Atomic Habits – Using Small Habits to Create BIG Change
Quick – what would you say is your worst habit in the workplace? Chances are, if you’re being honest, you are aware of at least a couple of your undesirable behaviors, because a fact of life for today’s business leaders is that everyone, at every level of every organization, has some bad workplace habits. As a leader, you have an incredible opportunity to be a force for change when it comes to turning bad habits into good ones.
However, change is rarely, if ever, easy. People are so resistant to change that our brains are hardwired against it. But, there is help available. Utilizing the concept of atomic habits can help you reveal the systems behind your team’s behaviors and take action that leads to massive improvement. In other words, you can use small changes performed consciously and consistently to build better habits.
As James Clear, a world-renowned expert on building, changing, and developing habits, succinctly puts it, “Quite literally, you become your habits.”
What is an “atomic” habit?
The word “atomic” describes the smallest particle of something. In our day-to-day lives, atomic habits are the tiny actions we take each moment that make up our habits. Which, in turn, make up our days and lives, in and out of the office. As the quote from Aristotle says, “We are what we repeatedly do.” For better, or for worse.
When we become aware and take control of the tiny behaviors that constitute our habits, it can lead to significant change. Examining our atomic habits asks us to look at our systems – keep reading for some helpful tips on using atomic habits to enable improvement and positive change.
Pay attention to your team’s surroundings
What’s the first thing you and your team see when they walk into the office or log into their software? According to Kurt Lewin, a pioneer of organizational psychology, "behavior is a function of a person in their environment."
Every habit is context-dependent; our environment sends us signals for how to behave and feel about where we are. For example, a clean and minimal workspace might encourage detailed work where maintaining focus is vital, while a messy (but still functional!) workspace may encourage creativity in a task.
Provide clear signals in the environment designed to bring out the change you want to see.
Focus on the journey, not the outcome
Any good leader will tell you that goals and milestones are vital to measuring progress. However, meeting a goal is fleeting and is merely the consequence of the system that got you there. Your team’s goals tell you where to go, but your method of getting there tells you how.
When your system is based on good habits, such as frequent follow-up to avoid miscommunication, reaching a goal becomes more easily attainable and repeatable.
Be kind to yourself and others
This aspect cannot be overstated! You and your team are only human; you will slip up from time to time. Expecting an immediate change in habits can be a stumbling block to progress. Research shows that people who show themselves compassion when they make mistakes are more likely to try again sooner; doing so can help you quickly recover from mistakes and failures and get you back on the path to success.
Another truth of today’s workplace is that the best leaders know they can’t do it alone. For expert guidance to reach your potential and bring out the best in your team every day, contact Leadership Delta – we are here to help and have decades of experience helping leaders like you be the change they want to see!