Changing behaviours is never easy and yet it’s something that you need to always be doing!
Why? Because as your firm adapts to the outside world, using new technologies, new working methods, attracting new clients it needs to change.
If you’re the only one that changes, nothing happens, your team need to change too. If you’re the only one changing, you’re not building value into your firm.
Get your staff to change the way they work
I was in a supermarket at the weekend, and loved the example it gave me of how to get people to change. Very simple, yet effective – instead of telling us to recycle our bags, it thanked us for the ones we had recycled and reminded us of the benefit.
At school (far too many years ago) I used to try to please my favourite teacher more than the others. Why? She used to highlight the good things I’d done, rather than tell me off for the bad parts of the essays. Can you remember your school days, did you find the same thing happening?
What’s this got to do with my firm?
It’s simple, reinforcing good behaviours, is very powerful in creating change. It’s also something that many people don’t do often enough. It’s far more common to complain about things, or tell people to do things. The supermarket advert above would have been far less effective if it just told us to re-use our old carrier bags.
Your challenge
Go out and spend time praising staff for good things, reinforce good behaviour. Set yourself a target, find one thing you can genuinely praise each person for, each day. Then see the difference.
Would you like to know three more things to make change easier, or maybe what doctors who didn’t bother washing hands can teach about change.
How can you catch your team doing something right and praise them more often? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Written by Jon Baker The 5-50 Coach. I help professionals grow their firms from 5 to 50 employees, sustainably, profitably and still have fun. Have you got your "next step kitbag yet"? It's stuffed with guides, reports & templates helping you grow from 5 to 50 employees. Click here for your copy.
{ 0 comments… add one now }