At the end of a recent episode of the Apprentice USA, Donald Trump, having pointed his pistol finger and fired the first candidate, concluded his remarks by saying 'she had to go...people don't change'.
Is he right? Are people just the way they are, or can they change their behaviours if they really want to?
I think DT has a point: the person he fired ignored all the feedback from the other candidates which was telling her that she didn't listen and that she was a disruptive influence. Her response was that people (especially women) were intimidated by her. She would not, or could not, hear the feedback. I have come across people like this and I don't think they can change. Because they don't want to.
People who really want to change, though, will do so. At an exreme level, you can see this in people who take on new religious beliefs in adult life can can often change their lives completely, and those of the people around them. Maybe because their will to change is so profound and internalised...
As a people development professional I have also seen people take painful but ultimately successful journeys to change their behaviours. I have reviewed my own behaviours at certain times in my life (after some 360 Degree Feedback) and made a decision to do some things differently.
What's the view from people development professionals out there? Can people really change?