The Counterintuitive Way to Implement Big Changes...
L. David Marquet
Former Nuclear Submarine Commander. Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of Turn the Ship Around, Leadership is Language. Creator of Intent-Based Leadership for organizations worldwide.
Change isn't the problem.
The problem is that people don't like being changed. In order to lower resistance to change, leaders know to make the initial changes as small as possible. Even small changes over time will add up.
The psychological mechanism at play here is that the new behavioral and language patterns, over time, will rewire our brains. Eventually, the "new" thing feels normal and has become embedded in our habits.
For example, when starting a new morning running program, you could start by just putting your shoes and running clothes out in the evening and programming your coffee pot to start on its own.
Once the new habit has become embedded, we are ready for another small change. Before long, we would not recognize the old culture.
In order to make big changes, start small.
Watch this 1 min leadership nudge (tm).
Student and Unit Operations Branch Head (N93) for Naval Service Training Command
6 年Captain, Agreed! How many times have we experienced a new boss or manager who comes in and immediately does a hard rudder turn? It sends the organization into chaos, fear, and frustration. Making those small course adjustments can get the organization on the right path without undermining the efforts that are already working well.
?? Curious Human: ?? Collaboration, ?? Relationships, ?? Transformation, ?? Strategy, ?? Hypnosystemic Coaching - ?? macolo.de
6 年Thank you L. David Marquet for the impulse. As John Stepper says ?make it a habit“ - a small change keeps you going in direction of your target. That continuity is much more important than a big jump, especially when things are not moving.
MINIMALIST
6 年It is interesting - the photo rather than the content above... My professional experience as a change agent has shown me that big change is resisted until it is not! In fact, most of us resist discontinuity not change... Furthermore, we tend to cling to continuity in our lives because it serves us well... Incremental change is continuity and thus it is not resisted so the author is correct... But big change involves risk, uncertainty, ambiguity, and discontinuity... We cling to continuity - we smoke - until we are given a new line of continuity - recovering from a heart attack - that leaves our old thoughts and behaviours patterns languishing in the dust... The truth is people resist discontinuity and yet they will change in the blink of an eye if a new continuity line is shown to be superior - not smoking and not having heart attacks - to the one they were previously rusted onto. The problem with those who change is they become zealots in favour of their new continuities... Ever met a reformed smoker.... Ha, ha, ha..... Cheers, Richard.
Author | Program & Project Management | Designer | Speaker | Social Design | Learning Strategy
6 年Except depending upon the scale of the change needed (digital transformation, culture change) this approach could take far to long in a rapidly changing marketplace. I like Jim Collins approach from way back in ‘99 “Catalytic Mechanisms” for bigger, lasting change.
WHO: Experienced CFO, Change Management leader, Finance & IT Staff staff development mentor and former Professional Athlete. INDUSTRIES : Media, Tech (SaaS), mfg / distribution, non-profit, professional sports.
6 年I do not think this is the right long term approach. It is true that our feelings change after we take actions and create new realities, routines, environments, processes and so forth. It is, indeed, very uncomfortable to change or take a new path. Learning to be comfortable in feeling uncomfortable is a better approach. A big part of this is to learn to recognize why we feel uncomfortable and to understand that it is temporary. This is not easy BUT it does leave us with a new and lasting knowledge about why and how our feelings evolve so that we do not have to become a slave to "methods" that avoid this necessary and lasting reality for growth and transformation. We should not dance around the root cause just because it is easier. In short using a "method" rather than dealing with the root cause is akin to testing the symptom and not the disease. It does not teach anything to make us better but rather keeps one reliant on pain relief and avoidance of the real long term answer (yes, it is harder) which will create true transformation. In short, learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable- do not take steps to avoid this necessary process of learning and growth!