This post continues our series on the common mistakes in behavior change, and what you can do about them.
Mistake #4: Trying to stop old behaviors instead of creating new ones
This may sound familiar: “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”
Phrases like, “you guys” or “no problem” or “yep” need to go. The same goes for greeting a guest by saying “Checking-in?” These are simply bad habits.
If a manager tells the server to stop saying “you guys”, she’s sure to continue using it. A better solution is to give her something to say instead. For example, “Would anyone like to get started with a drink?”
Always replace an undesirable behavior with a desirable one.
The Key: Focus on action, not avoidance.
Mistake #5. Blaming failures of lack of motivation
We like to blame motivation. A friend told me once, “I’m not motivated enough to pack a lunch in the morning.”
I asked her what part was the motivation killer. It was time. She wasn’t motivated to get out of bed 10 minutes earlier to pack her lunch.
I suggested that she pack it the night before, while making dinner. Make it part of her dinner routine, and everything would be ready to go the next morning
We need to make behaviors so easy to do that motivation isn’t even a factor.
Here is the lesson: don’t put a big project or new process in front of your team tomorrow. Introduce the new process piece by piece. Make each incremental piece so easy…so simple…that it takes minimal effort.
Before you know it, the new process is implemented…and nobody noticed.
The Key: Make the behavior easier to do.
