Habits

General Charles O. Noble once said, “First we make our habits and then our habits make us”.  I like the idea of habits. A habit is a repeated behavior that after some period of time becomes involuntary. The idea that an improved behavior could become effortless at a future date makes changing less daunting.

James Clear, an author who writes on habits specifically, cited a study conducted by Phillippa Lally,  a health psychology researcher at University College London. In a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit.

The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. Each person chose one new habit for the 12 weeks and reported each day on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.

Some people chose simple habits like “drinking a bottle of water with lunch.” Others chose more difficult tasks like “running for 15 minutes before dinner.” At the end of the 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it. She found that on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.” A little over two months! Not so bad, Right? So let’s get started today!  Here are 5 habits that will keep your career on the right track and maybe even bring you some new success!

1.       Build Your Self-awareness Everyday

No matter how brilliant or experienced we are we all have gaps in our self- awareness.  We can only see circumstances and events from our side of our personal lens, so keeping that lens 20/20 takes some effort.  Seeking to broaden and validate your assumptions, your opinions, and your performance by asking others questions is one habit that can keep your instincts sharp and accurate.  

2.       Put Others First 

Jeff Boss, Forbes contributor in a blog titled 13 Habits of Humble People, touts the advantages of humility. He says “Humble people know their self-worth.  As a result, they don’t need to cast themselves before others just to show how much they know. Instead, humble people realize that nobody cares how much they know until those people know how much they are cared for.”  According to Boss, this helps with effective decision making too, “Since humble people put other’s needs before their own, when faced with difficult decisions they respect the moral and ethical boundaries that govern the decision and base their decision making criteria off a sense of shared purpose rather than self-interest”.

3.       Be Clear and Concise in Your Communication

Travis Bradberry, Emotional Intelligence author, suggests the importance of communicating clearly in his blog 15 Habits of Exceptionally Persuasive People, “Persuasive people are able to communicate their ideas quickly and clearly”. He goes further to explain, “When you have a firm grasp on what you are talking about, it’s fun and easy to explain it to those who don’t understand. A good strategy here is to know your subject so well that you could explain it to a child. If you can explain yourself effectively to someone who has no background on the subject, you can certainly make a persuasive case with someone who does.”

4.       Focus on Both Daily Responsibilities and Big-picture Thinking

This one is from Gwen Moran for FastCompany.com in a blog titled 5 Habits of People Who Always Get Promoted. “Exceptional performers are able to maintain dual focus on both the task at hand, as well as how it fits into the bigger picture”.

Moran references Katharine Halpin, CEO and founding principal of The Halpin Companies, Inc., a leadership consultancy in Phoenix, Arizona. When speaking of these “super-employees” Halpin says, "They take ownership for problem solving and dissolving conflict. They naturally have this sort of alignment with the company."  I like how Moran describes this as both a skillset and a mindset. When you start looking at everyday tasks from both perspectives and truly understand what you need to do and why it needs to be done, you become more strategic and begin to anticipate what needs to be done—sometimes before others know what needs to be done, she says. In addition, you’re better able to prioritize so that your activities and energy are focused where they are of most value to the company, Halpin adds.

5.       Develop a Strong Sense of Appreciation 

Harvey Deutschendorf, in a blog for FastCompany.com 5 Ways to Boost Your Emotional  Intelligence, discusses a sense of appreciation as key in making meaningful connections with others.  

“If asked what they are grateful for, good leaders will be able to quickly come up with a long list. They are always appreciative and cognizant of the fact that they have others to thank for getting to where they are.

One way of developing gratitude is to keep a gratitude book and every morning before you do anything else, write down ten things you are grateful for. This helps to keep up a positive attitude and motivation throughout the day.”

Small habit shifts and minor course corrections are the secret to meaningful long-term self-development.  Be deliberate and thoughtful today and soon these new habits will be effortless!  

imagecredit: creditforce.com