By Debbie Blagsvedt, CSM, LSSGB
It’s 6:30am, the alarm goes off, and I roll out of bed, jump in a hot shower, feed Emmett (a 48-pound cocker spaniel needs his breakfast), get ready, drive to work, and drive home. Next morning, repeat.
Sound familiar? Routines bring comfort and a sense of control in our lives in a volatile, uncertain, chaotic, and ambiguous world. Remember, VUCA? Humans are creatures of habit and we like to stay in our comfort zones.
As a change management professional, I’m supposed to embrace change. Honestly, I kind of like change, but I have to say, I’m often looked at with scorn even by some of my fellow change management peers.
What’s the real reason we want to stay in our comfort zones? One reason is that we are often not rewarded for going outside of them. This can be true at work, as well—a new change initiative occurs, and once staff is trained and the change is implemented, everyone moves onto the next project.
Oftentimes, mechanisms for sustaining the change aren’t built into the equation and don’t get established.
For a change initiative to have the most success, leaders should reward staff frequently in order to reinforce the new behavior.
So, how can you create mechanisms to sustain change by reinforcing and rewarding behavior? Take a look at our infographic for some ideas!