How Small Steps Can Lead To Big Changes: A Guide

Why Small Steps Supercharge Change Efforts

I’m not sure where ‘small’ got a bad name. Perhaps it is a size thing? Or maybe small seems underwhelming? Like it is too insignificant. Certainly, in my work, I hear people with big plans, seeking big shifts, big outcomes and big payoffs, yet for whom the concept of small feels like a compromise. When behavioural change is needed, there is a strong rationale for small, actionable steps, because they can incrementally move us towards those big outcomes we seek.

Paul Z. Jackson and Janine Waldman (2010), remind us that:?

"Successful change frequently hinges on small actions that people take. The action gets us unstuck and helps us to move effectively in a world that changes in complex ways."

Despite our best intentions, taking a step towards the change we want can feel difficult.

Here’s why small steps make a difference.

What?

While the concept of ‘big’ business dates back to the 1880s, during the 1990s, the ‘BIG’ word arguably became just that. A big change sounded bigger when often incorrectly described as a transformation. We started hearing the BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goals) acronym, coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, that is still used today as Boards, senior executives, consultants, and stakeholders become hyper-focused on BIG outcomes and results. Supported by cultural discourse and the media, BIG always seemed to imply better. Yet big is often not better for behavioural and well-being change. Instead, big can become a barrier to even starting, to taking a step forward and moving toward your aspirations.

So What?

If big is your starting point, and performance or outcome goals are what you are aiming for, it is possible that making big progress towards an endpoint can seem overwhelming, effortful, and slow.

Small steps, by contrast, offer several benefits over big leaps forward. They are simpler to think of and can be taken more easily. Jackson and Waldman (2010) suggest small steps need “less confidence and less energy” and they are more likely to be acted on. Further, Johnson (2022) states, they assist us to feel momentum.

Another merit of small steps is the positive motivation that arises from their experimental feel. They enable our capacity to refocus effort on incidental steps that can be adjusted as you go, rather than committing to one large step that may not work out. It is easier to think of ideas for small actions, which you can test and learn from. If they work, you can do more or adjust them and try again. If they do not work, you can just stop and do something different (Jackson & McKergow, 2007).

Remember, small steps should be:

?? Specific (the more detail, the more specific)

?? Something you can do quickly - in the next day or week

?? Concrete – where you take action or notice, not just think about it.

And if it isn’t working – stop – and do something new!

Try this

It’s time for you to try your own small steps.

The Wellbeing Small Step

Think of one positive change you would like to make to support your wellbeing.

1.??? What is one small step you can take towards this action? (The smaller the step, the better). Write it down.

2.?? How will this step help you progress towards your goal?

3.?? When will you take this step?

4.?? How will you hold yourself accountable for actioning it?

5.?? What do you need to do or think differently about the step when you do it?

Remember: you need to do something, not just ponder on it.

Celebrate Your Progress

Johnson (2022) reminds us that celebrating small wins triggers release of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, which reinforces the learning experience.

What did you learn? What do you want to try next?

Apply This To Work

Think of one positive change you would like to make that will enhance or improve something you care about at work. Use the same question prompts provided above.

Taking action through doing this test-and-learn experiment – if you do it – can trigger positive emotions and create a ripple effect by generating a sense of progress. The point is not that it succeeded, but that it helped you find out what does work.

Remember Jackson and Waldman’s (2010) advice, that

“Small steps are more likely to be taken than large steps; it takes only a small action to get matters unstuck; success from small steps builds confidence for taking the next steps.”?

To read more about the difference taking small steps made for me, check out this blog on my website.

I look forward to speaking with you next time.

I’m keen to hear your own experiences of taking small steps towards a larger goal.

Please comment below and share with your network.

Read More

Jackson, P. Z., & McKergow, M. (2007). The solutions focus: Making coaching & change SIMPLE.? Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London, UK.

Jackson, P. Z., & Waldman, J. (2010). Positively speaking. The Solutions Focus, UK.

Johnson, W. (2022, January). Celebrate to win. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/01/celebrate-to-win

About Me

I specialise in Change and Positive Psychology and work globally as a Coach, Speaker and Consultant.

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You can find me on LinkedIn and at Qoligenic

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