Changing behavior in your team? You can do it with these 6 practical ideas.

Also tired of that endless talking about changing behavior in your organization? Rather do something? I couldn’t agree more. I no longer believe in talking about changing behavior. Nothing at all happens with talk. Changing behavior is about doing. I have 6 practical ideas for you to simply change behavior change in your organization in the workplace, that offers a much greater chance of success.

Stop talking about changing behavior

In my own practice, I stopped talking about behavior change. I just don’t believe in it anymore. Go figure for yourself: have you ever sat in on a awayday talking about collaboration?

All day long talking about how things should be different, what didn’t go well and especially how it should be better. Do you remember what the effect and result was? Probably a few beautiful flip charts and nothing else changed in the work situation, nothing seen and nothing changed.

Do it ‘live’ in your own work environment

My method is to stop talking and thinking about different behavior and, above all, obtain behavior change by doing, experiencing and live experience in your own work environment.

Below are 6 concrete activities that really change behavior by acting in stead of talking. Just say my best-practice for effective behavior change where practicing is the most important starting point.

#1, Change directly and immediately in practice

Tackle behavior change practically, a little bit each time. Just start with a concrete step, the action is key point. For example, tackle just one topic of change and gauge how often the challenged behavior is expressed during a meeting or work consultation.

example direct change in behavior

For example, how often does it happen that members of the team discuss a topic too much “en detail” causing the meeting to run over every time.

Discuss how that can be done differently

Listen to what literally comes across the table and takes place before your eyes. Discuss that aspect and at the same time discuss how you are going to do it differently. So let reality speak for itself, because reality shows how things are done on a daily basis.

#2, Make behavior concrete, brainstorm about it and apply it

Behavior and thought do not change. What does change is a specific behavior or thought. As stated earlier: talking about has little effect. So pay attention to how abstractly or concretely people talk about breaking habit and habituation. For example, there is little chance that the intention “communicate better” and “tune in more” will be followed up.

Make it tangible

For example, translate this to “call, not email” and to “daily face-to-face contact to start the workday together”. In behavior change, words such as “better, more often, less and more” are often used. These words need to be made concrete.

The more the concrete behavior is defined, the easier it is to address and encourage each other. For example, “We should talk to each other more often” becomes “We meet once a week for an hour to talk through the results together.”

#3: Dose the changing

In conjunction with making it concrete, it is crucial to address existing practices live in the work situation. In doing so, make sure to use a good dosage. We have a lot of positive experience with gradually, little by little changing workplace behavior.

Not all at once

So overfeeding is pointless. Indicate in steps from where to work where. Pay attention to sequence and interdependence in undertaking the journey.

#4: Changing behavior? While it’s fresh in your mind …

A basic feature of learning to act differently is actually giving and receiving feedback immediately when the time comes, so while it’s fresh in your mind. It works best if you literally feel the change in behavior. And in the moment we experience much more intensely the reflection on what we have done or said, the emotion is still full on!

Note the pattern

Use the heat of the moment to confront. It works even better if you agree the element of “discuss immediately” in advance. If you wait too long, the learning moment dissipates.

In our practice we pay close attention to whether there is a pattern to avoid confrontation. Incidentally, you can very well establish this pattern yourself. Of course it requires some solidity in your team to do this together!

#5: Have desired behavior experienced

Go for action when it comes to behavior. Both body and mind will literally experience what it’s all about. This provides a positive experience of success. If having fun and enjoyment is important, make sure to have spontaneous crazy and fun things happen on a regular basis.

For example: Should it be more playful, introduce games. Should it be more customer-centric, let customers speak and bring co-creation to life in practice .

Behavior is perception, a matter of feeling and conscious experience. So don’t say “we are reliable” anymore, but act by keeping appointments and exceed your customers’ expectations.

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#6: Make behavior negotiable

Other behavior becomes part of daily routines when it is talked about openly. Learning other behavior falls and stands with unlearning existing behavior. Addressing this is therefore essential. Not by propagating that making mistakes is allowed. Those are empty words.

introduce “the gaffe of the week”

Make it a sport to showcase, in a playful and respectful way ineffective actions. For example, set up a stage for the ‘gaffe of the week’ and spread playful stories about blunders. Or give a reward for the stupidest action that can benefit everyone enormously. Only in openness is it possible to learn to do something about behavior and thus allow your team to develop further.

Changing behavior

Summary

Changing behavior by sharing

I would like to invite you to try out the above “do-activities” and maybe you know of a useful “do variant” yourself. After all, you change behavior by doing. As a manager, you can set a good example and in this way you can exert a lot of positive influence.