Page 137 - Make Work Great

When Growth Is Diffi cult

How can you most easily create or strengthen a habit? Much has
been written about this topic, and current researchers don’t agree on
1
the mechanics of habit formation. However, academics and popu-
lar psychologists alike seem to agree that some basic ingredients are
required to form a new habit. 2–4
First, some connection between the intended action and a desirable
goal is necessary. In this case, you need to believe that the practices of
overtness and clarity will lead to positive outcomes at work. Reading
this book is a start, and experimenting with your own new patterns
of behavior is the next step. As you begin to experience positive out-
comes, pay special attention to even your smallest successes; perhaps
reserve some pages in your notebook to chronicle the positive results
you see. In doing so, the connection between action and goal will
become stronger in your own mind.
Second, some type of cuing or reminder system is helpful at the
beginning. You might write a note in your calendar to begin each
meeting with your manager by reciting your summary outputs list,
or you can ask a close friend to remind you to do so as you enter
the meeting. The reminder may be useful for your next 5, 10, or 20
meetings. Sooner or later, the behavior will become habitual and the
reminder unnecessary.
Third, a time frame for intentionally repeating manageable changes
is useful. Some physical trainers advise new clients to exercise a little
every single day for their fi rst 30 to 45 days, because this approach is
far more likely to create a new habit than a few arduous workouts per
week. In the context of crystal building, the idea of such repetition
suggests that it’s not to your advantage to try to do everything dif-
ferently tomorrow. Rather, it’s better to make only a small change—
perhaps picking one form of overtness or clarity—and stick with it
every single day for at least a month.
The combination of these three fundamentals of habit is powerful.
For instance, you may decide that you’d like to improve your clarity of
approach by spending a little more time preparing for potentially dif-

ficult interactions in advance. To do so, you might place a note on your
dashboard that says, “Consider your approach.” Then you might spend

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