We hope that you have had a great October and are looking forward to good things in this the penultimate month of 2022.
We acknowledge that the challenges of our time are real and that, as a leader, you play a crucial role in helping keep first yourself, then your team and the whole organisation, positive, motivated and with a clear sense of direction.
We trust the content here will be of help to you as we look specifically at the importance of habits and how we can develop them.
Changing your world, one habit at a time
Habits. We know they are very important. We usually know what we want to be doing, or not doing in order to get better results, yet it can be incredibly hard to change our habits. The exciting part though is that if we do manage to create some new positive habits, it can literally change our world, and those of our family, team members, clients and beyond!
Here are a few habit quotes to get us started,
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. (usually attributed to Aristole)
First we make our habits, then our habits make us. (usually attributed to John Dryden).
Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations. (James Clear)
Our habits really matter. Psychologists suggest that as much as 95% of what we do every day comes from habits.
So how do we make a change and form a new habit?
The Four Foundations that we share on our Foundations of Success workshop form a simple and effective guide through the process of developing a new habit.
Foundation #1 – DIRECTION (or what does success look like?)
Begin by thinking about an area of life in which you are not getting the results you would like to get. That might be in relation to your physical or mental health, relationships, personal productivity, sales activity – anything really. Determine what results you would like to be getting. The clearer you can be about the direction you want to be heading in, the better.
Foundation #2 – PURPOSE (answer the ‘why’ question)
The second step is to think about why what you’ve described in step 1 really matters to you. If you find that it doesn’t matter that much, you can decide not to bother! If you discover it really matters though, there’s the fuel you need to put in the hard work that it takes to form a new habit. In the LMI Goal Planning System we use two questions to complete this step:
- What are the benefits to be gained?
- What are the losses to be avoided?
Foundation #3 – PROCESS (focus on lasting change)
Here’s where the serious business of developing the new habit really takes shape.
Keeping in mind steps 1 and 2 (where are we heading and why does it matter), you now have to build some infrastructure that will support the new ways of thinking and behaving that will constitute your new habit.
Take brushing your teeth as an example. Think about the infrastructure that supported the development of that habit. The education and repeated reminders about why brushing your teeth is important. The physical support of having your own toothbrush, always kept in the same place. The ‘done-for-you’ that became coaching that became a twice-daily reminder. Eventually, after many years and many thousands of inputs, it became your own hard-won habit.
The diagram below outlines this process. Note the key to everything is ‘spaced repetition’ – the repeated exposure, over time, to ideas and experiences (learning and practice) that conditions how we think and therefore behave.
Anytime you want to get some different results, break it down and build some infrastructure, some positive inputs, that will form your new way of thinking and acting.
That infrastructure may include things like daily alerts, post-it notes on your mirror, planning tools, affirmations, meeting templates, accountability groups, scheduled classes and many others. Whatever it takes to keep you on track for the long term.
Foundation #4 – PROGRESS (look for and celebrate the small victories)
The final step is one that gets routinely forgotten in our experience. We define success and why it matters. We get started with doing the hard work to make the dream a reality but then we forget to monitor progress and celebrate our accomplishments. This is ridiculous, given that achieving those victories were the reason we started the whole process in the first place!
Let’s say your starting place was a 1 out of 10 – miles away from where you want to be – but now you’ve reached 2 out of 10. That’s significant progress. Track it; celebrate it; set out with renewed enthusiasm to reach 3 out of 10, and so on.
Find out more about the Four Foundations and how they can help you build new habits by joining one of our Foundations of Success workshops.
How long does it take to build a habit?
Here’s a good question. You’ll find articles online suggesting anything from 21 to 100 days. (Here’s some research suggesting 63 days!)
They key thing is to keep going, with all supporting infrastructure in place, until it’s something that you always do without thinking about it.
Pay particular attention to changes in routine, or the aftermath of holidays, when established habits can easily be derailed. That’s often the time to re-introduce some supports that you’ve found helpful previously in order to get you back on track.
Bite-size Total Leader®
Leaders are faced continually with multiple, diverse situations and developing in all four core leadership elements gives a distinct advantage - like an actor who can convey the whole range of emotions, or a golfer who is brilliant from the rough or a bunker as well as off the tee.
In this section you’ll find practical bite-size ideas that can help sharpen your own leadership skills, with a particular focus on habits.
1. Personal Productivity
One of the essential productivity habits is to start everyday with a well-crafted written plan rather than an endless to-do list and an overflowing inbox.
2. Personal Leadership
Routinely remind yourself about the person you want to be and the purpose you are committed to. The habit of reviewing your personal mission and values at least once a day helps keep you focussed and motivated.
3. Motivational Leadership
Encourage others at every possible opportunity and watch the different it makes!
4. Strategic Leadership
Remind yourself, and every stakeholder, why the world is a better place because of the contribution your organisation is making. With this at the forefront of your minds, routinely invite those involved to contribute ideas about how you can increase that positive impact.
Leadership development is not a one-off event and leadership is not simple a role or title, rather it’s a way of thinking and behaving. The best leaders are Total Leaders® and the most successful organisations develop leaders throughout the entire organisation.
Upcoming events
17th Nov - Effective Personal Productivity kick off (West Midlands)
18th Nov - Foundations of Success Workshop
23rd Nov - Effective Personal Productivity kick off (Online)
23rd Nov - Personal Goals Workshop (free webinar)
Effective Personal Productivity
Total Leader® Part 1 - Open Programme Kick-Off. Life-changing productivity improvement for you and your team.
“Of any course I have taken in my career, this is the most transformative.”
Full money-back guarantee offered at the half-way point of this programme. It’s a 100% risk-free opportunity!
Foundations of Success Workshop. 2-hour online course. 8.30am - 10.30am
Two complimentary places to every UK organisation. See link for details.
“So helpful. An amazing amount of useful tips delivered in such a short time!”