Dr. Roy Baumeister

Here’s something to think about when you make your New Year resolutions: Self-control is a limited resource. This observation comes from Dr. Roy Baumeister, a social psychologist at Florida State and world authority on willpower.

In one of his experiments, Baumeister set chocolate in front of adult participants and asked them to resist the temptation to eat it. (What happened to the good old days, when psychologists just shocked their volunteers with electricity?) Baumeister then challenged the participants with a brain teaser.

Baumeister found that the experimental subjects who flexed their willpower and resisted the candy gave up on the puzzle much quicker than the volunteers who sullied their fingers with chocolate as soon as his back was turned. The “strong willed” participants had less mental energy—and therefore determination—left to solve the puzzle.

Here’s how this relates to you…

When you resist temptation (or any other kind of distraction) you’re drawing from a well—a shallow well—of willpower. To repeat: Self-control is a limited resource. The core of our impulse control mechanisms are located in the prefrontal cortex, the most energy hungry part of our brain. And so, every time we slam the breaks on an impulse, the supply of mental energy we have left to resist the next temptation decreases. This has implications for the way we approach making changes in our lives…

Action Steps…

Make changes one at a time. Don’t try to stop smoking, drink less and lose weight simultaneously. Make progress one goal at a time and keep the others on the back burner. Regardless of how “strong-willed” you are, if you try to tackle multiple resolutions simultaneously, you risk overdrawing from your willpower well. According to Baumeister, trying to make too many changes at the same time actually results in regression.

Set up systems so you don’t have to waste your (limited) mental energy replaying the same “I don’t feel like it but I really should…” arguments over and over again. Returning to the subject of chocolate, I don’t know where the candy is hidden in my house. I can demolish a chocolate bar faster than a school of hypoglycemic piranha. So, to prevent total burnout of my willpower, Krys hides the candy and only doles it out when I make a specific request (and the piranha aren’t looking). I know, I’m pathetic…and thirty pounds lighter, baby! Nothing to do with my weedy willpower, it’s just the system I have in place.

Be especially wary when your willpower support structures change. One of the wheels fell off my exercise machine last week. A longstanding YMCA instructor called Vangie will be leaving for Colorado; sob, sob.  I, along with many of my YMCA buddies, am totally bummed out. And it’s a risky time for my exercise goals. Here’s why: Until now, all I have to do is get my butt to the gym where Vangie (and her wonderful colleagues Carmen and Rosie) tell me what to do…and I just do it. Some (most?) days I don’t feel like it, but I just do what I’m told. See how this conserves my (limited) resolve for other temptations?

When we lose part of our willpower support structure, it takes more of our (limited) mental energy to keep with the program. And, if we are trying to make too many changes at once or don’t have the other elements of our support structure in place, there’s a good chance that the wheels will fall off the “willpower wagon.”

Bottom line: Using the above action steps, conserve your biologically limited willpower so that it’s available for those times when you really need it.

Enough said, I’m off to the gym…I need someone to shout at me!

Happy Holidays and I’ll catch up with you in the new year,

Steve

Agree? Disagree? Speak your mind in the box below…

Here – right at the top – is the bottom line:

When you over complicate your approach to what you do, you spend way too much time working on the system and not enough time working the system itself. This is the difference between reading a book about time management vs. actually implementing an idea from the book.

What’s more, part of being effective is acquiring consistency; developing good habits. Developing consistency is extremely difficult if the systems you’re using to manage your professional and personal lives are unwieldy.

We are drowning in functional reserve; all the things our processes and software can do, but that we don’t – or don’t know how to – use. There’s an opportunity cost to all that distracting functionality. You overlook the chance to make things super-simple so you can get going and take action.

And so here’s a simple way to look at how you tackle your professional and personal responsibilities…

Magical Software…

Imagine buying a piece of office software which – rather than having 2987 functions right out of the box – magically added functionality as you proved to yourself that you needed it. Not because you think it might come in useful or because someone (including me) said that a particular tool is really cool but, rather, because you’ve proved that it’s the solution to a specific problem that you’re facing.

Just so you know, I speak from bitter experience. I’m no icon of uber-efficiency and unflinching action. (I’m a guy who’ll figure out 24 ways to paint a fence and then get bored halfway through actually doing the job.) I’m also pathetically vulnerable to getting caught up in productivity flow-charts and glossy-looking software interfaces. (I’ve even been known to refer to a program interface as “sexy.”)

Like many of you, I too was suckered…

…into buying the all-leather planner with the ridiculously expensive calendar refills and non-standard rings; forcing me to buy a custom-made Franklin-Covey hole punch…which left an equally non-standard hole in your pocket. Did I use it consistently? No. Why? It was too complex.

Then, fed up with constantly rewriting to-do lists to meet shifting priorities and the natural ebb and flow of my energy, I switched to using the Get Things Done – GTD – system by David Allen. As you may know, Allen has acquired a cult-like following for his GTD system. (Am I a little jealous? Yep!) However, when I started talking to people about GTD, I started to hear tales of people falling off the GTD wagon. Great system, but still too complex.

A Student of Simplicity…

So last year I became a student of simplicity. I began using the magical software metaphor to discover ways of super-simplifying my work flow. I’ve discovered a bunch of productivity tools that significantly reduce my workload while boosting my productivity…without having to learn complex (and ever upgrading) software.

One of them is an extremely intuitive and totally free online software application for applying the core GTD principles called SimpleGTD. If you’re familiar with GTD, this simple application might well bridge the gap between knowing and doing. And keep you firmly on the wagon of greater stress-free productivity. That has certainly been my experience.

Action Step

If you don’t know the GTD approach to productivity, take the time to read Allen’s excellent book. Then get a SimpleGTD account and get going.

Important: SimpleGTD is a cloud computing application so you can easily access your GTD lists from anywhere. That said, I realize many of my readers are healthcare professionals and so have to deal with huge data storage and confidentiality issues. My advice: First, learn GTD. Second, start applying it in your personal life using the SimpleGTD software. Finally, using the magical software metaphor, take the insights you gain from using SimpleGTD into creating simplicity in your professional life…regardless of how you actually do it.

And the least flattering exercise? Here’s a clue…

…Yeah, aerobics. (According to the scientists, only 9% of women found men doing aerobics attractive…go figure!)

This picture was taken at my local YMCA. (A special “shout out” to all my new friends at Duke University Hospital, thanks for the T-shirt. If it wasn’t for you guys, I’d only get to wear my orange shorts at Halloween.)

I’m a big fan of the “Y.” If your only exposure to the inside of a gym is Bally’s Total Fitness TV ads, pay a visit to your local YMCA. The experience will be far less of a dignity stripper than you might think.

In addition to “toning & firming” me into the incredible physical specimen I am today (see above), my instructors have reminded me of some important leadership lessons. First off…

Normalize The Learning Curve

When trying to encourage someone who is struggling with a brand new activity, it’s tempting to sugar coat their initial efforts. Unfortunately, if a newbie knows that his or her first efforts are mediocre, a vapid “Oh, you did great” is unlikely to be as supportive as intended; no matter how well meaning.

Rather than giving faint praise, a more effective approach is to normalize the learning curve. This honors the person’s efforts and, at the same time, encourages them to persist. I’ve seen this in action at the “Y.” I’ve overheard instructors make comments to a new stepper like: “Step aerobics is tough, isn’t it? It’s like learning how to dance with a step in the way. This confusion passes after a couple of classes.”

In what ways could you normalize the learning curve for your new staff members? How might you normalize the curve for your children?

Define The End Point

When sweating in the gym, there’s nothing more disheartening than hearing an instructor say: “Just eight more push ups…after the next eight.” Followed by: “Did I say eight more? I lied…” And so on!

Without a well-defined end point it’s tough to allocate resources. And that’s equally true whether you’re talking about reps in the gym or implementing a new corporate initiative. So, let your staff know what the terrain will look like when they’ve arrived. And, if the goalposts shift—as they often do—try to roll the modified directives into the same overall end-point.

Don’t Let Your Staff Dictate Your Energy Levels

First thing in the morning, my “Y” buddies and I can be an apathetic bunch. When the instructor asks: “How are you doing?” Our ‘reply’ is frequently blinking silence; pathetic! Fortunately my fellow steppers and I have been blessed with instructors who keep radiating energy until the class catches their enthusiasm.

It’s easy for a leader to lead when his or her staff are full of enthusiasm for a new project. And much harder when the “project blues” kick in. Maintaining your enthusiasm when it isn’t being reciprocated is tough. It’s far easier to respond to apathy with more apathy.

That said, your passion really can turn a floundering ship around. So consciously and patiently keep putting out energy, even when nothing is coming back. And, just like my pals at the “Y,” your colleagues will start to catch your fervor.

Agree? Disagree? You can Speak Your Mind in the box below…

This week the always amusing (and sometimes hilarious) Time magazine columnist Joel Stein wrote a very funny article about the downside of being hyper-organized. Called The Mess Manifesto, Stein confesses to losing “…days fiddling with the bottom of [his] Netflix queue, which is the section that should be labeled “movies I will never see.”

I’m referencing this article because it raises an important issue. Trying to be over organized can be counterproductive. It’s possible to spend ridiculous amounts of valuable time dragging & dropping digital folders within folders, within folders—ad infinitum (nauseam?) And, if you don’t remember where each document is filed, you can waste even longer trying to locate it again.

And so – after filing a digital scan of Joel’s article in my “Stein” sub-directory, within my “Funny” sub-folder, within my “Articles” folder – I decided to add my thoughts on his article.

Many of us manage digital files in the same way we manage paper files. This is partly a consequence of us all having computer interfaces with icons of folders and files: If it looks like a manila folder, we – understandably – treat it like a manila folder. (Yet another example of our perspective driving our actions.)

Among the funny lines, Stein provides an, easily overlooked, opinion: “Now that our e-mail and date-stamped photos are searchable, there’s no need to build all these folders.” This casual observation suggests an important fresh perspective on how we organize our digital world…

In his book, Getting Organized In The Google Era, Google’s former CIO Douglas C. Merrill – I’m guessing this guy knows a thing or two about organizing data – reinforces Stein’s observation: “Don’t file your information, search for it.”

Here’s my simple synthesis: Instead of “drag & drop,” think “search & tag”. When you get comfortable with search & tag, you have the time-saving option of putting all your documents in a handful of high-level folders and then using search to locate them when needed.

My goal here isn’t to give you a step-by-step guide to searching & tagging. (After all the procedure will differ depending on what software you’re packing.) Instead, my objective is to give some examples to open your mind to the time-saving possibilities. To get you thinking about alternative ways of organizing your own digital resources, let’s talk about search…

Search…

We’ve all become masters at searching for information on the internet. We Google anything and everything at the drop of a hat. However, many of us don’t think to use the same approach when picking through the contents of our own hard drive.

Both Windows and Mac operating systems have a basic search functionality that many of us use far less often than we could; and perhaps should. If we think to do it, we can easily search through the content of many of our documents using this search feature…

And where the search capabilities of our operating systems come up short, it’s possible to find free/low cost software solutions to enhance our ability to easily search the content of all our documents. For example, I’ve found the free PDFXChange software excellent for searching the content of PDFs (something Windows can’t do).

In this example, I searched for the word “healthcare” in 141 eight-page PDFs in a few seconds. Each instance of the word is highlighted (in blue) and clicking on the highlight opens the exact page within the document. If you have a stack of PDFs gathering digital-dust, this is really useful.

In addition to using software programs to boost our ability to search, we can also employ tags…

Tags…

Tags are an additional way to filter and search your files. (FYI: I’m not talking about those annoying “smart tags” that used to pop up in Word and Excel.) Tags are simply labels you can apply to a document. In fact, in Gmail – the popular email service – tags are actually called “labels”.

Here’s a simple example: Imagine you need to file an email receipt from Company ZYZ for Product A. One option would be to prepare a set of nested files: Product A (inside) Company XYZ (inside) Receipts. However, a far less time consuming alternative is to simply label the receipt with multiple tags; “Product A” Company XYZ, and “Receipts”. This can be done in a heartbeat. And, once tagged, it’s very easy (and fast) to locate the receipt using simple filters.

I also add tags when bookmarking web pages and note taking. Also, I’ve just started experimenting with Taglocity, a cheap utility which adds tags to Outlook emails—in the way that’s similar to what Gmail does by default…I’ll let you know if it’s any good.

Actionable Steps…

Making the transition from “drag & drop” to “search & tag” can feel dangerous. So, to ease you in gradually, here are some simple action steps. Next time your searching for a file and can’t find it quickly, try search. Also, when organizing your digital folders/files, don’t immediately default to dragging and dropping folders within folders. Instead, ask…

• Do I really need to nest this folder within yet another folder?
• Could the time I spend reordering my digital files be better spent elsewhere?
• Is there a way for me to tag this file?
• Does my computer have what it takes to search for this document?
• Are there free/low cost utilities that would enable me to search more efficiently?

Finally…

If you have any other software suggestions for increasing the scope of “search & tag,” I would love to hear them. And, as always, your thoughts and questions are encouraged. You can Speak Your Mind in the box below…

In this scenario the fish is an if-then, extrinsic motivator. If you kiss that pasty-faced professional speaker, then you’ll get a fish. It’s an approach to motivation that developed during the 20th century. If you provide a reward, then an assembly line worker will pick up the pace.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch (of the non-fish variety). While head down, get-it-done tasks can be motivated using if-then rewards, this kind of extrinsic motivation backfires when the challenge requires any kind of creative thinking.

Mentally Jumping-The-Tracks

Innovation, insightful decision-making and smart problem-solving requires the thinker to mentally jump-the-tracks. To be able to look at challenges from different angles and pursue different lines of thought. And, unfortunately, if-then motivators have the opposite effect. They narrow mental focus at precisely the moment when it needs to be divergent.

So, how can you motivate people without simultaneously narrowing their focus? Well scientists have explored this issue and their conclusions are very different from what’s currently used in the business world.

There is substantial scientific evidence that effective motivation is less about extrinsic rewards and more about intrinsic rewards, a.k.a. meaning. The problem is that talk about “meaning” sounds so fluffy. Surely people don’t want fluff, they want cold hard cash, don’t they?

Building Robots

In an experiment carried out by social psychologist Dan Ariely and his colleagues, subjects were divided into two groups and asked to build a series of Lego robots for progressively diminishing payment; two dollars for the first robot and 11 cents less each time after that.

(Quick aside: These robots are called Bionicles and, frankly, don’t look anything like Lego as I remember it.)

For the first group–the, so called, “meaningful” group–each completed Bionicle was stored in a large box under the desk.

In contrast, in the other “meaningless” group, when a subject completed one robot and moved on to the next, the completed robot was immediately disassembled, in front of the subject and the pieces returned to their original box…ouch!

Here’s what happened: On average, participants in the meaningful group built 10.6 robots while those in the meaningless group built 7.2 Bionicles. When researchers removed any meaning from the task, subjects reduced their effort—even when the payment schedule for each group was the same.

Emphasizing The Meaning

So, if you want a motivated team, an important question to ask is: How can I emphasize the meaning inherent in their jobs? Here are some dos and don’ts…

• Don’t make the fatal assumption that, because your staff work in health care, their jobs automatically feel meaningful.
• Do draw clear lines between a person’s efforts and meaningful higher-priority goals such as patient satisfaction.
• Do figure out ways to bring your staff closer to the front line. One effective way to achieve this is using video. This is sometimes employed at health care and business meetings to tremendous effect. Here’s a powerful example: Doris video.
• Don’t provide rewards in lieu of meaning. (If you choose to provide rewards make them small surprise rewards, given after the fact.)

Bottom line: Motivate your staff in the right way and watch them do the happy dance…

I would love to hear your opinions and ideas. How do you motivate your staff? How are you best motivated? Speak your mind in the box below…

Context Is Vital…

It defines the meaning of our experience. That’s why we get excited by a sweaty bag of five peanuts on an airplane; not so exciting at a barbecue. And why the garden that seemed too small when I first visited my house with a realtor, now appears much bigger when I’m standing behind a lawn mower. (Apparently, it’s darkest before the lawn.)

Without context, the perceived facts around a particular person, situation or object, information is mental noise. Fortunately, we’re incredibly skilled at establishing context in, even swiftly observed, situations.

Here’s The Catch…

Creating (and switching) context takes some serious mental effort. For example, technology has enabled us to make lightening-fast shifts in our work-space. I can have Word, Photoshop and Facebook open at the same time and switch between them with a single click. And while being able to write my book, edit a photo and engage in internet banter with the entire “world” might make me a Renaissance Man (backed by some serious RAM) my actual (in between my ears) memory can’t keep up.

Every shift between programs represents a shift in context. We need to let go of the details of one project and mentally regroup around a completely different set of relevant data points. And this repetitive flushing and rebooting of our short-term memory as we switch between contexts is mentally draining. That’s why, at the end of a busy day, you feel so exhausted; even if your “heavy lifting” has been entirely mental.

Conserve Your Cognitive Cash

As much as is feasible, when you plan your day limit the number of contextual shifts you are required to make. By grouping together tasks that have a similar context, you are spending your “cognitive cash” more wisely.

For example: Schedule time immediately after a meeting to take action on any new directives that arise. Recognize that if, after the meeting, you begin an unrelated task and then return to your post-meeting agenda at a later time, that’s extra cognitive cash you’re spending.

I appreciate that, in the frenetic day-to-day, you sometimes need to leap contextual divides. You’re chipping away at one task when something “explodes” elsewhere and demands your immediate attention. Next time this happens to you, before you switch from one task to another, take contextual notes. Write a brief reminder to yourself—this is the step I’ve just completed, this is my next action step and these are my current thoughts on this project. When you return to your project, you can leap back into it far more smoothly and with less cognitive effort.

The take home for today is this. Keep context in mind and be quick to ask: How can I schedule my day to conserve cognitive cash?

Quick Confession: Despite my “Renaissance Man” comment, my Facebook Page is very new (and actually looks totally lame). I could do with some fans.

If you have a Facebook account and would like to connect with my page, here’s the link: Steve’s Facebook Page Once you’re at the page, click the button that looks like this…

And, as always, if you’d like to ask a question or make a comment, there’s the “Speak Your Mind” box below…

It’s always fun to hear from you,

Steve

And I’m not even talking about information overload; the ever-increasing stack of websites, books and DVDs you “should” study if you’re to have any chance(?) of being an effective executive or a good parent.

Self-Distraction

This message is about self-distraction. I had the rare (and wonderful) privilege of hearing John Williams conduct the Fort Worth Symphony on Tuesday night. It was an amazing experience to hear a range of instantly recognizable movie themes (Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, ET, Jaws, Close Encounters) conducted by the creative genius who composed them.

Williams has worked with Steven Spielberg for thirty-seven consecutive years which, as an artistic collaboration, must set some kind of record. (How long was Gilbert with Sullivan?) Williams told a great story about writing the musical score for Schindler’s List. He said to Spielberg: “This is such an incredible movie, you need a better composer”. “I know,” Spielberg replied, “…but they’re all dead!”

As much as I absolutely loved the concert, I caught myself thinking intrusive thoughts—I wonder if I’ll get to hear Jurassic Park?—from time to time. For most of the evening I listened to the orchestra, but occasionally—could they play Jurassic Park on the fly?—my mind wandered. And the more I tried to focus—should yell out a request?—the more distracting my intrusive thoughts became.

Rethinking Tired Thoughts

Here’s the thing: Whenever you try to take positive steps in a new and valued direction there are inevitably problems to solve, decisions to make, some frustration and anxiety. These problems, decisions and emotions can be attention-grabbing distractions and—when they intrude upon your attempts to stay focused—hinder every attempt you make to work towards your high-priority goals.

We are frequently distracted by our own thoughts, reliving unpleasant situations (plotting revenge?) worrying about the future, and rethinking tired thoughts that invariably lead to the same conclusions. Not only does this waste a ton of valuable time and pump our stress levels through the roof, it distracts us from completing the high-priority tasks that really make a difference. Imagine if you were able to stay hyper-focused, on task and simply let these self-distractions come and go as they please. How much more productive would you be?

The Self-Distraction Exercise

The solution to this problem is to learn how to unhook yourself from your own distracting thoughts. Here’s how: Find a quiet place and a block of 10 minutes in your schedule where you won’t be disturbed. Sit back in the chair, with your feet flat on the floor and close your eyes. You can also do this exercise lying on a bed (although you might get a few stares from the other customers in Mattress Warehouse) your head supported by a pillow and your arms relaxed by your side.

Take a deep breath in. Then, as you breath out, relax and feel the tension leaving your body. Then allow your breath to find it’s own rhythm, don’t make any attempt to control it.

Your objective for the next 10 minutes is simply to focus on your breathing, allow your thoughts to come and go as they please and not get hooked into ruminating over them. Every time a thought pops into your mind, label it “thought” and then let it go. That’s the goal, very simple…but not easy.

As you try this exercise, here’s what you’ll find: The very moment you sit still and quiet your mind, thoughts will begin bubbling up from your unconscious. And, believe me, mentally pushing them away won’t help. You can’t stop the voice in your head. You can’t stop making up stuff. And so, rather than trying to suppress your thoughts, label them and let them go. (By the way, if you’ve got multiple voices in your head that’s a problem way beyond the scope of this blog post!)

Leaves on a Stream

Here’s an alternative to focusing on your breathing. It’s a visualization I find immensely helpful in unhooking myself from thoughts and letting them go. (This “Leaves on a Stream” metaphor was suggested by psychologist Steve Hayes—the founder of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy—the cheesy jokes are all mine.) Imagine you’re sitting in front of a clear mountain stream. The sunlight is glistening off a steady flow of trickling water. (FYI: It’s a good idea to pee before beginning this exercise.)

In your mind’s eye, visualize leaves gently bobbing as they flow past on the surface of the water. Now, whenever you notice a thought—and you will, I promise—rather than bounce around inside your head, label it “thought,” place it on a leaf and let it go. Whatever the thought, pleasurable or otherwise (even if your thought is “this exercise is dumb,”) label, leaf, let go. Each and every time, label, leaf, let go.

Staying On Task

Every time you try this exercise, you’re getting practice at gently unhooking yourself from your own distracting thoughts. If you commit to developing this vital mental skill (I would suggest once a day, 10 minutes maximum) guess what’s going to happen next time you’re trying to meet a deadline, reply to a string of emails or listen to a John Williams concert. That’s right, because you’ve been practicing (and you are going to practice, right?) you’ll be far more skilled at letting disruptive thoughts go and staying on task; even if that task is simply living in the moment and having more fun.

Audio Guidance

Most people find visualization exercises easier if they’re guided through them. I’m preparing a 10 minute recording (an MP3 file that you can listen to on an iPod or computer) to help you guys master The Self-Distraction Exercise. It’s available for free to anyone who leaves an idea, question or comment in the “speak your mind” box below…

The first time I tried step aerobics I lasted about eight minutes. I wasn’t just exhausted, I accidentally caught my reflection in the window. Arms and legs flying everywhere. Honestly, as a doctor, I’ve hospitalized people for less.

Even so—in an attempt to at least maintain my current level of unfitness—last week I decided to formalize my relationship with these aerobics classes. And, at my local YMCA, the way to “put a ring on it” is to join the Personal Fitness Program. And, when I enrolled, two people made serious attempts to change my behavior…

Government Misdirection…

The first person (actually team of people) works for the government. In a very comprehensive folder from the YMCA—chock-a-block with good advice on improving muscle tone, enhancing flexibility and increasing endurance—were a couple of sheets from the United States Department of Agriculture. You may recognize their food-pyramid logo; complete with someone fit-looking climbing steps…could it be my future self?

News flash: Given that this is a document from the government, you know it’s going to be confusing, right? Here is my favorite “fun fat fact”: As a man between 31-50 years old I’m allowed 6 teaspoons of fat/day. A fact which would be very helpful if I spooned fat over my food from a jar labeled “government approved fat”. Given that the objective of this document is to teach me how to change my eating habits in order to improve my health, do you think this is helpful information?

My point is this: If you really want people to change their behavior, everything you say to them about a proposed transition must have high actionable value. Similarly, everything you give to them to read about the proposed change must have high actionable value. What do I mean by “high actionable value”? Simply this, tell people what they need to do in a simple, intuitive, step-by-step manner. Everything else is distracting trivia. Sometimes employee resistance is just a lack of clear direction.

Here’s another example from the government document: “Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation.” Very helpful when I was studying for a clinical biochemistry degree, but of absolutely no actionable value when it comes to improving my health.

Carmen Saves The Day…

Unlike the government document, my YMCA fitness instructor (an excellent example of what inspiration would look like if it had arms and legs) gave me highly actionable information. Carmen told me precisely how to calculate my target heart rate range, and then figured it out for me. She explained that I needed to be within this target heart range for 20 minutes three times a week; with five minutes of warm-up and cool down at the top and tail of each session. She also explained precisely how to monitor my heart rate on the treadmill, stair machine and when I’m on the step itself.

Finally, she got me to commit—in writing, complete with my signature—to this exercise regime for the next twelve weeks, phew. After all that up-front, public commitment on my part, there’s more chance of regime change in a medium-sized European country than of me skipping out on my exercise routine. (And, in a step aerobics class, I really do mean skipping.)

Driving Change…

When you write a document designed to drive change, think “actionable value”. When you are speaking directly to your staff about something you wish them to change—think “actionable value”. Whenever you are reading for the express purpose of learning how to achieve an objective (as opposed to reading for pleasure) think “actionable value”.

What changes are you currently trying to implement? What is the Actionable Value Score of the documents outlining the change? From governmental-confusing (1) to Carmen-clear (10). Have you explained, in a step-by-step fashion, precisely what you want your employees to do differently?

Bottom line: If you want to drive personal, professional or organizational change, think “actionable value” in word and deed.

I’m off to the gym; I know precisely what I’ve got to do and I’ve promised to do it…

I would love to hear your ideas, comments and questions; “have your say” in the box below…

So, it’s mid January. How are you doing with your New Year Resolutions?

Here’s a reality check: Regardless of the change you’re trying to make, if you’ve acquired a track record, it’s highly likely you’ll continue down the same road. Even if this particular change in your behavior were desperately required to save your life – and I mean literally save your life – chances are you wouldn’t make it. Decades of research has made it abundantly clear, the odds are most definitely stacked against you.

Why is it so tough to achieve the goals we set for ourselves? How can we overcome the intractable psychological pressures that hamstring our sincere attempts to make significant changes in our lives?

Fact is, your brain is hardwired to drag you, kicking and screaming, back into the same old habits whenever you try and change. To transform your life requires that you understand this hard wiring so you can avoid the pitfalls along the way. Despite the best of intentions most people never successfully make the changes they crave. You can be one of the few who do achieve their goals.

Here are some of the key issues along the path to real transformation.

Set Goals, But Mind The Gap

When we think about the gap between where we are and where we’d like to be, it makes us feel uncomfortable, doesn’t it? And the larger this gap, the more uneasy we feel. This psychological discomfort is called cognitive dissonance. It occurs whenever we’re stuck between two conflicting thoughts; such as the gap between our current reality and our dreams. And goal setting amplifies our cognitive dissonance because it forces us to focus on this chasm.

We don’t like living with psychological discomfort, and so our brain tries to close the cognitive dissonance gap; generally by giving up. (This outcome is accompanied by a flurry of excuses and procrastination.) Alternatively, we can close the gap by actively moving towards our goal.

The crucial point here is to ensure that the gap between your reality and your goals creates discomfort and yet, at the same time, is believable for you. It’s easy to talk glibly about “shooting for the stars,” but if you jack up your discomfort too far beyond your belief then your chances of success tend towards zero.

Bottom line: Set goals, but mind the gap.

Manage The Fear Messages

Whenever you attempt to make a concrete change to some aspect of your day-to-day behavior, your brain sends “fear messages” that further amplify your discomfort. If you remain unaware of this psychological dynamic, it’s highly likely you’ll back off the success-building activity in order to reduce your discomfort. Here are some of the common “fear messages” to watch out for.

• I can’t do it!
• I’m feeling overwhelmed, I must stop.
• I’m never going to succeed.

The key to overcoming your “fear messages” are to realize that they are simply stories. Whenever your self-talk and conversation contains words and phrases like “I can’t,” “I must give up,” “this will never work,” it’s vital to realize that these are invented narratives, not reality. They are not an indication that you should give up on your goals.

Whenever these stories start to appear, simply subdivide the task in front of you into a series of smaller, very specific steps and take action, immediately, on the first one. Still feeling overwhelmed, subdivide the steps still further.

And if it transpires that you really do lack a specific piece of knowledge or skill, don’t give up; get educated! Take a class, read a book by an acknowledged expert. (Be careful of information you track down on the internet, much of it is highly questionable.) Whatever your personal goal, feed your brain with enough high-quality information to give you the self-confidence to act decisively.

Finally, take action regardless of how you feel. If you can’t disassociate your feelings from your need to take action, you will remain stuck in a rut for the rest of your life.

Don’t Hardwire Your Brain For Failure

Recent research has shown that your brain is an evolving ecosystem that changes, quite literally, from one second to the next. In other words, your thoughts and feeling leave footprints as they change the anatomy of your brain. And so whenever you make a decision to take action, it’s mission-critical that you follow through (and psychologically damaging if you don’t).

Every time you take action towards achieving a goal, you point your brain “footprints” in the right direction. Conversely, every time you wimp out on a task you’ve set yourself, you reinforce the hardwired “failure” pathways. It’s more likely you’ll procrastinate next time and, over time, condition yourself to fall short.

What tactics do you use to achieve your New Year resolutions? We would love to hear them. Feel free to “speak your mind” in the box below…

I also described specific day-to-day errors executives make which intensify this passive-aggressive foot dragging.

Finally, I pointed out that many of these mistakes arise because leaders wildly underestimate—if they consider it at all—Emotion Brain. A raw, primal brain region with the power to resist any kind of transition until you, your staff and your organization die!

Today, I’m going to talk step-by-step (do this…then that) solutions and put them into a simple framework. Listen carefully: Your goal is about more than dragging reluctant staff through a major organizational change and “making it” out the other side. Your objective should be to actively leverage your team’s experience of transition for creativity and growth.

Organizational Change Begins With Loss

Change consultant William Bridges points out, “transition begins with an ending and ends with a beginning”. (It’s hardly surprising we feel so turned around.) Endings bring feelings of loss and the loss feels endless; which brings on the organizational equivalent of grieving.

The range of losses a particular individual feels aren’t even close to endless. It only feels that way. That’s why, rather than sweeping any discussion of loss under the corporate carpet (an awful tactic I described in change management – part 1) it’s vital to identify, mitigate and contextualize the losses your people will inevitably feel.

For each person the loss list is different. Examples of “loss” include job security, opportunity for promotion, sitting next to a beloved colleague, having to move to another part of the country or having to say goodbye to a popular manager. And don’t forget the “mental” losses like shattered confidence with the implementation of a new software or guilt that the reorganization was somehow “my fault”.

And so, in the face of loss, there are a well defined set of emotions that people experience (denial, anxiety, anger, guilt, etc). Within a team expect to see all of them. Here are some concrete tactics for dealing with your staff’s perception of loss and the accompanying emotional turbulence. (FYI: Fear of having to deal with people being “over emotional” sometimes prevents leaders following through on this vital strategy; that would be a mistake.)

Tactic 1: Identify The Losses

Rather than dismissing any talk of loss, go the extra mile and actively help people manage the feelings of loss that they will undoubtedly experience.

Ask your staff some frank questions about their experience of loss. What do you feel you are losing? What do you see as the implications of these losses? And, as you ask these questions, don’t presume to know their answers. Also, don’t argue with what people are feeling. (Let them experience their loss however they experience it.)

And openly acknowledge what’s being lost. Don’t shy away from the grief people feel. Instead, give people the emotional space to express their sense of loss and grief. Do cut people some slack (make allowances for emotional expression,) but don’t allow people to act out. And, remember, it’s not about you even though, at times, it may be directed at you.

Tactic 2: Mitigate The Losses

Figure out concrete ways to offset the things your staff are losing. How can I counterbalance what’s been taken away? How can I rebuild a sense of community in a fragmented team? How can I help the manager who lost her position during a merger regain status and credibility within the group? How can I assist the person forced to move across the country to keep his job feel an integrated part of my team? How can I quickly restore a sense of competence to someone who’s self esteem has taken a hit? Get the idea?

Another important tactic for mitigating the losses, is to clarify what isn’t being lost. During transition it’s easy to overlook all the things which are staying the same and only focus on what’s changing. It’s natural for us to view the world that way, the part of our environment that’s changing is most likely to represent a threat. And we’re hardwired to be on the lookout for potential threats. (I’ll talk about this in the next message.) Pointing out all the things that are staying the same can provide a much needed anchor against the tide of change.

Tactic 3: Contextualize The Losses

Your objective is to place the sense of loss into a broader context. Giving your staff a big-picture narrative into which to place their emotions, helps normalize the change experience. First off, proactively warn people to expect feelings they would normally consider over-emotional.

Secondly, get your staff emotionally engaged in the problem. What can you do to make it their problem? For example, play them recordings of dissatisfied customers complaining to customer service agents. Show them what people are saying about your organization on the social media websites. Invite dissatisfied customers to talk to your staff directly. Think in terms of selling the problem, not just the solution.

Thirdly, as you contextualize change, educate your staff about Emotion Brain. Many of the difficulties we face in life arise from a misunderstanding of and inability to manage Emotion Brain. A bullying dictator who rants at your unconscious, screams absolute demands at the universe…and lives inside your head. It’s Emotion Brain who perceives organizational change as physically threatening and responds in a manner entirely congruent with this perspective. As far as Emotion Brain is concerned, when you try to institute change, you may as well have sneaked up behind your staff in a dark alley and tried to stab them in the back!

So how can you harness Emotion Brain’s raw power for good? Stay tuned for the next change management post…

If you’re finding these strategies and tactics useful, I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. You can “speak your mind” in the box below this post…