You have something about yourself you want to change – maybe a habitual way of thinking that is getting in the way. Or maybe it’s a behavior that you want to start or stop. Wishing it will happen doesn’t work. Writing it down isn’t enough to embed the change. So what will help you stick to your guns and just do it once and for all?
If you read our earlier blog post on keeping resolutions, you may have been left with a sense that making change is hard, like 5 hefty steps of arduous work. For those of us who are loaded with self-discipline, the five steps of FACET are right up our alley. But for many human beings, just thinking of doing 5 steps makes us say, “forgidaboudit!”
We hate to see people suffer, so (TA DA!) here are some options that are simple and easy to do. Best of all, they will help you focus on what you want to do (or not do) and make that long-awaited change in thinking or behavior.
PICK, POST & TRACK
- Pick what you want to focus on (starting a new best practice, for example)
- Post it prominently near your desk.
- Track the number of times you do it (by making a tally mark on the paper).
PICK, SHARE & FEEDBACK
- Pick something you want a teammate to help you with.
- Share it in writing with the team member and tell him or her how you plan to implement this for the next 30 days.
- Ask the team member to give you feedback on this best practice whenever he/she sees a success or a miss.
PICK, TEACH & MULTIPLY
- Pick a best practice to teach to a direct report.
- Teach the best practice in a staff meeting or one-on-one conversation.
- Ask the direct report to use the best practice, share it with others and give you feedback on the experience.
To keep this easy, think of the commitments you’ve already made, so you’re not inventing new tasks for yourself. Keep your focus simple and trackable. For example:
- I will not interrupt. (Track the times you DO interrupt).
- I will give Person A positive feedback once per week.
- I will ask two open-ended questions before giving my opinion in staff meeting.
You get the idea. We’d love to hear about your experiences – what you did well and the “misses” as well. This blog can and should be a place for sharing what works and what doesn’t….so get commenting, people!
Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!