All articles and blogs about change start the same. The proof seems overwhelming: Change is hard. Both for people and organisations. But is change really that difficult? Or is the way we want to change making it difficult? How can we change in small steps?
Jochem wants to make the world a better place (ambitious goal). He also realises that he should start with himself (we have all heard this one before). A slight panic creeped up on him…”HOW???”. He needed a realistic plan of action, you can’t fix all the world problems by yourself. And then Jochem had the idea to start with reducing his usage of plastic. In essence still a big step for him, after all everything is packed in plastic.. So, to start with separating plastic? This was then followed with a few (mind) obstacles: ‘I should bring everything to the recycle park, which will consume time.” And “How am I going to separate, I only have one bin.” Back to the realistic plan of action. (Small) step 1: Jochem went to the store to buy an extra bin for plastics.
A small step towards an ambitious goal.
What we often see, both at people and organisations, is that ambitious goals are being set. Which is not a problem. However, the problem lies in the fact that these ambitious goals need to be achieved at once. Preferably yesterday.
To change in one instance is not easy. To change in small steps is, without losing sight of the ambitious goal!
Back to Jochem: He is very happy with his new bin and enthusiastically separates his plastic. And the walk to the recycle park turned out to be not as time consuming as he had thought. Meanwhile he also carriers around a small foldable shopping bag, ‘so in case of spontaneous groceries he doesn’t need to buy a plastic bag.
Those are several small steps, towards an ambitious goal!
By making himself buy the extra bin while he was in town anyway, he initiated a change. This change doesn’t make that he achieved his ambitious goal (make the world a better place), but he did start to move towards it. What is important now, and in organisations here lies an important role for managers, is to make sure that the small steps continue to succeed each other. Separating his trash soon became a (fresh!) habit, but I helped him take the next steps. Not by suggesting his next step, but my triggering him, asking questions, giving him time and inspiring him (for example biological or ecological products). I help him in ensuring that his next step won’t remain a resolution.
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