A familiar scene: the well-planned kick-off is over. Everyone is emotionally charged and looking forward to the exciting new territory that lies ahead. Important changes are just around the corner. So far, everything has been done right. Now it's time to implement. Keep at it until the plans turn into tangible results. But quickly, the newly born giants of motivation mutate into half-hearted dwarfs of implementation. As an insider, you know this, and the effect repeats itself: a brief spirit of optimism is followed first by disillusionment, then frustration, and finally, much of what was previously worked out seriously comes to nothing. Where does this come from?
Every change in a company always affects people. This means that far-reaching changes always become a mammoth psychological task. Why? People are delicately balanced in their psyche – similar to a sleepwalker on the roof ridge with a long balancing pole, with their habits sitting on the left and right. The more drastic the changes, the more unstable the construct becomes. We are all the same in this respect. Those who know this and, above all, take it into account are way ahead of the game.
Replacing old habits with new ones
It is important to understand that habits are neither good nor bad in nature. In the form of "positive rituals," they give the soul stability and orientation and regulate the psyche. Observe how often people automate processes—such as a "cappuccino ritual"—and how the brain switches to neurologically efficient automatic mode. This is a calming counterbalance to today's fast-paced, hectic times. There are helpful and hindering habits – those that support us on the path to better results and those that stand in our way.
But simply breaking a habit doesn't work. It's like balancing on a beam. Simply letting something go leads to losing your balance. That's why you have to replace it with something else! If you want to drink less coffee, you could drink more water instead; if you've just quit smoking, you could start jogging. And if you have a habit of speaking badly about others, you could boost your self-esteem by keeping a success journal so that you don't feel the need to constantly put others down.
This makes change easy
A technique I often use can help analyze and replace inhibiting habits. First, write down the damage caused by the habit: short-, medium-, and long-term. Paint a horror scenario. This pain helps. Then think about what beneficial ritual you can use to replace and overcome your bad habit. For example, if you find yourself bored and channel surfing at night, you could realize how much frustration and growing stagnation this causes. What a pain! Instead, record or borrow great, informative programs so that when you can't sleep, you can at least feed your mind with meaningful things. It works!
Expect resistance during the implementation process—from yourself, but also from others. Everything new is difficult in the first three weeks. After that, once a week for the first year, then twice a month at most. Plan for this. The good news is that there is a golden rule for change processes: fall in love with the result after the change has been successfully implemented. It sounds simple, but it's not. If you fall in love with a more relaxed approach to customer service through better complaint management, for example, it will be easier for you to commit to this change. And this always applies: love the result and change will come easily.
That's why you're not really happy.
Why success and fulfillment have nothing to do with each other.
Image source: ©kaleen Pixabay
