How small incremental changes can have a mind blowing impact

Atomic habits are?small, repetitive actions that require little effort or motivation to carry out, but which lead to big changes in our everyday lives.

I read an article recently titled "The compound effect of small daily habits" by Brett Boettcher and he points out how insignificant habit changes can have a significant effect on your life.

One of his examples:

A small daily habit change of walking 10 minutes after you eat lunch isn't a big ask right ?

However, Walking 10 minutes a day = 7000 extra steps a week, which equates to 360,000 extra steps a year (180 extra miles!)

Similarly doing 20 pushups in the morning = 7,200 pushups a year

A couple of small changes and in one year you're confidently slipping into those holiday Speedos! (reminder to enter Speedo affiliation link)

Once a year in work we spin up Miro (whiteboard) and run a brainstorm day with the Solutions Engineering team in Galway, where we spend the entire day in discussion with the aim of coming up with new ideas and initiatives, process improvements, innovative ideas, things that work well, things that don't etc., etc.

It's a really worth while and fun exercise, it keeps us on our toes. Just because something has been done a certain way for a long time doesn't mean it cant be better.

This Brett Boettcher article got me thinking in a similar 'brainstorming' vein. As a Solutions Engineer what atomic habits could we adopt in order to make significant and positive changes to our role?

Now, a good SE (Solutions Engineer) wouldn't assume you know what an SE does right? So lets start with a question.

Describe the role of a Solutions Engineer for me?

"A Solutions Engineer (also known as a Sales Engineer or Pre-Sales Engineer), is a technical professional who plays a crucial role in the sales process, especially in industries where complex technical products or solutions are being sold. Their primary responsibility is to bridge the gap between a company's technical capabilities and a potential customer's needs. As well as the "tech win" here are the key roles and responsibilities of a Solutions Engineer - Technical Expertise, Understanding Customer Needs, Solution Design, Product Demonstrations, Technical Support, Collaboration, Competitive Analysis, Training and Sales Support"

Now that we all understand the role of a Solutions Engineer ...

Lets say the SE decides to adopt these 5 new atomic habits.

(In this example I'm going to be realistic and go for weekly)

1. Read one technical article/blog/story from a competitor (5 minutes)
2. Send one (non pitchy, non marketing) email to a technical contact at a key customer account from a previous demo/interaction - "Hi Allison , Hope all is well. How are things working out with your API Strategy ? If you have any technical road blocks or need any help feel free to contact me". (2 mins)
3. Do one course on LinkedIn/Udemy/Other (Thousands of courses between 1 and 4 hours in length)
4. Do a 5 minute public speaking exercise in the comfort of your own room, record it and listen back - with the aim of removing crutch and filler words e.g. “and,” “well,” “but,” “so” and “you know,” but also mere sounds like “ah,” “um” and “er.” (5 mins)
5. Create a 2-3 minute SE Product Tip video (20 mins)

Seems insignificant, right? like max 90-120 mins over the week and we have taken on 5 new habits here.

Lets look at the results !

Every Month

• You have read 5 articles on your competitors
• You have contacted 5 key customers and asked them "How are things going"?
• You've completed 4 or 5 courses
• You've completed 25 minutes of public speaking practice
• You have created 5 useful product feature videos

You're making some progress!

Every Year

• You have now studied 70 technical articles from your competitors and have noticed that your competitor knowledge and technical expertise has improved significantly which has given you an advantage and a swagger.
• You have contacted 70 key customers , some have not responded , some have and new opportunities have been uncovered. You have gained a better understanding of customer needs from these interactions.
• You've completed 70 courses or topics related to your role. You used to struggle with scripting , you don't anymore.
• You've completed 300 minutes of speaking skills. You've noticed a significant improvement on your delivery , (filler and crutch words are a rare occurrence). Your demo game is strong !
• You now have a collection of 70 "what would I find useful if I was a user" short videos... views are on the increase. Marketing want your material.

We're starting to see some serious results...

After 3 years (well you've probably been head hunted or promoted by now...)

• You have now read 200+ technical articles from your competitors - you have a very clear consultant level understanding of the landscape. You are highly knowledgeable in identifying your company's strengths and weaknesses relative to each competitor in the market.
• You have contacted over 200 key customers over this period, building rapport, trust and confidence, influencing both sales and retention, helping to build your companies reputation and brand.

You know what customers who have good experiences do ? They tell other potential customers about their great experiences !

• You've completed over 200 courses or topics related to your role. Your level of knowledge is so significant you have become almost indispensable.
• With very little effort you've spent 15 hours working on public speaking and presentation skills. You've spoken at numerous local events and conferences.
• You now have a database of over 200 short helpful product tip videos that are used daily by customers. The support team have noticed less cases....

In three years the transition is, dare I say it, mind blowing !

In the article Brett highlights some other examples...

-Reading just 10 pages a day = 3600 pages a year (10-15 books!)

-A salad instead of fries? = 72,000 calories saved a year (20 pounds!)

Ask yourself, What one small incremental change could I make to my daily habit ?

If you are an account manager it may be the addition of 1 extra cold call per day to your routine.. Maybe one of those 240 calls gets you a deal that books your ticket to Presidents Club.

Don't underestimate the power of small incremental changes or new daily habits.

The compound effect is more powerful than you think.

Article referenced throughout was written by Brett Boettcher and titled

"The Compound Effect of Small Daily Habits".