Changing Behaviour to Improve Results
Past behaviour is a great indicator of future behaviour. What we continue to practice becomes habit. This can be positive or negative; it all depends on the behaviour. Everyone I meet all seem to have a desire to have better results, in many areas of life, including business. The challenge is to first recognize that it is our current behaviour that is bringing the current results and then, if we want to change the results, change the behaviour.
Behaviour is defined as the response of an individual or group to an action, environment, person, or stimulus. The key word here is “response”. It is not what happens around us that causes our behaviour to be good or bad; it is our response to it. This is why I believe the first step in managing behavioural change is controlling our attitude. Being in control of our attitude will ensure an appropriate response which in turn produces acceptable behaviour.
There are many environments in our life, such as school, home, work, church etc, that focus on changing behaviour rather than attitudes. Try as you may, you will never get the performance of a V8 out of a 4 cylinder. Our attitudes are the engine room for behavioural change. If we want to stop eating junk food, we need to have a healthy attitude towards eating. If we want stop procrastinating, we need to ensure our attitude reflects that desire. We will never change to a behaviour if it is not something we truly believe in. This is why it is futile to try and change the behaviour of others. If they don’t want to improve in an area of weakness, they never will. Fear motivation only places a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. You might appear to be making a difference but in the end the patient will still bleed.
In a workplace, when we foster an environment where people are rewarded for having a great attitude rather than just results, you will see lasting change. If the change is welcomed by the employees as well as the business owner, the results will be exceptional.
A great way to start this process is to conduct a brainstorming session involving stakeholders from all areas of the team. This week I facilitated one of these sessions for a successful company in our region. We looked at what attributes were needed for a great firm, what obstacles there were to having those attributes, what solutions we had to overcome the obstacles and then personalised it by asking each team member to identify something they would need to change personally to ensure we reached the team goal. The results were exceptional! By enlisting the people in setting up the “change” arena, we will always see a greater buy-in and therefore a more positive result. Followed up with team and individual coaching on the goals set by each stakeholder, the ROI on such an exercise will be guaranteed. The key, once again, to this process was starting with the “Attributes” of a great firm. Attributes are a reflection of an attitude.
Remember, the mind cannot work on the reverse of a negative. Motivating people to move away from bad behaviour will never work, however, encouraging them towards the positive does.
Have an outrageously productive week. You deserve it!
Grant Herbert
The People Builder
