How to create lasting change
Welcome to 2020. Not only is it the start of the new year, but it’s also the start of a decade.
Let’s make sure you don’t fall into the “new year, new me” trap where, according to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of us don’t see our resolutions through.
So what gets in the way?
When it comes to managing a team a LOT of things can come up especially in the first couple of days back at work. Let’s face it, meetings followed by new projects, new hires or a company change in direction can all affect those new years ‘feels’.
Unless you are able to totally re-haul your schedule, default behaviors and mindset, creating change can get pushed aside by our routines, regardless if they are serving us. We often fail to start by setting ourselves up for changes that are too radical or uncomfortable, and hence we fall back into our comfort zones by springtime.
I want to encourage you to create change in a more sustainable way by thinking:
Is it in your zone of control?
If your new change is outside of your direct control, it can mean we get stuck waiting on others to shift or make a call. Break it down so it is wholly in your sphere of influence and nothing will block you from moving forward.
Take time to reflect
The ‘new year’ new me energy can dissolve quickly if we don’t stay committed to staying on the new path. Reflection is an essential part of learning and if we don’t create the time to do it, we end up on autopilot and lose sight of why we thought this was an important change to make in the first place.
How dedicated are you?
If you’re not willing to trade some discomfort for gain, it will be hard for you to create new habits. For example, if you need to change your management style, it’s likely that not everyone around you will support that. Don’t let other people’s discomfort get in the way of what you need to do to succeed.
Try something for 30 days
To make sure this isn’t too intimidating I’d recommend setting a 30-day goal when we set ambitious goals we can quickly detach from our intention when the treadmill of life speeds up. Break down your big goal into check-ins to ensure you are focusing on the progress you’re making over the process you are taking.
Here’s how we like to approach making change stick. I’ll walk through with a pretty common example: “Not having a calendar filled with meetings”
- Set your goal
In this example, we would start by creating some boundaries in your calendar. No meetings before 10 and after 4 pm on Mon/Wed/Thurs. Unless its an emergency (top tip; do yourself a favor and define what an emergency is and be clear with your team). In cross-functional roles, everyone thinks their problem is the most important problem.
2. Reflect every two weeks to measure progress/impact
Regardless of what your change is, block time in your diary to reflect on how your progress. In this example, if you’ve failed at keeping your sacred time sacred, we would want you to check in on why that is happening. Were you too ambitious with starting with 3 days? If you’ve done this as a team look to see if you’re the ones that are breaking their own rules? Adjust the goals accordingly.
3. Create feedback metrics
Whatever the change, those around us will likely start to take notice. Sometimes a change in the right direction for you will mean the wrong direction for others. If you’re trying to be less available so that you can do better deep work, those that are used to your open calendar policy will not love the limited space you have started giving them. This “negative” feedback can actually be reinforcing indicators. To ease the friction, communicate the intention behind your new behavior, the benefit to them, and an alternative solution to address their needs (instead of defaulting to giving everyone 60-minute meetings, challenge both of you to get to the desired outcome in 15 minutes).
For other changes that have a direct impact on those around you, it might be a good idea to get input from them by asking how they feel about what you are looking to improve on. Their insight on how you are perceived can be invaluable.
When it comes to change, our philosophy at OverTime Leader is that slow (considered) and steady (managed) wins the race. If you are looking to change as a leader, you have to be realistic with the capacity you have, the resilience you need and control.
It takes commitment, discipline, and a whole lot of effort. Don’t get disheartened in the first quarter of the year, set up micro changes that you can achieve, that will give you the positive indicators that change is possible!
Whatever version of you that you want to start being this year, believe that it is possible. Stay connected to the purpose behind any change by applying the “5 Why’s” as understanding the motivation behind a goal can pick us back up when we are feeling disconnected.
Have fun!
