How to Make Real Change in the New Year

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As we inch into 2024, you may be thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Many of us make them, but unfortunately, most of us don’t make it to the finish line. 23% of us quit our resolution after just one week. And only 19% of us stick to our long-term goals.?

What would you say if I asked you to name the major contributors to your success?? Most people would probably point to education, experience, skills, and personal characteristics. However, one factor that can lead to dramatic and sustainable change is often overlooked: context, especially the aspects over which we have control. Context surrounds us and includes everything from our physical space to the people with whom we interact. Even though we are greatly affected by our environment, much of it fades into the background due to a process known as habituation.?

Habituation makes what was once novel barely noticeable. If your office gets new carpet, you’ll likely pay attention to it. But over time, you won’t give it a second thought. That’s habituation. It allows us to adapt and simplify what would otherwise be needlessly distracting. However, habituation is a double-edged sword. Adapting to circumstances or people that interfere with our ability to do meaningful work or have constructive relationships can keep us stuck. Habituating to a lousy boss, hostile work environment, or dysfunctional processes doesn’t help us change. Rather it keeps us stuck.??

Sometimes, we must completely change our context to create the conditions for success. But most of the time, there are things we can do. Once you have this simple framework in mind, you can use it repeatedly to re-examine your path, illuminate different choices, and pivot.

Envision your ideal future in vivid detail.

Only some people who dream big will become well-known or wealthy, but few who achieve great things do so by ignoring their impulses to create something new. Envisioning something big and paying attention when you feel a surge of positive energy helps you find your own direction. This becomes akin to your personal compass, which you can use anytime to check your bearings. Your compass will help you think more strategically, temporarily ignoring the barriers that are all too easy to see from a lower cognitive altitude.

Ayse Birsel’s book, Design the Life You Love, is a terrific guide to finding your own compass. An award-winning designer, her process is based on design thinking that will help you step away from habitual thinking and assumptions.

Step away from other people’s definition of success.??

Credentials can be very helpful, but they are soon forgotten in favor of actual contributions.

One executive, Mark, with whom I worked, lacked confidence because he didn’t have an MBA. Despite his stellar performance, he was preoccupied with comparing himself to his peers who had earned advanced degrees and believed he would not be promoted. Mark’s narrative focused on what he didn’t have while nearly ignoring or discounting his outstanding strengths. Once he realized how his thinking and emotions were holding him back, he could accept his exceptional strengths, which were rare in his company. Mark’s realization, confirmed by me and his spouse, changed how he spoke with his boss. His boss quickly realized what was behind the excellent outcomes and that Mark’s talents were not fully utilized. The promotion, which he had long desired but believed was out of reach for want of an MBA, was his in less than one year.

Choose habits that support your success.??

We tend to think that people are rational actors and will make decisions in their own best interest, but that’s not always true. People make decisions based on what they perceive to be in their best interest. Perception is influenced by both internal and external factors, many of which lie outside of our awareness.

Before we can evaluate our habits, we need to recognize them. A powerful way to do this is to think about patterns of behavior, when and where they occur. This process begins with reflection, as described in my latest book, Meta-Leadership: How to see what others don’t and make great decisions. ?

To get you started, here are a few questions:

• What have I achieved that makes me proud? How did I organize myself, my environment, and who was supporting me???
• What work gives me joy – the experience of being happily absorbed in what I’m doing?
• What changes have I initiated for myself that were successful? What decisions and actions were associated with that success?
• Who do I deeply admire? What can I learn about how they created the conditions to achieve their goals?

Warren Buffett once wisely said that, “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” One way to break the chains that are not in line with your ideal future is to create the context you need for success. These three ideas can get you moving in the right direction.

Learn more about how to make better decisions and connect with your team with my latest book!?

Meta-Leadership: How to See What Others Don’t and Make Great Decisions draws on a vast body of research from psychology and business to show how great leaders can improve their judgment and decision-making for more robust, more profitable results.?

Click here to get your copy!?

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