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Behavior Change: How to Support Change

A Fundamental First Step

In the previous article, we explored how behaviors represent a critical factor in the effectiveness of any team, as well as in leadership.

The way we communicate, make decisions, and relate to others deeply influences performance, the quality of relationships, and ultimately the individual and collective results we achieve.

Behaviors and Mental Models

We examined the strong connection between behaviors and mental models, highlighting how the first step in changing our behaviors is becoming aware of the mental models that come into play in different situations.

In this context, we also saw how Team Building Natura® creates space, encourages slowing down, and fosters listening, offering team members the opportunity to observe and recognize the mental models activated in response to specific events and situations. A first step we defined as essential.

New Insights and Perspectives

Now, we want to go one step further, offering additional insights and perspectives on behavior change.
In particular, we want to focus on the stages that leaders and team members face when they decide to embark on a real change journey.

Before moving forward, however, it is important to take a step back and revisit mental models—understanding what it truly means to take action and what challenges and resistance may arise along the way.

Pitfalls and Barriers in Behavior Change

Albert Einstein is often credited with the idea that we cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that created it.

In the same way, successfully changing behaviors, attitudes, and mental models inevitably requires letting go of those that have guided us so far, while learning new ones.

When we work on change, this is exactly what happens: on one hand, we build new ways of thinking and acting; on the other, we gradually stop relying on familiar patterns.

But what really happens when we choose to embark on a path of change?

An Uncomfortable Experience

Changing a mental model means changing a part of ourselves. And this is never a trivial step.

It can be compared to the effects of a surgical procedure: an uncomfortable experience, sometimes even painful. Because the mental models we choose to leave behind are not simple automatisms—they are structures that have provided us with direction, stability, and a sense of security.

When we begin to question them, a sense of emptiness may emerge. Uncertainty, feelings of inadequacy, and vulnerability may surface. A familiar reference point fades, while the new is not yet strong enough to support us.

This is why change is never easy. It is a deep and transformative experience that requires courage, commitment, determination, and the willingness to navigate a phase of temporary instability.

Fertile Ground for Resistance

The beginning of a change process can easily become fertile ground for resistance.

Not due to a lack of willingness, but because we naturally tend to preserve what is familiar. Faced with effort, loss of certainty, and perceived instability, a question may arise: “Is it really worth it? Wouldn’t it be easier to leave things as they are?”

This mechanism can become the starting point of self-sabotage—not as a sign of weakness, but as a natural attempt to return to a familiar and reassuring equilibrium, even if it is no longer effective or even harmful.

However, resistance is not a mistake in the change process—it is an integral part of it. Recognizing it, accepting it, and navigating it consciously is an inevitable step that requires commitment, consistency, and discipline.

What Science Tells Us

From a scientific perspective, the explanation is clear.

Mental models are supported by neural pathways that strengthen over time through repeated use. Just like a path in nature forms through constant passage: the more it is used, the more visible and easier it becomes to follow.

Similarly, the neural pathways we use most frequently become true mental highways—fast and efficient. Over time, they can even evolve into deep and well-defined “canyons.”

A Process That Takes Time

This is why change requires time, effort, and commitment. It is not simply about making a decision, but about building new neural pathways that can eventually become preferable to existing ones—which will continue to exert a certain pull, gradually decreasing over time.

Successfully achieving change therefore requires staying alert. Recognizing the temptation to fall back on old patterns and consciously choosing the new direction we have decided to follow.

A Structured Journey

It is a process that requires dedication, consistency, and determination. It requires reconnecting with the deeper reasons that motivated the decision to change. Practice, repetition, and perseverance are essential. But above all, it requires a method.

Neuroscience shows that new neural pathways are strengthened only through consistent use over time.

This is why behavior change is not a single event, but a structured journey—a challenge that, in most cases, requires months before a new model becomes as natural as the previous one.

How to Support Change

We have seen that change is a process that requires sustained effort over time and a great deal of practice.
Only through repetition can we truly build new mental models, habits, and behaviors. This is how we effectively “reprogram” our mental software.

But how can we do this in practice?

An Effective Approach

By observing the change process, we can identify key stages that characterize it. Inspired by Daniel White—trainer, coach, and author—we propose an eight-step framework to support behavior change.

This is not a simple checklist, but a dynamic approach where the boundaries between stages are not rigid.

Step 1. Visualize a New Behavior

The first step is to identify a new behavior that can generate better results than the current one.
At this stage, it is important not only to define it, but also to imagine and visualize it.

How would my life change if I adopted this behavior? What results could I achieve? What would be the impact? What benefits would it bring?

Step 2. Define a Supporting Mental Model

Once the new behavior and its potential impact are clear, the next step is to identify the mental model that can support it.

What mindset or approach could sustain this behavior? How can I create the right conditions to make it easier to apply?

Step 3. Activate Intrinsic Motivation

Now that the foundations are in place, it is time to strengthen the mental model that supports the new behavior.
Values and beliefs play a key role at this stage, fueling the intrinsic motivation behind any real change.

How does this mental model align with my core values and beliefs? How much does it resonate with me? What does it mean for me? What benefits can it generate?

Step 4. Start Experimenting

We are now ready to identify concrete situations in which to apply the new behavior and mental model, putting them into practice. A fundamental step to start experimenting and get some feedback.

When and how do I want to start testing this new approach? In which situations do I feel most comfortable experimenting?

Step 5. Strategies and Reminders

At this stage, it is important to define strategies and reminders that help maintain awareness and presence, ensuring that we consciously apply the new model rather than automatically reverting to the old one.

What strategies can support me? How can I remind myself? What can help me stay consistent?

Step 6. Observe Existing Mental Models

This phase is also essential for observing and becoming fully aware of the mental models that drive our current behaviors.

What happened in that situation? Which mental model guided my behavior? How did I notice it? How did I react? What could I have done differently?

Step 7. Gather Data, Insights, and Feedback

From this point forward, it becomes a continuous process of experimentation and practice.
We collect data, insights, and feedback to deepen our awareness of the new behavior and its underlying mental model.

How am I experiencing this new behavior? What challenges am I facing? In which situations? What progress have I made? How can I improve further?

Step 8. Develop an Action Plan

Once the initial experimentation phase is complete and sufficient insights have been gathered, we can define and implement a concrete action plan.
The goal is to move into a more structured phase of experimentation, creating opportunities to test ourselves, identify obstacles, and remain fully aware of what happens in every situation.

What actions will I take next? What are the next steps? How can I continue reinforcing the new behavior? What is my goal—and how will I know I have achieved it?

Team Building Natura® Tools to Support Change

Embarking on a behavior change journey independently is possible—but far from simple.

We now know that it is not just about deciding to act differently. It involves building awareness, defining new models and behaviors, navigating instability, resistance, and setbacks, and creating new patterns we can rely on.

This is where the right support can truly make the difference.

Over the years, we have developed deep expertise—first as leadership and executive coaches, and later as trainers and facilitators. Today, this allows us to clearly recognize the different stages of change and support individuals and teams effectively.

An experience that is fully reflected in our Team Building Natura® formats.

Nature Inspired Learning

Nature Inspired Learning often represents the first step in a behavior change journey.

Due to its structure and duration, it is an intense yet focused experience, designed to create space, encourage slowing down, and foster authentic awareness.

It is the ideal context to start observing mental models, identifying behaviors to transform, and defining a first concrete commitment to change.

A solid starting point on which to build the next steps.

The Growing Path

When the goal is to support the entire change journey of a team and its members, The Growing Path is the natural solution.

This is a fully tailored program that integrates outdoor activities inspired by the Team Building Natura® method with individual and group sessions, both online and in person.

Objectives are clearly defined from the outset, while progress is monitored and reviewed through intermediate checkpoints, ensuring alignment with initial goals.

Continuity, follow-up, development of new skills, and consolidation of behaviors and habits are the key elements of this format.

Because change is not a one-time event, but a process that requires time, structure, and care.

Leadership ed Executive Coaching

Leadership and Executive Coaching is a core tool for behavior change, particularly for those in leadership roles—from C-level executives to middle management.

These are personalized, one-to-one journeys designed to achieve specific and measurable objectives, often linked to performance, results, and leadership development. This work inevitably engages both the professional and personal dimensions of the individual, while always remaining aligned with organizational goals—particularly when the initiative is company-sponsored.

Each session becomes a structured space for reflection, awareness, and action—supporting the consolidation of new mental models and behaviors that generate tangible impact in terms of performance, relationships, and results

An Invitation to Go Deeper

We hope this article has provided valuable insights and, above all, practical tools to approach behavior change more consciously.

Nature Inspired Learning, The Growing Path, and Leadership & Executive Coaching represent some of the key solutions we offer to support individuals and teams along this journey.

If you would like to explore these topics further or understand which path best fits your organization, we would be happy to schedule an introductory call to discuss your needs and identify the most suitable approach together.