Still struggling to swallow more change than you can manage? Try these snackable steps instead
Posted on 25th January 2024 at 16:16
Still struggling to swallow more change than you can manage? Try these snackable steps instead
Everything you need to know about change, how to lead it, and how to make it stick.
The new year brings a huge wave of people trying to change. We want to improve our physique, free up time, live better, and generally improve ourselves in a million different ways.
Within a few weeks, however, there are abandoned resolutions galore. The gyms start to empty again, bakery aisle sales are back up, and our email inboxes have fallen back into disarray.
How can we break this annual cycle as individuals? And how can we use this information to make change in the workplace less painful and more long-lasting?
First, let's clear up some myths
1. MYTH: 'Change management' means long drawn-out initiatives, cascading from the top down.
WRONG! Change happens all the time and in any direction. Remember the pandemic? Change came thick and fast and those that were agile and changed quickest, thrived (or at least survived).
2. MYTH: Change is an extraordinary event that must be dealt with using 'change management' techniques and special skills.
WRONG! Change is constant and a routine aspect of work to bring about rapid improvement. Seeing it as something special or separate makes it easy for people to become resistant to change.
3. MYTH: 'Change management' is a sub-specialty or management, distinct from "managing" itself.
WRONG! Change IS management! Getting your team to do what you want, how you want it done, is getting them to change something.
4. MYTH: Leadership development and change management are separate rather that interrelated challenges.
WRONG! You can't lead without change, and you can't deliver change without leadership!
So how do we do change right?
It's time to start thinking about leading change consistently with everything that you do - or as we call it, snackable change!
First, recognise that if your team is not engaged in what you are changing, they are never going to do things differently - engagement, mindset and communication are critical to change - this is just management!
Next, follow these three steps and see your relationship with change be transformed.
Step ONE: Snackable Steps.
Learn to unbundle and re-imagine tasks into smaller, more manageable steps - or snacks - enhancing understanding and motivation
Think about a goal or task that hasn't worked or been implemented because the steps were too big - the smaller the step the easier it is to measure and re-imagine success. Human behaviour needs motivation to make it stick.
Step TWO: Mealtimes that Work
Explore combining cues, nudges, and suggestions at times that make sense to your team, and pairing them with targeted rewards and recognition.
What time do you have breakfast? Does everyone in your team do the same? Probably not, and that's okay. You recognise what works for you might not work for everyone. If you want them to take on a new behaviour consistently i.e make a new habit of something, you need to find the 'mealtime' that works for them.
For example, don't launch a new menu and expect everyone to learn 30 new dish specifications in one day - instead launch one new spec per day for 30 days - the results will speak for themselves.
If something you are implementing isn’t landing, it is because your mealtimes aren’t working.
Step THREE: Calorie Tracking
Use frequent assessments and reviews to minimise leaps of faith and ensure continuous, lasting change.
Track your progress, course correct where necessary, and give regular feedback. How often in the implementation of something do we fail to build in regular reviews, especially bitesize ones? This helps identify where blockers might pop up and derail your efforts.
Small snacks eaten at the right time with tracked calories will bring about the change required!
Change is constant, necessary, and the only way to be future fit. And now you have a blueprint for redefining your relationship with it and making sure it's easy to swallow for everyone.
If you need a little guidance on snacking wisely, our new workshop on ‘Snackable Change’ is definitely for you!
Let us know how you get on, and if you need any help, we're always here for you.
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