Give Yourself a Reminder to Ensure Consistency!
Previously, in a Boosting Leadership Blog post, we discussed how small changes in behavior, done consistently can have a big impact on workplace culture (Missed it? Find it here: Changing Workplace Culture). We focused on how to choose a behavior or action to take that would have a positive impact if done consistently. But after two days go by, are we really going to remember to continue to do that behavior – or are we going to fall back into our old habits? We each need to find a way to remind ourselves what we committed to do each day, so that we will continue to do it until it becomes an ingrained habit! Failing to follow through is where most culture change efforts die.
One thing that I realized about myself somewhere along my own leadership development path, was that I have a tendency to get mentally absorbed into tasks or problem solving. Certainly that is a great ability when deployed carefully, however, I would be so consumed by thinking about a problem that I would not see what was going on around me. I wasn’t ‘mentally present.’ Since I wasn’t mentally present, I could not be observant and I was unconsciously giving ‘silent consent’ to bad behaviors going on nearby, that I didn’t even see!
Once I realized this was happening, I committed myself to being more mentally present and observant, but I needed a reminder. I needed a visual cue to trigger me to remember to act like I wanted to be acting.
I decided that each time I walked out my office door, I would put a big smile on my face. This forced me to be more present – as my face naturally goes to a scowl when I’m mentally absorbed. (Yeah, nobody is perfect!) The cue that reminded me to smile, was walking out of my office. I thought of it as walking on stage to begin a performance. After repeating this pattern ump-teen million times, it became a habit and I didn’t even need to think about smiling – it just happened and I was more mentally present as a result. Coincidentally, I was also more approachable, and contributed to an atmosphere of positivity. Being more approachable helped me to engage with more people - which further reinforced being present in the moment. A coworker of mine went a step further by placing a smiley face sticker on his door frame. This simple cue was enough to remind him every day to do what he committed to do.
It may be a silly trick, but it works! Give it a try!
Your mission today, (should you choose to accept it):
At some point in the past, you committed to do a new habit - maybe it was to exercise routinely, or maybe it was something around changing workplace culture - like being mentally present and observant.
Do an honest self-assessment. Are you still doing that activity or behavior consistently every day? (This is where most people say something that sounds like ‘aw sh…’) Okay, all is not lost. You were tripped up by being human or chasing urgent things instead of that which you already determined was really important! We’ve all been there. Forgive yourself.
Now, think about what you can do to give yourself a visual cue to remember to do the important task or behavior consistently. Maybe you’ll put something on your desk or door to remind you, or maybe carry something in your pocket. Come up with something that works for YOU. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about it.
If you are a Manager leading a team of Supervisors, ask them how they did on being consistent with their commitment. (They’ll all say “aw sh…” also). Then lead them through the exercise of developing their own visual cues.
In this way, you will ensure consistency in demonstrating behaviors that will support moving workplace culture forward sustainably.
