Changing Habits

Chanaging Habits

It's not What you do, it's HOW you do it...

     How do you teach Innovation?  How do you help the manager assigned the most challenging position of his career, as articulated here by Doss (Forbes, 2013)?  Innovators in business must address both sides of the coin - change culture while providing results to keep the business not only afloat, but ahead of its competitors.

   The trick - don't teach something, get them to CHANGE.  If you change habits, these are longer lasting tools that can help them solve any problem, regardless if it's an innovative change or the daily work log.  And don't just let them change at work - encourage them to change at home so that innovative approaches are constantly looked for and not just a 'hat' they have to wear when they come to work.

Consider the following:

• Currently: Presume what people want
• Try: Asking for Feedback
• Currently: Say why we can't do something
• Try: Asking "How Might We....?"
• Currently: Decide "no" without asking first
• Try: Hearing them out before judging
• Currently: Do it because it's always been done that way
• Try: Asking Why?
• Currently: Quickly (and often harshly) criticize and idea that was shared
• Try: Thanking people for sharing ideas regardless of outcome
• Currently: Work in stovepipes
• Try: Radical collaboration - get people completely outside the project for their insights
• Currently: Avoid Risks
• Try: Valuing Rewards - rather than focusing on risks
• Currently: Too busy for Training
• Try: Making time to improve - even if a few minutes a day
• Currently: Direct/Assign Change
• Try: Participating - this may be more motivating to others than you realize

Habits to do:

• Reward yourself for doing something different - even if it's just a self-pat on the back, celebrate!


• Excite - yourself and other.  Things are always easier when people are motivated, even if a mundane task, make it out to be the change of the century.  Motivated and happy workers are hard workers!


• Try, Try, Try - do not let one 'no' take hold.  While eventually one items should come to fruition, the more you try, the more others see you and you then encourage them to try - this is greater organizational change than teaching people to try testing items first.

A few thoughts but if you make them habits, you become an approachable person with a mind to not solve problems, but to provide solutions as you consider that there might always be an option - this makes you a valued team member in any organization!