows them to discover reality, unlearning, understand that external challenges are linked to internal ones, serve purpose, let go of control, increase freedom, exhibit responsibility, provide psychological safety, and have an equal voice. Leaders must be accountable for their choices that define their leadership, as everything in their sphere at work reflects on their personal leadership. They must be aware of the consequences of their actions, including how they grow as a leader, the organization's processes, corporate changes, employee treatment, and the leaders they appoint and mentor. This journey requires courage and motivation to accept the challenging process of evolving.