Atomic Transformation - Small Habits, Big Impact

[00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of Transformation Professionals, sponsored by CXOTransform.

[00:00:09] Crafted to enhance the strategic acumen of ambitious managers, leaders and consultants,

[00:00:14] we hope you enjoy this episode about atomic transformation, small habits, big impact.

[00:00:20] Here's Rob Llewellyn.

[00:00:25] While inexperienced transformation managers and leaders need to be mindful, deliberate

[00:00:29] and conscious at their jobs, those that are true masters of transformation have moved beyond that

[00:00:35] and they do the right thing simply from habit. They no longer need to be mindful, deliberate

[00:00:41] and conscious because the right behaviors have become habit. If habits account for around 40%

[00:00:48] of our behaviors on any given day and systems also help define how we work, leaders should

[00:00:53] consider doing what's necessary to ensure their people go about their work with the right

[00:00:58] behaviors and systems to achieve the objectives required to reach the company's transformation goals.

[00:01:04] In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear refers to four stages of habit which he describes a habit

[00:01:11] loop and this habit loop is continually scanning the environment, predicting what will happen next,

[00:01:16] trying out different responses and learning from the results. A cue for a habit triggers a craving

[00:01:23] which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and ultimately

[00:01:29] becomes associated with the cue. James then refers to four laws that provide a framework that can

[00:01:36] help bring about new habits. The first law of behavior change is to make something obvious.

[00:01:43] This law is connected to the cue, which is the first step of the habit loop.

[00:01:47] A cue is anything that gets the attention of your employees or customers and suggests what to do next.

[00:01:54] The most obvious cue is often the one that captures someone's attention and the cue that gets their

[00:01:59] attention is the one that can initiate a habit. The second law of behavior change is to make it

[00:02:05] attractive. This is connected to the craving which is the second step of the habit loop.

[00:02:11] So often in companies people are told what to do without there being any incentive for

[00:02:17] them to do it. Unless you can make the desired habit attractive, it's probably not going to become a

[00:02:23] habit which means you're going to have to constantly remind people to be mindful, deliberate and

[00:02:29] conscious at their job. While the effective leader and manager will have freed themselves

[00:02:35] from such monotony and have a team of people that have adopted the right habits,

[00:02:39] the third law of behavior change is to make it easy. This law is associated with the response

[00:02:45] which is the actual behavior or habit you perform. Behaviors are more likely to be performed when they

[00:02:52] can be accomplished with ease. Business is an ongoing journey to deliver the same or better

[00:02:57] results in an easier way. The idea is to make every phase of the process as convenient as

[00:03:03] possible. The fourth law of behavior change is to make it satisfying. The final stage of the

[00:03:10] habit loop is the reward. If there's a reward associated with a behavior, meaning it feels good

[00:03:17] and has a satisfying ending then we have a reason to repeat it in the future. In transformation

[00:03:24] we could say that by offering attractive rewards for participating in our innovation process people

[00:03:30] are encouraged to keep trying to come up with disruptive new concepts or you could say that

[00:03:36] making your product or service so satisfying you increase the odds that customers will keep coming

[00:03:42] back. The speed of the reward is a crucial factor in the fourth law of behavior change. Employees

[00:03:48] and customers need to feel immediately successful even if it's just in a small way. Behaviors

[00:03:55] that make the workforce and customers feel good are followed by an immediate sense of

[00:04:00] satisfaction, pride, praise, encouragement or pleasure. These are the types of behaviors you

[00:04:07] want to repeat in the future but remember that work habits need to be learned, felt and practiced

[00:04:14] as second nature. They shouldn't be imposed from the top. Most companies have some master

[00:04:19] motivators who are able to achieve exceptional performance with their teams by enabling them

[00:04:24] to adopt the right habits but these people are not the majority they're the special minority

[00:04:31] that any organization is fortunate to have. They use their emotional intelligence to bring about

[00:04:37] powerful change within their people. These managers and leaders are different from those

[00:04:41] limited to a specific skill set such as technology, strategy, marketing or data.

[00:04:47] While good managers and leaders set clear direction and create momentum by focusing

[00:04:52] on results the best of them create momentum for results that become self-reinforcing. They focus

[00:04:58] on the behaviors required for results as well as the results themselves. They empower people to

[00:05:03] be the best they can be by adopting the right habits. These are the leaders who orchestrate

[00:05:08] successful transformation, the leaders who recognize that transformation is so much more than

[00:05:15] setting strategy and executing technology projects. To bring our exploration of transformational

[00:05:22] habits to a close remember this the mastery of change isn't an end goal but a perpetual process.

[00:05:31] It's about ingraining the right actions that become automatic responses, a symphony of habits

[00:05:37] that underpin every successful transformation story. As managers and leader fostering a

[00:05:44] culture where positive habits are second nature and systems support your strategic objectives

[00:05:50] is paramount. It ensures that everyone in the organization including you can seamlessly contribute

[00:05:58] to your shared transformation goals and in the grander scheme it's not just about being

[00:06:04] transformation savvy within the four walls of your organization, it's about setting a

[00:06:09] transformational tone that resonates industry-wide becoming a beacon for others to follow. It's about

[00:06:15] equipping yourself with the mindset and tools to thrive in the evolving landscape of business

[00:06:21] where agility, responsiveness and the ability to adapt are not just admired but expected.

[00:06:29] So as we sign off from this session let's commit to not just adopting new habits but

[00:06:34] becoming the architects of our transformation journey.

[00:07:04] We publish twice every week and hope to have you join us on the next episode.